Every dream, like every person, is unique. You have to use your own creativity to figure out what it means. Sophia burned herself on a hot tortilla the night before her bad dream. Ariel was nervous about her second day in kindergarten when she dreamed of the evil unicorn. More important than analyzing dreams, says Siegel, is supporting children who suffer from nightmares.
Nightmares are traumatic events.
The most important thing is reassurance. In his book, he suggests re-enacting the dream and working with alternative, happier endings. Once kids cope with the nightmare, they can begin to play with the images and reduce or stop recurrent nightmares.