Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTriggersTreatment in ChildrenTeens and AdultsTreatment for Adults / Teens

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Triggers

Treatment in Children

Teens and Adults

Treatment for Adults / Teens

Fears are a normal, healthy part of childhood development. They help children learn to make sense of the world around them and develop coping skills to last a lifetime. For this reason, phobias are generally not diagnosed in kids under the age of 18 unless they last for more than six months and cause clinically significant distress or impairment.

There is nothing wrong with your child being afraid of monsters.

In these cases, limiting the child’s exposure may help lessen the fear.

There are a number of things that parents can do to help lessen their children’s fear of monsters. Some ideas include:

A more persistent monster phobia may be rooted inreligiousor cultural fears. The fear may be generalized or it may be of a specific type of creature such as vampires, zombies, orghosts.The fear ofwitchcraftis sometimes related to the fear of monsters. These phobias are often based on a blend of superstitions, urban legends, and religious teachings.

For many people, knowledge is power. Studying ancient and modern myths about the feared monsters, particularly the science behind the legends, is often enough to curb milder fears. For more intense phobias, professional assistance may be required.

Treatment for Adults and Teens

Fortunately, like all phobias, monster phobia responds well to a variety of treatments.Because they are often based on other fears, it is important to decide on your primarygoals of therapy.

The answers to these and other questions will help direct your choice of treatment. For example, if your fear of monsters is rooted in your religious or spiritual beliefs, your therapist might suggest spiritual counseling with your religious leader instead of, or in addition to, traditional therapeutic techniques.

Traditional techniques may include cognitive behavioral therapy orexposure therapy, in which you are exposed to the object of your fear, but in a safe setting, to help you understand that it won’t harm you. In some cases, medication may be used to help treat symptoms—such as anxiety—you may feel as a result of a phobia. A mental health professional can help discuss these options with you.

13 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Taming the monsters: Helping kids deal with their fears.Paediatr Child Health. 2001;6(3):165-8. doi:10.1093/pch/6.3.165Hendrikson E.Kid fears in adults: the dark and other phobias.Scientific American.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Anxiety, fears, and phobias.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias symptoms & causes.Krisch JA.Fatherly.How monsters under the bed became a common childhood fear.Parenting.Ask Dr. Sears: mashing monster fears.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Nighttime fears.Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.Bedtime fears: helping overcome them.American Academy of Pediatrics.Understanding childhood fears and anxieties.Marotta LL.Ask the experts: kids and scary movies.Metro Family Magazine.De oliveira-souza R.Phobia of the supernatural: a distinct but poorly recognized specific phobia with an adverse impact on daily living.Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:590. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00590Carpenter JK, Andrews LA, Witcraft SM, Powers MB, Smits JAJ, Hofmann SG.Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Depress Anxiety. 2018;35(6):502-514. doi:10.1002/da.22728Burstein M, Georgiades K, He JP, et al.Specific phobia among U.S. adolescents: phenomenology and typology.Depress Anxiety. 2012;29(12):1072-82. doi:10.1002/da.22008Additional ReadingLandau E. CNN.Ghosts, monsters, dragons: What to tell kids.Malawista KL. HuffPost.Magical Thinking: Fears of the Dark and What Lurks Under the Bed.

13 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Taming the monsters: Helping kids deal with their fears.Paediatr Child Health. 2001;6(3):165-8. doi:10.1093/pch/6.3.165Hendrikson E.Kid fears in adults: the dark and other phobias.Scientific American.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Anxiety, fears, and phobias.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias symptoms & causes.Krisch JA.Fatherly.How monsters under the bed became a common childhood fear.Parenting.Ask Dr. Sears: mashing monster fears.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Nighttime fears.Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.Bedtime fears: helping overcome them.American Academy of Pediatrics.Understanding childhood fears and anxieties.Marotta LL.Ask the experts: kids and scary movies.Metro Family Magazine.De oliveira-souza R.Phobia of the supernatural: a distinct but poorly recognized specific phobia with an adverse impact on daily living.Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:590. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00590Carpenter JK, Andrews LA, Witcraft SM, Powers MB, Smits JAJ, Hofmann SG.Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Depress Anxiety. 2018;35(6):502-514. doi:10.1002/da.22728Burstein M, Georgiades K, He JP, et al.Specific phobia among U.S. adolescents: phenomenology and typology.Depress Anxiety. 2012;29(12):1072-82. doi:10.1002/da.22008Additional ReadingLandau E. CNN.Ghosts, monsters, dragons: What to tell kids.Malawista KL. HuffPost.Magical Thinking: Fears of the Dark and What Lurks Under the Bed.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Taming the monsters: Helping kids deal with their fears.Paediatr Child Health. 2001;6(3):165-8. doi:10.1093/pch/6.3.165Hendrikson E.Kid fears in adults: the dark and other phobias.Scientific American.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Anxiety, fears, and phobias.Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias symptoms & causes.Krisch JA.Fatherly.How monsters under the bed became a common childhood fear.Parenting.Ask Dr. Sears: mashing monster fears.Seattle Children’s Hospital.Nighttime fears.Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.Bedtime fears: helping overcome them.American Academy of Pediatrics.Understanding childhood fears and anxieties.Marotta LL.Ask the experts: kids and scary movies.Metro Family Magazine.De oliveira-souza R.Phobia of the supernatural: a distinct but poorly recognized specific phobia with an adverse impact on daily living.Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:590. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00590Carpenter JK, Andrews LA, Witcraft SM, Powers MB, Smits JAJ, Hofmann SG.Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Depress Anxiety. 2018;35(6):502-514. doi:10.1002/da.22728Burstein M, Georgiades K, He JP, et al.Specific phobia among U.S. adolescents: phenomenology and typology.Depress Anxiety. 2012;29(12):1072-82. doi:10.1002/da.22008

Taming the monsters: Helping kids deal with their fears.Paediatr Child Health. 2001;6(3):165-8. doi:10.1093/pch/6.3.165

Hendrikson E.Kid fears in adults: the dark and other phobias.Scientific American.

Johns Hopkins Medicine.Anxiety, fears, and phobias.

Boston Children’s Hospital.Phobias symptoms & causes.

Krisch JA.Fatherly.How monsters under the bed became a common childhood fear.

Parenting.Ask Dr. Sears: mashing monster fears.

Seattle Children’s Hospital.Nighttime fears.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.Bedtime fears: helping overcome them.

American Academy of Pediatrics.Understanding childhood fears and anxieties.

Marotta LL.Ask the experts: kids and scary movies.Metro Family Magazine.

De oliveira-souza R.Phobia of the supernatural: a distinct but poorly recognized specific phobia with an adverse impact on daily living.Front Psychiatry. 2018;9:590. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00590

Carpenter JK, Andrews LA, Witcraft SM, Powers MB, Smits JAJ, Hofmann SG.Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Depress Anxiety. 2018;35(6):502-514. doi:10.1002/da.22728

Burstein M, Georgiades K, He JP, et al.Specific phobia among U.S. adolescents: phenomenology and typology.Depress Anxiety. 2012;29(12):1072-82. doi:10.1002/da.22008

Landau E. CNN.Ghosts, monsters, dragons: What to tell kids.Malawista KL. HuffPost.Magical Thinking: Fears of the Dark and What Lurks Under the Bed.

Landau E. CNN.Ghosts, monsters, dragons: What to tell kids.

Malawista KL. HuffPost.Magical Thinking: Fears of the Dark and What Lurks Under the Bed.

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