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Sleep, Rest, and Resilience

If there were ever a time we were in need of sleep, rest (of the relationship and emotional kind), and resilience, it is now. It seems so obvious yet so illusive. How do we get there when none of these things can be forced or commanded?

The issue with sleep is our body needs to be at rest, but it is hard to get there if our emotions have work to do - like keeping Mom and Dad close or worrying about our safety. If the emotions are too stirred up, we will find it hard to switch into a physical state that is necessary for sleep to occur. Unfortunately this has led to approaches to sleep that can actually create more distress and cause our children to go to sleep out of emotional defense rather than connection. There is another way through.

I have worked with Dr. Gordon Neufeld to create a new presentation on sleep that will address the issue of bedtime - why it can be a battle with our kids, and how we can use developmentally friendly and attachment safe methods to get our kids (and us), the rest we need. If you are looking for insight into this time of day please join Dr. MacNamara. Seats are limited, registration information is below.

There are many reasons we need our children to go to sleep when we want them to, for their sake and certainly for ours. It can even be a desperate bid to save one's sanity. Sleep cannot be commanded however, in children or ourselves for that matter. The more we urgent we become about sleep, the less likely it is to happen.

This is no small issue. Nor is it just a contemporary one. Parents have been facing this problem ever since they figured out how to have children. For children it is primarily a separation issue – the first of a myriad of separation issues they will face in their life, including their own mortality. The way we help parents solve this issue can have lasting effects in many arenas – their future parenting, their relationship with the child, never mind the child's emotions and personality.

Unfortunately, many have taken a wrong turn with sleep issues, some playing the separation card to bring sleep as a defense; others making the child responsible to learn self-soothing skills or to cry it out. This presentation is for parents or professionals who are interested in an attachment based and developmentally friendly approach to sleep issues.

The answer to the sleep problem lies in understanding the nature of the underlying threat. Dr. MacNamara will discuss why young children have sleep problems in the first place, and then outline a safe three-pronged approach that can address most any problem that can exist for a child. She will also discuss the most ancient and traditional tool of all for helping children go peacefully to sleep, together with the reasons that science is now giving us for how and why this tool works. If we can help parents solve the bedtime problem properly, it will serve as a template for solving a myriad of problems along the way.

* The event will include BOTH a presentation as well as a question and answer period on sleep issues.

* INFOGRAPHICS on SLEEP will be provided electronically

* CERTIFICATES of attendance will be provided electronically

* Registration will be limited to enable discussion

* The event will not be recorded, in person attendance will be required