Blank screen anxieties

I have averaged about 3 hours sleep the last two night’s, thanks to D’s nightmares and anxieties. This is in spite of her having her usual Melatonin dose, I guess this particular anxiety cannot be medicated.

D has always had a fear of dark TV screens (ie on standby) or the credits screen at the end of programmes or films.

If we’re at home, the channel has to be switched over or the DVD has to be turned off immediately as soon as the programme/film has ended.

If we’re in the cinema, then we have to leave as soon as the film has finished – you know, when everyone else also wants to leave. It’s then extremely busy, she panics and invariably bolts. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. We therefore tend to go to the cinema very infrequently, definitely avoiding weekends and usually when the film is near the end of it’s showing run.

We have talked about why she gets so scared and she says it’s because the screen is trying to get her and kill her. No logic or reasoning behind this. Our main TV at home is wall-mounted, about 5 feet up.

She has drawn pictures before of “D the butterfly” saving her from the DD (as she calls DVDs), I’m glad that she can tell me.

I can only presume that this latest run of nightmares stems from a soft play birthday party we went to on Saturday. Very busy, she had quite a few tears there and there were a few TV screens wall-mounted showing sky sports etc.
Why didn’t we leave the party early? Unfortunately we were getting a lift with the birthday child’s family.

The one advantage I guess is that when she’s older, any TV in her room (no she doesn’t have one) would have to be firmly switched off before she went to bed. The thought of her waking up to a black screen would be terrifying.

I wondered if anyone else’s child or young adult had a similar phobia and how it was overcome?