Denyse Beaudet, a Jungian developmental psychologist for more than 25 years, has helped countless parents understand their children’s dreaming lives. By engaging parents in their children’s dreamworld, Dreamguider:
• Increases children’s comfort with nighttime and their dreams
• Helps parents gain insight into their children’s thoughts, feelings, and imaginations
• Encourages creativity in children
• Strengthens communication between children and their parents
Complete with real-life experiences, examples, and anecdotes, Dreamguider is an invaluable, concrete dream handbook that helps parents:
• Help their children to become comfortable talking about their dreams
• Supply direction to their children on the daily practice of keeping a developmentally appropriate dream journal
• Match children’s dream themes to accepted stages in child development
• Help children to accept and work gracefully with nightmares by explaining how to come to terms with "dream monsters"
• Understand and gain insight into their children’s individual personalities
From ForeWord Magazine, December 2009
The Senoi people of Malaysia have an ancient tradition of teaching their children not only how to behave in their waking lives, but in their dream lives. Children describe their dreams to their parents, who instruct them what to do when a similar dream reoccurs, including techniques for overcoming fear and acting responsibly towards others. They view dreams as gifts that need to be implemented in their daily lives.
In contrast, Western parents have traditionally viewed dreams as little more than mental movies that are sometimes interesting, but usually of no consequence or value. Denyse Beaudet, Ph.D., argues in her latest book that the Senoi have set an example that parents everywhere would do well to follow. She posits the theory that as parents work with their children by helping them face their dreams and take action within them, children will gain understanding of their own imaginations, the way their brains work, how dreams and daily life often intersect, and how to prepare for frightening or intimidating situations.
Beaudet is a researcher who has worked in the fields of developmental psychology and children's dreams for thirty years. Early in her career, she worked as a kindergarten teacher, and has become a parent herself, giving her the opportunity to see dream development from both a psychologist’s and a parent's perspective. The text of the book reflects both perspectives, with some of the research chapters tending to be more academic in tone, while the hands-on chapters are more casual and friendly. She provides specific advice for parents in how to talk to their kids about dreams, including suggested scripts and descriptions of how children view the world of dreams through the different ages and stages of their lives. Her research with children and dreams demonstrates that kids who are guided through their dream lives learn how to face scary things both in their dream lives and in real life, and their creativity is enriched by the practice.
This book will resonate with parents who value holistic practices of child raising, enhanced creativity, and alternative approaches to children's fear. Beaudet presents her theories authoritatively but calmly, never condescending, and making clear her methods are not just feasible, but practical for parents. (December) Amy C. Rea
TCM Reviews:
Many adults understand the importance of their dreams. They diligently record their dreams and analyze the symbols. Some even consciously practice skills, rehearse conversations, or use dreams to release traumatic events from their past.
Yet when it comes to children, we seem to forget the importance of these occurrences. We push their dreams off as make belief and fantasy as if imagination and exploration are childish. We even say "it's only a dream."
Dreamguider looks specifically at dreams and dreaming in children. The book contains a wonderful section on the evolution of dreams as children grow up which also looks at how children view dreams, what they think dreams are made of, and where they think dreams come from. Most importantly perhaps, this resource also tells us as parents and caregivers how to validate children when they share dreams and encourage them to enjoy these experiences fully.
--Dr. Tami Brady
