Children's Dreams
Understanding the Most Memorable Dreams and Nightmares of Childhood
-
- 59,99 €
-
- 59,99 €
Publisher Description
When a child talks about a vivid nighttime dream, it can be difficult for adults to know how to respond. Dream researchers Kelly Bulkeley and Patricia Bulkley take readers beyond “it was just a dream” to help children and adults understand why we dream and how dreams can help us unlock our creativity and make sense of our lives. The book introduces readers to the basic psychology and neuroscience of dreaming, then explores dreams from early childhood through adolescence.
The book focuses on what psychologist C. G. Jung called the “big dreams” of childhood—intensely memorable dreams that can blaze themselves into children’s memories and remain a haunting, often inspiring, presence throughout their lives. While acknowledging that a complete interpretation of any dream requires personal input from the dreamer, the authors show readers how to identify recurrent patterns in dreams that reflect the primal wisdom and the healthy growth of every child’s mind and imagination. Children’s Dreams offers practical advice about how adults can best communicate with children about dreams to offer reassurance and to cultivate a child’s imagination and development.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The authors (Preparing Beyond Death) clearly state their mission in writing this book: to remedy the dearth of information children receive today about dreams and understand their dreaming experience. They also want to help parents, teachers, and other caregivers to respond to children's conversations about their dreams as "an experience of emotional truth" and to help children use dreams to develop their powers of imagination. To that end, the authors offer a brief primer on Jungian concepts like "collective unconscious" archetypes that will not appeal to all parents. The book takes a more engrossing turn when relating authentic dreams and their interpretations, including fanciful dreams like "My good monster angel" (who fights the bad monster in a boy's dream) or "the girl of the rainbow." (a girl dreams she climbs a rainbow up to heaven). The most helpful section in the book explains techniques to help children discuss and understand their dreams, and touches on topics such as expressing their dreams through journaling, art, and talking to other people about them While the authors say this book is aimed at parents, educators, psychologists, medical personnel will best understand and appreciate the presentation.
