Fear busting and monster taming by Michael White, read by Hamilton Kennedy

"Fear busting and monster taming: An approach to the fears of young children" by Michael White was originally published in 1985 in Dulwich Centre Review, a precursor to International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work. In this paper, childhood fears are considered within the interactional context of the family. It is argued that the survival and growth of such fears is dependent upon the presence of a "fears life-support system". The details of this life-support system can be derived by an examination of the family members' inadvertent participation with a fears lifestyle. Interventions to disrupt this participation are discussed. These interventions include the introduction of a non-threatening interactional description of the problem and a structured ritual to challenge the fears lifestyle. A case example is given. Additional information and a PDF of this paper are available at https://dulwichcentre.com.au/fear-busting-and-monster-taming-an-approach-to-the-fears-of-young-children-by-michael-white-read-by-hamilton-kennedy/  *** Michael White was the co-founder of narrative therapy and of Dulwich Centre. Hamilton Kennedy is a researcher, animal lover and ex-patient of psychiatry. They are completing their PhD at La Trobe University.  Original paper: White, M. (1985). Fear busting and monster taming: An approach to the fears of young children. Dulwich Centre Review, (1), 29–34. This recording: White, M. (2025). Fear busting and monster taming: An approach to the fears of young children (H. Kennedy, Narr.) [Audio recording]. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1). https://doi.org/10.4320/GPQZ2492 (Original work published 1985) *** International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work is published by Dulwich Centre Foundation. More about this recording and a treasure trove of articles, videos, and multimedia works are available from https://narrativetherapyjournal.org  It’s all free to access and share with no log-in required. Dulwich Centre is located on the land of the Kaurna people. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country and pay respect to Elders past and present. https://narrativetherapyjournal.org  Chapters (00:00:13) - Childhood Fears(00:11:42) - Fear Management 1, The role of family members(00:22:09) - The Fear Busting Ritual for Children