My son is now eleven years old. He has never slept through the night unless he was sick. Not once. Not as an infant, not as a toddler, and now not as a young adolescent. He often has behavior problems in school, because he lacks focus and is prone to daydreaming and being cranky. He refuses to sleep in even a semi-dark room.
He has told me that the "Shadow Men" keep him awake. I tried not to be dismissive when he told me. I tried to assure him that he was in charge and should tell them to be quiet and go play someplace else. Shortly after this I gave him a flashlight to keep with him in bed and told him to shine that light right at them if they wouldn't go away when he told them to. Almost immediately after that he went through a phase of "night terrors". His nightmares were so frightful he was wetting the bed. He would insist that I lay in his bed with him until he fell asleep, most nights.
Now, as he is approaching his teenage years, things seem to be getting better. He still won't sleep in a dark room and has a lot of trouble falling asleep in what would be considered a normal amount of time. It's typical for it to take two or more hours for him to fall asleep. (Yes, I've monitored his sugar intake, adjusted his diet, even tried macrobiotic to cut out all chemicals and sugars!) Something is keeping him awake at night.
I am inclined to believe that the shadow people are to blame. I had similar experiences as a child. In fact, from time to time, I still sleep with the lights on. I need to learn to tune this out and I need to teach my son. Bad energy has got to go!