ADVICE FOR PARENTS OF CHILD EXPERIENCERS

 ANNOUNCEMENTS

IANDS HAS CHANGED

The newly designed, latest issue of 
Vital Signs Magazine has:

• expanded articles on spirituality, research, a never-before-shared experience,

• information on how to see Dr. Raymond Moody in person,

• convenient links to all of the places, people, and things you love,

• plus, a conference insert showcasing IANDS speakers and events.

Helpful information:

• Hover over the text and images to see all of the links to great content you can access through this wonderful, free educational and support resource from IANDS. You can visit the websites associated with each article, learn more about all of the people, and be directed to purchase books and more.

• If you have trouble with the flipbook, a pdf link is included as well for mobile and printing. The links are available on mobile devices and desktops through the pdf as well.
  
  

  And they have an “Extraordinary Shop” featuring shirts/mugs/souvenirs/car magnets/more.  Yup, souvenirs.  Who would have thunk it.  A wow.  

Sign up now for the big IANDS Convention in Chicago, Illinois the last

week of August.  Even Dr. Raymond Moody will be there, as well as

outstanding speakers and guests. 

ADVICE FOR PARENTS OF CHILD EXPERIENCERS

I’ve seen this happen with parents of children who had near-death experiences - again and again.  Children, just like with adults, undergo a brain-shift/spirit shift.  Their parents are almost lost with how to handle this.

Here’s some advice for such parents.

Sleep patterns for the young abruptly alter afterwards.

Less nap time, increased flow states, and restlessness.  Some may fear sleep and suffer nightmares; others seem exhausted on waking, as if they had “toured the universe” or attended some type of school while asleep.  Reliving the near-death episode in the dreamstate is commonplace.  Encourage the child to share this.  Listen.

Love changes for child experiencers.

It is NORMAL for them to lose the parent/child bonding.  That doesn’t mean they cease to be loving and thoughtful, but it does mean they tend to act more distant than before.  The child switches gears and begins to mature faster; become independent.  Interests change.

After their experience, most kids have a marked decrease in their ability to express themselves and socialize,

Since language is the most critical skill anyone has, stimulate the child’s speech with your own.  Promote dialogue with question/answer games, group storytelling, reading outloud, speaking on “pretend” microphones.   Encourage the child to participate in community projects as a volunteer.

Writing and drawing are just as important as dialogue.

Ask the child to make a special book about his or her near-death experience.  Have lots of paper handy for pages that cover:  newspaper account of death event (if any), drawings of each aspect of near-death episode, description of what occurred, information about dreams afterward, sketches of any “beings” that continue to appear, poems, ideas, thoughts, and extra pages to record more things later on.  Choose a title:  bind book with ribbon.  A project such as this validates the experience. . . as well as the child’s feelings.  The parent(s) should keep a journal of the whole affair, too.  This helps to restimulate parent/child bonding, and can serve as an invaluable resource once the child matures.  Consider giving the journal to the child when he or she becomes an adult.

With reborns and infants, if there is any chance their life could have been at risk or if there was birth trauma, do this as soon as possible:  outline the baby’s body with gentle hand or finger strokes.  

Repeat several times each day until they can turn over and are more active.  Practice baby massage, gently exercising their limbs and pelvis, along with gentle back and shoulder rubs.  This will help to bring them back from “the otherworlds” in a healthy and positive way should they have had a near-death experience.  If they did not, well, it’s good exercise for any parent to use with “new arrivals” as it promotes trust and self-confidence.

Child experiencers of any age tend to withdraw: can even reject hugs and cuddles.  

Recenter them in their bodies through touch using techniques such as:  pat their shoulder when you pass by, touch their hand if you speak to them, nudge a knee from time to time, rub their back.  Smile.  Teach them to pat and nudge you like you do with them.  Pets are wonderful for touch therapy, as are plants and gardens, making things with clay, perhaps cloth and paper sculpture.  Make cookies that the child can help prepare, then turn him or her loose shaping the cookies by hand into imaginative designs.  Do food sculptures (inspirations in books like Play with Your Food by Joost Elffers).

Speaking of food, watch sugar levels.

Child experiencers are more sensitive than the average child to chemicals and excessive sweets, especially refined sugars and “replacement” sweetners/products.  Practice good nutrition; use veggies and maybe one piece of fruit or cheese-and-crackers for snacks.  Full-spectrum lights are preferred to fluorescent; avoid over-exposure to electrical items (especially electric blankets), with computers and television, limit use, make certain plenty of water and fresh air are available; cottons usually work best for clothes and bedding.  At meals, have a burning candle for a centerpiece, and say the type of Grace where each person in turn can offer his or her own prayer.  Flowers put children at ease.  Let them pick and arrange the flowers, if possible.  Be careful of too much exposure to bright sun (mid-afternoon), and music turned too high (loud volume is often painful to them).  Recheck former medication as it may now be too potent.

Visualization techniques are a must for the child to learn, as well as some kind of focusing exercise.

Wherever anyone has once been in mind can be returned to and re-experienced.  A child experiencer does not have to attempt suicide to go back (nor does a teenager or adult).  This can be done at will through desire and intention and the “magic” of visualization.

Child experiencers, even in the early years of grade school, are perfect candidates for the study of philosophy, of morals and integrity, especially if using the “Socrates” method - where asking questions inspires deep probing responses and critical thinking.

They can easily engage other students and promote class discussions.  Talk to the teacher and/or school administrator to see if such study can be done as a part of class enrichment.