​Being a Hero | Healing Through Children’s Imagery | Sheona McEwanImagine you are standing in a green meadow with the blue, blue sky above you. Now turn around and see your horse. What does your horse look like? Does he have a name? Can you jump up and ride your horse?
In therapeutic sessions using imagery with children we set off on an adventures to discover the child’s inner hero – a hero that can tackle the monsters in dreams (or under the bed), but also the monster who sits in the next seat at school and keeps nattering “You are weird…”
What’s exciting about this process is that you start the child off on a personal quest, giving guidance on the way, but you don’t know what kind of hero will emerge. It can be vivid, exciting and surprising. For example, a young lady who was struggling with pre-teen peer acceptance transformed herself into an eagle – one that was powerful and able to perceive clearly from great height. This simple perspective shift allowed her to feel strong and to take a more distant approach to the drama. Looking down, safe above the fray, she learned to let things go, to realize that some of these girls were not really good friends, and to see in the distance a friendlier and more fun group to engage with.
Confidence and trust in one’s own coping skills can be eroded by anxiety and fear. A young boy who spent many hours awake at night worrying not just about school, but also about the monsters under his bed, went on many imaginary adventures. We tackled the monsters under the bed as well as those beasts hiding in a cave, and rescued prisoners from castles. He learned to be inventive, to be persistent in facing his fears and to take risks. He started sleeping better, taking risks on the ground, playing soccer and thus scoring some goals. He confronted his playground bully, and challenged himself with harder math – and succeeded! The adventure went from his being “no good” to having hope, and dreaming new dreams about being a professional football player or perhaps a poet.
Working with kids and imagery is always an invitation to play, to create.It is not always miraculous but it is always fun. Whether with eyes open or closed, whether encountering dragons or stepping into the shoes of an annoying brother, imagery empowers children to rely on their inner creativity, wisdom, and resources. And if we are really lucky, we get to observe that it lights up the child from the inside and helps each to step into the world with increasing self-confidence and self-knowing.

Raising Ourselves to Raise Our Kids

Be kind. Be firm. Be loving.

Plenty of parenting advice out there tells us exactly what to do. But what if, on the 1000th request to get off the screen, kindness just isn’t within reach? The voices rise, the tears fall, consequences are handed out—and now you’re not only frustrated with your child, you’re also feeling guilty, angry, and resentful.

Daniel J. Siegel, in Parenting from the Inside Out, reminds us that our inner life shapes our relationships with our children. It’s hardly surprising—when you feel calm and happy, it’s much easier to follow through with both firmness and kindness. But sometimes no amount of “tips and tricks” helps, because the problem isn’t how you’re parenting—it’s what’s happening inside you.

That’s where The Creative and Imaginative Parent comes in.

Looking Inward Before We Look Outward

The Creative Parent is about the inner life of parents. It’s about uncovering the subconscious stories and emotional patterns that shape the way we respond to our children—often without us even realising it.

Maybe you grew up believing children should always be polite and quiet. Maybe you carry the unspoken belief that good parents never get angry. Or maybe you inherited a story about love having to be earned through achievement. These deep-seated narratives can slip into our parenting—sometimes in ways that don’t serve the relationship we want to have with our children.


The good news? Imagination can change everything.

Saphire® Imagery: A Playful Path to Transformation

Saphire® Imagery, developed by Dr. Catherine Shainberg at the School of Images®, is a creative, guided process for exploring and transforming the subconscious. Using short, vivid inner journeys, we can see old patterns more clearly and open up new possibilities.

Here’s what it feels like: You close your eyes, follow a short, imaginative prompt, and suddenly you’re face-to-face with an unexpected image—a door, a garden, a stream. This image becomes a conversation with your inner self. In just a few minutes, you might see a stuck place in a new light or feel a shift in an old emotional knot.

Because imagery works in the language of the subconscious—pictures, sensations, and symbols—it bypasses overthinking. And because it’s playful and creative, it’s also surprisingly joyful.

Why Imagination Matters for Parents

When we know how to work with our own imagination, we become more flexible, more connected to our inner resources, and more able to choose our responses instead of reacting automatically. This not only changes our own inner landscape—it changes the stories our children are forming about themselves.

The new school year is always a tricky time for children—and for parents too. Will they have a good teacher? Will they be with their best friend? What if your child feels anxious about grades, or struggles to fit in socially? These questions don’t just affect your child; they ripple through the whole family, shaping the atmosphere at home. With imagery, we can help children find inner tools to face whatever the school year brings—whether it’s worry, excitement, or a mix of both. And when parents use imagery to feel calm, confident, and hopeful about the year ahead, children sense this shift and often mirror it. The inner work we do as parents becomes a steadying presence that helps our children feel safer and stronger as they step into new beginnings.

And once you’ve experienced this for yourself, you can share it with your kids. The DreamKids® program adapts Saphire® Imagery into quick, playful exercises that help children manage emotions like fear and anger, build confidence, and develop their creativity. These child-friendly journeys are fun, surprising, and deeply empowering.

Growing Ourselves While We Raise Our Children

Parenting asks us to guide our children’s growth. But what if we treated it as an opportunity to grow alongside them?

In The Creative Parenting workshop on October 8th, we’ll imagine and play together, exploring guided imagery exercises for parents and sampling a few from the DreamKids® collection. You’ll leave with practical tools to transform your own emotional patterns, along with playful ways to connect with your child’s inner world.


Come join a circle of open-hearted parents ready to explore, laugh, and create together—because when we raise ourselves, we raise our children too.
Creative Parenting: Raising Ourselves to Raise Our Children
8 October 2025, 19:00–20:30|The Hague Natural Health Centre
Register Now

Extra Resources:
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Daniel J. Siegel. Parenting from the inside out.
Catherine Shaiberg. Dream Birth; transforming the journey of childbirth through imagery.



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