Allan struggled in the preschool classroom, off-task more often than on-task, and we – family, teachers, classmates, friends – all worried, trying to help him focus and use his obvious talents. This was more than a decade ago, as we were just beginning to learn about attention disorders, but long before we thought they were possible in such young children who, developmentally, were supposed to lack attentional control.

Allan’s friends and classmates had an intuitive sense of his good nature because, even at that age, they tried to accommodate him and help him focus, while controlling their own flinching, tears, and desires to flee when his frustrations got the best of him. His teachers felt increasingly overwhelmed and at a loss of what to do when their usually effective interventions didn’t help. Further, as Allan’s body grew larger, the rest of his skills did not grow similarly, leading to increasing potential for harm from his increasingly frustrated outbursts. Although his classmates and teachers loved him dearly, they were a little bit afraid of and for him.

Allan’s birth date was such that his school district suggested an extra year in preschool might give him time to develop the skills necessary for kindergarten, without any age-related stigma attached. So, he remained in preschool with us for another year as we attempted to bring his coping skills on par with his active intellect. At the time, I was one of Allan’s teachers, a new Reiki practitioner, and a caring individual who could identify with his fluctuating attention and the frustrations of the mismatch of attention skills with intellectual and creative skills.

I had begun learning about Reiki as a way to talk about the colors I was sensing and the ways of knowing I had that seemed uncommon in our culture. I had learned some basic guided imagery in my training, and, in a gifted insight, I thought to try it with Allan one day at naptime when his classmates were exhausted and tearful, but he – quite expectedly – was still running in fifth gear.

Allan had been trying to play quietly in a small playhouse we had built from refrigerator boxes. The imagery I used evolved from that context, and I felt blessed and grateful as ideas flowed into me. As I sat outside the box and watched him through the window, I invited Allan to lie down on his back on the “kitchen floor” inside the box and imagine himself as an Allan-shaped pat of butter warming in a just-right sized frying pan. The pan was just warm enough for him to grow all soft and melty, and very comfortable.

Still using the butter image, we moved into a progressive relaxation technique. And then, as his breathing naturally slowed, we moved into a simple breath awareness technique. I offered him simple, age-appropriate suggestions affirming his ability to remember and use these techniques any time he needed to relax. He remained in that relaxed, gently-focused state throughout naptime. I was delighted for him and held high hopes for his future.

Because the adult culture of that time and place was not open to guided imagery or relaxation techniques for adults, let alone for young children, I only very gradually introduced the concepts to my colleagues, tolerating the skeptical looks and mistrust. In a program redesign, Allan and I were moved to different classrooms before we could really explore the use of guided imagery for attention disorders in young children. Eventually, Allan’s family was asked to enroll him in a program more suited to his needs, and I moved on to more receptive venues.

Since then, the human services field and our culture in general has evolved into a more accepting heart space, where guided imagery, energy work, and other methods of focusing intention and attention are more widely-accepted. The treatment of attention disorders and stress in children frequently involves relaxation techniques, guided imagery, and energy work. ADD-ADHD web sites often carry articles on these techniques, and treatment programs regularly use them to great benefit. I also use these techniques in my holistic counseling practice to help adults relax and regain focus and intentionality. When they bring the techniques into their daily lives, they skillfully model peacefulness and centeredness in a wondrous ripple effect.