Night terrors coinciding with Floods....Trauma?

[~*Niadalla*~]

Hi there.
We've only yesterday been able to get to our house as we were severely affected by floods (yet again! Happend a few months ago just not quite as big).
Anyway, Last Sunday was when we hurried home from our weekend away and packed clothes quickly so we could get out in time. We got home Yesterday (Saturday).
We stayed at our IL's who were also severely affected in that the shed and alot of their property went underwater, but the house stayed dry thankfully. The small country towns we live 'near' were cut off from the larger towns.

Anyway, Sunday night DS slept like normal - All night not a peep.
Monday night he woke about 6-8 times screaming. We didn't know what was going on and he couldn't really offer an explination. Every night since he has woken screaming his lungs out. We ask him wat's wrong and sometimes he says he wants a biccie (which we say we will give him after he wakes in the morning and that he doesn't need one now), he also tells us sometimes he doesn't know what's wrong, last night hubs asked if the floods were scaring him and he said yes. I was talking to my Mum who's been in childcare for 15 odd years, and she thinks his night terrors may be a bit of trauma from all of the flooding. He has seen first hand how much water the area was inundated with as well as the things on the news. Mum thought it was too much of a coincidence for his sleeping issues to be totally unrelated.

I'm wondering who we should take him to see? I am going to call my MCHN first thing tomorrow, although I can't guarantee I'll get to see her for a few weeks (because of the very rural area that we live). Should I be taking him to the GP? I've no idea who to see.
Mum mentioned a little girl who lost her house in the bushfires last year, who seemed normal, but was suffering a bit of trauma and although to me flooding is not as bad (our house stayed dry and we didn't lose anything, we just couldn't get home for 8 days), it could possibly be just as traumatic for DS I suppose.
Has anyone dealt with anything like this before? He just seems so normal during the day, it's when he goes to his room into his bed in the dark on his own, that there are issues. It's VERY unlike him.


TIA

[~*Niadalla*~]

*bumping*

[Santosha]

Hey Nicky. I obviously don't know if it was the floods that have caused this, but I'm sure that it would have been a pretty scary sight for the poor little guy and I'm guessing he doesn't fully understand what happened, why, and how likely it is to happen again. 'Trauma' is a strong word, and I'm not sure I'd call it that, but it may certainly have shaken him up and made him feel uncertain about things. Kids will 'fill in the gaps' of the stuff they don't know with whatever they can, so he might be imagining all sorts of things to explain what he saw or predict what might happen if it were to, say, flood in his room. It also would have been a big shake-up for him to move house for a week and to have to pack up and go so quickly meant that he couldn't emotionally prepare himself for it. If you brought him to my clinic (counselling), the first thing I would suggest is that you make a story together about what happened. You could use photos (your ones on FB are amazing!) and drawings. Help him to understand what happened with the rain, rivers etc, what happened around your home and why you had to leave (not that you were in mortal danger, but just that it's impossible to go for a drive when there's too much water on the roads... or that we didn't have big enough gum-boots to wade in such big puddles, and it's easier to live with grandma until the water flows back to the river... however you think he will best understand it). Talk about how often it's likely to happen, what he might see, and what the family will do. Make sure it's clear that it's not going to flood every time it rains! Then let him draw / talk about how he felt when he saw the water... when you had to get out quickly... when he was staying at his grandparents and didn't know what was happening at home... and when he came home. If / when he tells you how he felt, don't explain the emotion away or be too quick to reassure him. Just validate it: "wow, it was really scary for you when you saw the big lake over the road and you thought we might float away".

Hope that makes sense. In short, you're looking to:
1. Let him debrief about what he saw
2. Help him to identify and express the emotions involved
3. Help him to understand the facts about what happened and predict what will happen in the future.

It also might be worth sitting with him before he goes to bed and helping him with some relaxation and visualisation. Get him imagining a scene or a story that will help him feel safe and relaxed (can be reality, or a grand adventure with Thomas the Tank if that's what does it for him!). Remind him that if his thoughts are bothering him, he can tell himself this story and it will make his thoughts happier.

HTH and that your gorgeous boy is back to his old self very soon.

[Kazbah]

I'm sorry to hear your DS is having these issues. Just wondering, can you put a nightlight in his room for a while? Although, my g/f's DD who is a May '07 bub has been waking every hour after 2am for a little while, she just tried a nightlight and it made the world of difference.

[~*Niadalla*~]

Thanks for your replies.
As for the nightlight, he does have a night on at night in the passage just outside his room and his door is always open. I might try and put another in his room for a bit extra light.

We've done some drawing (although not specifically flood related), and we did head out to the massive lake which is spilling over for the first time since '95 and we showed him the water and he didn't seem scared at all.

I will try some of your suggestions santosha. I think I'll talk to my MCHN aswell and see what she suggests.