The importance and role of children's dreams in coping with developmental distress

Abstract

Jungian dream analysis with children can serve as an important tool for obtaining anamnestic data and diagnosing where an individual is stuck at a certain stage of development, as well as for understanding and overcoming developmental distress in children, especially at an age when the reporting of dreams is already reliable due to the development of speech. Developmental distress can occur during toilet training, mastering new skills, facing social problems such as bullying, or adjusting to a parent’s new partner. Obtaining credible information from children is difficult for various reasons, but when it comes out of a more permanent relationship between the psychotherapist and the child where there is a high level of trust, it can be assumed to have a higher degree of credibility than in cases where trust is not as highly established. Despite numerous contradictory opinions about the interpretation of children’s dreams among the leading experts in analytical psychotherapy, I would confine myself to interpretations through associative play or creativity, depending on the maturity of the child, the power of the self, the structure and dynamics of the personality, and the type of distress she or he faces. In psychotherapy, I advocate finding a different conclusion to nightmares, with the use of play and representation of dreams with creative tools in order to actively change dream scenarios, as well as encouraging children to introduce a helpful third person into a dream, and eventually find resources in themselves to respond differently to the nightmares.