My 8 year old son can sleep on his own

[Denny12]

Hi everyone, my 8 year old son has had problems sleeping on his own, his keep saying his scared of the dark so we have the light on, then he wanted the doors open but that diddnt help, i try to lay next to him read his bedtime stories but that didnt help too, he wants me to sleep next to him but doesnt want me to get out of his bed it takes me around 1 hour and half to settle him somethimes more and also his heart beats soo fast that he sweats constantly, once his down he wakes up in the middle of the night relises im not there and im in my bed he jumps into my bed, me and his dad wake up with sore backs all the time as we are squashed in the bed.
İts also made it worse when his Freind told him about bloody mary. Please anyone help with your suggestions as i have run out of ideas.
Thanx

Does sound like he's watched something that has scared him. Can you monitor what he watches on tv or the computer for a while? Or keep him away from computer games with a high rating until this stage passes?

I'd buy him a dream catcher and work with him as he deals with this fear. It will pass in time

You could try a few sessions with a child Psychotherapist as well? Perhaps they would help him to rationalise his fears and get over them.

I remember how scared I used to be, everything is so much more frightening at night. My elder brother let me watch things I shouldn't have as a child, when he was babysitting. Once I stopped watching inappropriate things, the dreams slowly went.

Yes i found out that his freind has got him to watch a little clip on bloody mary :( with lots of blood and a girl getting kiled, when i checked on it on youtube it even scared me.
İ hope it will pass and get forgoten about the clip, i really didnt know what to say to his freind, all i said was its really bad you did something like this and i will be speaking to your parents :(.
Thanks for your reply i might try those suggestions.

We a selection of dream catchers to catch all the nasty thoughts .... And we had to shake the quilt every night to shake the nightmares out ...

Oh dear. Thank God there was no YouTube when I was a kid. Clips like that would've terrified me for weeks

I would have been pretty cross with that boy.

Honestly I would put his mattress on your bedroom floor and let him sleep there until it passes.

İ was really cross but what can you do, they are children very silly of him, his sleeping with me at the moment but this means im going bed at 7.00 ( which is a change for me ) but i was terified my self when i watched the video, can anyine recommend a child psychotherapy??

Go to the GP and ask for a referral of somesort?

Thankyou i will do that, im just worried with referalls it takes ages to get to see someone because of the long waiting list.

You will probably have to make a few phone calls to find the right person but the Institute of Family Therapy is a good place to start, give them a call or I've heard very good things about the Traumatic Stress Clinic in London but you maybe nowhere near there and it can be pricey. A few sessions of CBT could be the answer though. As Random said you could speak to your GP.

He will come through this.

Are you feeling better for all the sleep? He must feel very loved with you taking care of him at this time and staying with him at bedtime.

There is a directory of Therapists/ counsellors here you could search.

Thankyou very much everyone, i will defenetly research all your suggestions.

İ dont think i ever slept so much for a long time luckly my husband suplorts me with all the housework ironing etc.. :)