06-07-2006, 08:03 AM
With regards to treatment and cause of this condition, you might like to consider the following: Firstly, the condition is a reaction of a sensitive child (creative usually because of this) to crowds or novel situation stress - hence schools and similar situations leading to an overwhelm of sensory input, known colloquially as 'embarrassment' (self-consciousness) or 'shyness' (stage fright); also anything deemed hostile can elicit the same response (bullying/ gangs etc.). One-to-one communication or the home environment, leaves the child feeling safe or at least in control to some degree.
The answer is gradual acclimatisation and calming of the nerves as with any phobia, through meditation, deep breathing exercises, exercise in general (hyperventilation counters)singing and acting (confront the situation) i.e. calm the mind/ release the body. Sedatives can be used as a last resort. What is needed is the sense restored in the child that they are in control of the situation and it can be controlled, no matter what the external circumstances (internal confidence changes external perception of environment as either hostile or friendly). It is better for the child if they can work their way up gradually, even from whispering, as criticism or even noticing the difficulty only makes the child more aware of the situation (the opposite of what you want) and panic: What is required, is for self consciousness to be reduced not enflamed, by verbal or visual poking at the mental open wound (ignore it and it will go away as they used to say - notice it and it will stay). Why singing and acting? Because they are actions not requiring thought, just memorization and repitition, leading to extroversion and deep breathing as a natural consequence. Single word communication is also acceptable and maybe the next stage up after whispering as sentence construction requires thought and planning, which a frightened child is not capable of (What is needed is to get them to see it is safe to make noises and from there to go on to explain and extol their thoughts and feelings as well as lines of reasoning). The important thing again though is that the child must engage with these tasks 'voluntarily'. This is because fears are induced where actions are forced on somebody, through human intervention or natural occurrences (accidents/ serious illnesses, perhaps), creating trauma and from that phobia i.e. the sense of having no control ofver the situation and having a lack of understanding ofthe mechanics behind what has led up to and created the situation.
Lastly, why non-verbal communication as the child's only means of getting the message across? This form of communication doesn't require consciousness on behalf of the child, being purely physical (action without thought as opposed to thought without action, its opposite). They do not have to go within themselves to string ideas together and to 'think' about what they want to get across as it's all external i.e. simple and direct in the extreme.
You might also like to visit Robert Genn's site (http://www.painterskeys.com) for a positive view of this condition
The answer is gradual acclimatisation and calming of the nerves as with any phobia, through meditation, deep breathing exercises, exercise in general (hyperventilation counters)singing and acting (confront the situation) i.e. calm the mind/ release the body. Sedatives can be used as a last resort. What is needed is the sense restored in the child that they are in control of the situation and it can be controlled, no matter what the external circumstances (internal confidence changes external perception of environment as either hostile or friendly). It is better for the child if they can work their way up gradually, even from whispering, as criticism or even noticing the difficulty only makes the child more aware of the situation (the opposite of what you want) and panic: What is required, is for self consciousness to be reduced not enflamed, by verbal or visual poking at the mental open wound (ignore it and it will go away as they used to say - notice it and it will stay). Why singing and acting? Because they are actions not requiring thought, just memorization and repitition, leading to extroversion and deep breathing as a natural consequence. Single word communication is also acceptable and maybe the next stage up after whispering as sentence construction requires thought and planning, which a frightened child is not capable of (What is needed is to get them to see it is safe to make noises and from there to go on to explain and extol their thoughts and feelings as well as lines of reasoning). The important thing again though is that the child must engage with these tasks 'voluntarily'. This is because fears are induced where actions are forced on somebody, through human intervention or natural occurrences (accidents/ serious illnesses, perhaps), creating trauma and from that phobia i.e. the sense of having no control ofver the situation and having a lack of understanding ofthe mechanics behind what has led up to and created the situation.
Lastly, why non-verbal communication as the child's only means of getting the message across? This form of communication doesn't require consciousness on behalf of the child, being purely physical (action without thought as opposed to thought without action, its opposite). They do not have to go within themselves to string ideas together and to 'think' about what they want to get across as it's all external i.e. simple and direct in the extreme.
You might also like to visit Robert Genn's site (http://www.painterskeys.com) for a positive view of this condition