Have you ever watched children play with just a few small cars or little figures or a pail and shovel on the beach?  If left to play they can happily look into their imagination and find endless scenarios for how their toys can move, speak, fly, make noises, crash into to each other, argue, and make up. Kids easily tap into their inborn creativity and resourcefulness. 

 

Imagery is a natural way to work with children.  They already love to live in their imagination and they find playing the "Imagination game for healing" fun and uplifting. Imagination is different from fantasy which is more akin to wishful thinking.  In the imagination, children learn to help themselves to solve all sorts of problems from poor self-esteem to anxiety and fear and gain confidence in themselves, at school and in relationships. Since children see images so clearly it often helps them to better articulate their experiences and there is often a bonus gain in communication skills. 

 

I worked with a 6-year-old girl in New York.  Let's call her Dena, she had a terrible fear of thunderstorms.  This was especially difficult during the summer storms that would come on suddenly during the day at camp.  It made her feel her whole world was shaking and there was no safe foundation to hide or gain safety or comfort. Over the course of about a month, through the Imagination game and cognitive reframing, Dena learned she had the strength inside to deal with her own fears and even began helping the counselors comfort the other children.