In Patricia Garfield’s book, Your Child’s Dreams: Understand your child better through the world of dreams, the following dream is reported (the dreamer was an eleven year old girl):
I found a cave and went into it and kept going through it and it seemed like there was no end to the cave. It was cold dark and scary. Suddenly there was a huge green monster following me. Then I grabbed my stick and hit him on the head. So he just fainted. Then my dream ended. See my website for more information regarding Dr. Lee Haworth, Licensed Psychologist in Concord, California.
Psychologist and Dream Author Patricia Garfield, Ph.D. asserts that how the dreamer responds to being chased or attacked is crucial. Ability to take action and get help in the midst of a scary dream (or life situation) is important; it is the foundation for all therapy. Unless we learn to face the things we are afraid of in waking life (or at least learn to accept and tolerate them), we live in fear; we constrict our choices by avoiding fear-producing people and situations.
Children who learn to respond to the aggression that is directed at them in dreams by being appropriately a assertive, are building a valuable skill to cope with life. Instead of fearfully retreating or hiding in their dreams, they gain confidence in their ability to better their lives. This dream skill carries over to the waking state, enhancing its quality.
As you gather your child’s Chase or Attack dreams, Dr. Garfield states, be sure to observe the outcome and any attempts, no matter how small, to cope actively with the terrifying element. I agree with Patricia Garfield that any such effort must be encouraged, and work with children who come to see me by doing so. See my website for more information regarding Dr. Lee Haworth, Licensed Psychologist in Concord, California.
