Helping Children Through Nightmares

How many of us have had nightmares in our lives? They can be really scary--so much so that you don't want to go back to sleep sometimes. And our children have them too. How are we parents supposed to help our kids feel better after a nightmare when we don't know how to do it for ourselves?



One thing we can do is listen to the details of the nightmare. Have the child tell you exactly what happened. Yes, I know this is probably 3 am but she needs you right now, not 5 hours from now. As the child talks about the dream, discuss it with her on her level. If it is an older child, maybe you could suggest that the monster in the dream may really be the math test that she is nervous about. If it is a small child, go through the room and look everywhere for the monster. Then do a monster removal dance or ceremony in which you tell the monster that it cannot come back.



Sometimes, just letting the child snuggle next to you for a few minutes in your bed will make them feel more at ease. Or I have also gotten in bed with the child (in their bed) to "protect" them if the monster comes back. It never did, because it knew I was there.



The next day, maybe the child could draw a picture of what scared him in the dream and you can talk about it. Talking about whatever it is will minimize the effect on the child. Have a dream dictionary so you can both look up the meanings of certain dream symbols.



When we have an understanding of what dreams are and what the symbology is, dreaming takes on a whole new role in our lives. It is there that our conscious lets down and we can get messages or creative ideas. According to Anne Hill, dreamworker and host of Dream Talk Radio http://www.annehill.org/ , dreams of all sorts, even nightmares, should be celebrated because they are trying to teach us or tell us something.