Ruby* is a sweet 5-year-old girl who was afflicted with nightmares and was afraid of almost everyone around her. She was very timid and frequently wet the bed. The fear that gripped Ruby so tightly led her mother to ask the health team for help. Since safe spaces are paramount in fostering healing, the team empowered Ruby to choose who she wanted to be present during their times together so she could express what she felt and experienced without fear of judgement, ridicule, or disbelief. She chose her mother, sister and cousin.
Our health team facilitated an exercise where she drew the story of her nightmare. We then encouraged her to think about how she would have liked the dream to end. After brainstorming, Ruby drew her dream with the newly crafted ending that made her feel at peace. By bringing her fear into the light and claiming ownership over how she wanted the story to go, the nightmare lost its power over her. The nightmares and bed wetting stopped and she transformed into a smiling, friendly little girl with a slew of resiliency tools to help her overcome whatever life throws at her!
*Name changed for privacy
