I just want to thank you for creating the turnaround program. My 7 year old daughter has been struggling with insomnia to the point where she would lie awake until midnight and even then still wake up through out the night a number of times. I was getting exhausted, and of course so was she and the result was a very anxious sleep deprived child and a worried mum! It would break my heart seeing her become so upset and full of fear. I just wanted to see her become free. In the middle of the night one night while I was googling insomnia in children for what seemed like the thousandth time I found and bought your program. I got her to do it with her sister, mostly so she didn’t feel like she was different. Four weeks later I can honestly say she is falling asleep MUCH easier, lying there now for really only half an hour and sleeping ALL night. We are all waking refreshed and she is so much more bubbly. I found the most useful part of the program the three headed monster. When we could normalise what was happening, and I gave her examples of how I had gone through similar things as a child, I saw pure relief on her face. We also discovered that part of the problem was that she did “like” some of the things that happened when she was worried. For example me lying in bed with her. We now have a good snuggle before bed and then I leave her to it! I want to cry while I am writing this because a few weeks ago I felt like I was at a loss of how I could help her. She is such a beautiful girl and so thoughtful, I am seeing her blossom by the day. My mum is a psychologist and she was very impressed with the program. Anyway thanks again, Mom from Australia
Our family is filled with troubles with anxiety so I wasn’t surprised when my children started showing signs of it. Because I had also suffered as a child with worries and fears and since worked past them, I was determined to not have my children have to go this alone. I have been working with my son over the past year and told him that if what I am suggesting stops working to let me know and I will get him further help. During the summer he confessed to me that he was feeling overwhelmed with the thought of going back to school, was unable to sleep and was terrified that he would burst into tears during class if his teacher asked him a hard question. Basically he felt that he was no longer in control of his fears.
Luckily, a friend had just purchased this program for her children and had huge success so I didn’t hesitate in ordering it for my children. Especially after looking at your website and listening to the sample audio. It was like the audio was speaking to a child version of myself when I was struggling. How I wish this would have been available years ago! My son found day 1 and 8 the hardest. Identifying your fear and then plunging into it left him hysterical and refusing to participate in the journal exercise. I worked gently through it with him and we figured out after day 10 why those days were so hard for him. He has a history of getting upset and avoiding things that make him anxious because the yucky feelings are so strong but he now recognizes that because he avoids he also prevents himself from getting past his fear to where the yucky feelings go away. My son is/was (but getting better) also very anxious about making mistakes, getting embarrassed, not doing well at school, getting homework, etc. We have been working on the idea that making mistakes is okay and making him realize that everyone makes mistakes at one time or another. Ironically, we found a couple of typos in your journal and those two typos made a huge difference in my “perfectionist” realizing that “even doctors make mistakes”. He was thrilled. Go figure.
Highlights of the program for him were hearing how common anxiety is in kids, that he is not alone, that those wacky thoughts are normal and okay, just a little out of place at times, that he can get better, and that he is in control of his life. He agreed with the characters when they spoke of their fears and feelings and I know it felt good to have another child to relate to. It was like they were reading his mind and that was very reassuring for him. We celebrated after day 10 and are so happy that we participated in it.
My 10 year old son’s insight at our celebration sums it up, “I can’t believe how much time I wasted worrying about stuff that never ended up happening. Hours spent up at night, hours spent during the day, wasted. I will never do that again. I feel so good now. I am in control and no longer afraid.” Thank you for your program, for helping my 10 year old son and helping me. Even as an adult, I received such a benefit. I will be starting the program now with my 6 year old daughter who can’t wait to listen to it. It is such a relief to know that I have found a way to help my kids and make their lives easier. Chera B. Saskatchewan, Canada
Just wanted to let you know that I have been through the programme with our 9-year-old daughter who was struggling with GAD (we think). The change has been remarkable, and has set her and us up with tools to help her through her anxieties. We are now seeing a much more confident and happy young daughter. We know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but feel confident we will be able to continue to help her with her anxieties. Your programme is remarkable. Thank you very much. It has made a big difference to our daughter and our lives. Paul C, Australia
Our middle school son was “struck” almost overnight with anxiety after 9 years of being a calm, witty, happy little guy – a great student, friend, brother, and son. One day he couldn’t attend class any longer – An A- student, A- conduct, conscientious,…, but afraid to walk in the classroom with his peers. We had been parents for many years – to say we were taken back by this is an understatement for sure. We scrambled to find anything and anyone that could explain what was going on, but more importantly, make it better for our son.
I happened upon your site and your program after reading non-stop any book, article, website that I could find – it was the first thing I found that was truly geared toward the child. The program is very well-done, clever, entertaining, thought-provoking, keeps the child’s interest, and to my understanding, very grounded in the techniques of Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
My son and I did the 10-day program, and I could tell that, despite the major distraction of this new all-consuming condition, my son was taking in each of the segments. We did the program at the height of his condition when we were all so confused, but despite that, we saw results; he often referenced the characters (Krank, Chill,…) or the key points (Wacky Thoughts, …). And, according to his workbook scores, he felt like he was improving which was vital to his progress.
We intend to do the program again soon now that he has progressed more, and he understands his condition better – I am certain he will benefit even more with each time we go through the program. Also, I’d like to say that the video segments and the articles on your site have been a wealth of information, and I have the utmost respect for your wisdom. We are thankful for both of you and your commitment to this very prevalent (we quickly learned) and very sad health issue. A very grateful Mom, Los Angeles, USA