Cant sleep after horror movie

[oldbuzzard]

Looking for some advice for my friend. Her DS is 11 years old. Six months ago whilst staying at a friends house, he watched a horror movie, and since then has been unable to sleep by himself. His parents have explained to him it was only a film, but he just cant get off to sleep. His dad has to put him to bed every night and can only leave once he is sleeping. If his mum or dad refuse to stay in his room, he asks his 9 year old sister to stay with him. The problem is not that he is waking up with nightmares, it is that he cant get to sleep in the first place. My friend is at her wits end, as he sometimes keeps the whole family up til the early hours. Any ideas on how to tackle this??

How awful i remember going through the same thing when i was young. Six months is a long time not sure what advice can give as guess they tried most things. I just used to have to fall asleep with the light on. Guess he must have very active imagination as i have that why i can't watch any horror movies. Has his mum spoken to friends parents about this ?

Yes, they have spoken to the other parents, but they seem quite unconcerned. They have tried all the usual stuff, like leaving the light on etc, but they just dont know what to do next, and im at a loss.

Hi Oldbuzzard,

My children aren't this age yet, but I remember having a vivid bad dream repeatedly (when I was around 12) which ended up leaving me so terrified I wouldn't go to sleep. I can still remember it now...
My dad got me to sit down and describe the dream with all the bits I was most scared of. He then "walked me through" the dream again but made changes so that it ended with me being in control. We did this a few times and it never bothered me again as if I found myself thinking about it, I just thought through my Dad's version of the story and then felt safe. Maybe a process like this would help? I know it isn't a dream but you could possibly adapt the end of the film's story to allow for a safe resolution...

Thanks RedFraggle, i'll pass your message on to my friend. Anything is worth a try. Cant understand why some parents think it is ok for their 11 year old to watch cert 18 horror movies.