After the pandemic, Minor consultations with psychologists have skyrocketed. In most occasions with anxiety disorders, learning difficulties, and phobias. But in many others, because children show behavioral patterns that correspond to mature people, because they are hyperactive or show rebellious behavior. Features all of them also of the so-called ‘indigo girls’. We spoke with the psychologist at the Siquia Center, Dolors Mas about this concept.

“Is about a concept that has begun to be used in the context of what is called the “New Age” and refers to those girls who would be in a higher stratum of evolution, both in the ethical and mental fields.. From the moderate current it is considered that they have greater creativity and ability to empathize. Although from my point of view, there is no scientific study that produces enough evidence to confirm the existence of these children,” says Dr. Mas.

The term ‘indigo child’ was coined in 1982 by parapsychologist Nancy Ann Tappe in her book “Understanding Your Life Through Color” and used it to refer to children who had an indigo-colored aura. According to this parapsychologist, 20% of children under ten years old and 17% of children between 13 and 17 years old have an indigo aura, which determines their personality characteristics. However, it was not until 1998 that this term began to become popular thanks to the book “The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived” by Lee Carroll and Jan Tober.

Those who defend this hypothesis assure that this generation of boys and girls has a superior development from a social, psychological and spiritual point of view. Basically, these children develop a series of psychological and cognitive characteristics that are above average and show more mature and assertive behavior patterns than the rest. They are girls who develop earlier than their peers and who show superior abilities in certain areas.

How should a girl with these characteristics be stimulated?

In different ways. Among others, it is convenient andstimulate the development of internal creative potential, as well as promoting reflection and analysis through relevant school activities. Furthermore, it is good to encourage in the indigo child the need to seek knowledge by exploring and experimenting, avoiding rote learning and mechanical repetition.

¿and cWhat is your advice for parents? who have a daughter with these characteristics?

Fundamentally, and in general, we advise parents ttreat them with respect, taking into account their differential qualities; Help them find their own solutions to behavioral problemss; leave them make their own decisions; never fall into contempt or attitudes that make them feel small; provide them security and support leaving negative reviews behind yqlet them be the ones to decide what interests them and how they want to achieve it in the future.

Educating indigo girls is not an easy task. One of the main aspects that parents should not overlook is their academic training since, as they usually have a higher than average IQ, what they learn at school is usually not enough and They need to receive a more complete education. An excellent alternative to quench their thirst for knowledge is to provide them with new educational opportunities, from workshops and extracurricular courses to thematic summer courses.

It is also important that parents take measures to prevent the little girl from becoming a rebellious child. You may not like to follow the rules, but it is important that you learn to respect the rules and have very clear and precise limits. A good strategy to prevent these limits from becoming a problem is to take their opinion into account and explain the reason for the rules.

Besides, Parents should not overlook the emotional needs of these children, You have to let them know that you can trust them. It is important that they listen to them and transmit confidence and serenity since although these little ones may be very mature for their age, in the end they are just children.

After Covid, have inquiries about problems with children increased?

Yes, indeed, after the Covid confinement, consultations have increased in children who have more addictions to video games, social networks and mobile phones, phobias, anxiety and depressive disorders and learning problems. Possibly, the origin of all this has been the impact of, at such a young age, an unexpected, sudden, and, in some cases, traumatic situation, with many people living together 24 hours a day, in a small space.

At the same time, tension increased, they could not interact with other children except through screens, spending, in turn, the immense part of the day in front of screens and having altered sleeping and eating patterns, as well as, in general, habits and routines.

¿What are the biggest concerns today of parents who come to the consultation?

The biggest concerns of parents are that their children recover from their disorders, if they have them, the defiant or oppositional behavior they may present, the changes in behavior in different contexts, the distortion of the body image they may have. , the fact that their children prefer to be influencers or YouTubers, at best, or that they say they have no future, at worst, rather than considering studying or having future goals.

They are also concerned about bullying and the ineffectiveness of the agents who can do something about it. Parents of children with ADHD or ASD are concerned about the lack of understanding and help they receive.

A very important concern are those parents who come because their children exhibit self-harming or heteroaggressive behavior. One of the biggest current concerns of many parents and the reason why an urgent appointment is usually made too often is when there are suicidal thoughts.

For or against chemical therapy (antidepressants)? Is antidepressants being overused in minors?

In minors – both children and adolescents – particularly, I think that, as long as it is not strictly necessary, it is better to avoid it. Perhaps, antidepressants and anxiolytics are currently abused because, perhaps, they are also being overdiagnosed.

It must be said that, if a minor has specific episodes of sadness, he is not obviously depressed and that there should be, from school, emotional education so that children know how to understand emotions.

In any case, there are cases in which medication is necessary and, even more so, multidisciplinary treatment, that is, both psychiatric and psychological.

Today there are many older people with unresolved childhood traumas… is it much more difficult to help an adult who has suffered this than a child who is suffering from it today at their age?

Yes, it is more difficult to recover an adult because they have a baggage of other experiences, which can be positive or negative, learning, knowledge and experiences that have influenced the trauma, which in a child can be simple, in an adult it can be complex.

A child is like a blank sheet of paper in which it is easier to replace possibly damaged emotions, while for this adult with all this backpack it may be difficult for him to abandon the emotions that are hurting him to move on to a more adaptive situation. He is afraid of the situation of discomfort and discomfort through which he is going to go, while the child does not have this fear.

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