Bedtime - Two Approaches

1 -- It's time to go asleep and a child calls out from his bed - he's fearful after watching so much wild and violently imaginative TV programming - he's fearful about the monsters he assumes will appear under his bed once the lights go out. The parent tells him all he has to do is say a certain prayer and ask Saint RescueMe for help and this will keep the monsters away. The lights go out and the fear in the child peaks. In terrified desperation he mumbles the prayer exactly as he was taught and pleads for Saint RescueMe to intercede for him. The trauma-based conditioning has its payoff -- the monsters don't come. 

In the morning the parent asks the child about the night before. "You see, it works!" exclaims the parent. "As long as you believe in Saint RescueMe and say the prayer exactly as I told you, no monsters can ever get you." 

The parent has just reinforced in the child how real the monsters are. Having made that fear very real, now the child can be easily controlled by the threat of monsters, even into adulthood. With each stage of life, the same scenario is updated to invoke the same response. Natural urges are attributed to the monsters -- and only by doing penance to Saint RescueMe to make up for one's base and despicable nature can one avoid living forever with the monsters after one dies. This fear must never be interrupted or the control will stop. Even if the grown-up child starts to doubt the existence of monsters, he must be told that such thoughts are the ultimate trick of the monsters! 

2 -- It's time to go asleep and a child calls out from his bed - he's fearful after watching so much wild and violently imaginative TV programming - he's fearful about the monsters he assumes will appear under his bed once the lights go out. The parent tells him there are no monsters under the bed but we all can imagine all sorts of things because we are so creative, which is a good thing, but sometimes after watching wild and violent TV programs we can get our imaginations spinning in ways where we frighten ourselves, like wearing a Halloween mask and looking at ourselves in a mirror.  But always remember our imaginations can create anything -- it can just as easily create fairies and angels and funny dancing candy flowers too. The parent turns out the lights and lays down next to the child and together they explore all the fun and funny things the child's imagination can come up with to be in the room with them. The child has fun with exploring this expanding power of creative manifestation. For a while there's a flurry of zany and amusing ideas before the child eventually drifts off to sleep. 

In the morning the parent asks the child about the night before. "You see, it works!" exclaims the parent. "It's up to you to take into your dreams any playful, funny, silly thing you want! You always have that magic and always will!" 

The parent has just reinforced in the child how real his creative power is, how possible and important it is to take control of his own will and destiny, to seize his ability to direct energies towards what serves him always. The child has experienced an example of his magnificent and wondrous nature. As he repeatedly receives this message to be motivated out of positive possibilities and self-actualized interest instead of fear, the child expands into adulthood confident in his potential - plus he gets a better night's sleep.