Rabbi Esther Azar MSW
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Dear Mom and Dad,

Our children live in a world with a stress level that we could never imagine when we were children. Finding a way to relaease the anxiety and stress of it all is a wonderful tool that children can use to calm themselves. 
My daughter Lori used to wake up in the middle of the night with terrible dreams, which would create fear and anxiety in her life and exhaustion in mine. Waking up every night to calm and comfort her took a toll on my energy level and my parenting skills. By 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the time when my kids walk in the door, I would be exhausted and irritable; not a good circumstance for that demanding hour. I was stumped with how to help her, and how to help myself, until I remembered my hypnosis CDs which always helped me to relax and fall asleep.  That is when I had my “aha” moment: a CD for Lori that she could listen to whenever she wakes up in the middle of the night. A CD that would calm her, comfort her and help her to fall back asleep on her own, that would teach her how to calm and comfort herself in all sorts of situations, without even the use of the CD. The creation of this CD began with a balloon and ended with Lori’s freedom from fear and anxiety. 

I hope you and your child enjoy!

The Process

Release the Balloon helps children to identify their feelings, welcome them and watch them dissolve. When a child is able to understand that feelings don’t have to rule their lives, they are more able to function in the world without distraction. Release the Balloon will give your child a tool to use when they are in the middle of a stressful situation, before and after; a tool that will allow them to more easily navigate the bumps in the road. As a parent, I have found the CDs so powerful, that I barely need to say anything. I just insert a CD and watch my children instantly relax into a state of calm; whether in the middle of a temper tantrum or after a bad dream.

The Way It Works

The key to dissolving feelings is welcoming them and allowing them to be here. It is in the resistance to certain feelings that we hold on to them. 
Try this for a moment: 
Don’t think of an apple.
What pops into your mind......an apple of course. 
Our minds don’t understand negative words. As soon as you hear the word apple that is what comes to mind whether you push it away, yell at it or simply, ask it nicely.

In my experience, when we welcome thoughts and feelings, we give them the space to dissolve and room for something new to emerge.

The recordings give the child a way to welcome the thoughts and feelings using the imagery of a balloon. By holding the balloon close in their minds and pushing the balloon away, they neutralize the difficult feelings and a sense of peace emerges.

What is wonderful about Release the Balloon is that eventually the child won’t need the CDs anymore. Welcoming the feelings and watching them dissolve will become second nature. This will allow them to release negative emotions, no matter where they are; in the classroom, at the playground or even on the school bus.



Additional Resources

As a mother I am always searching for books to help my children deal with specific issues. Here are some of my favorites listed by topic.

For Kids

Feelings
My Many Colored Days   by Dr. Suess
The Way I Feel, by Janan Cain
Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day,   by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

Self Esteem
I Like Myself, Karen Beaumont
I'm Gonna Like Me, Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell


It's Hard to Be Five : Learning How to Work My Control Panel by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell 
No, David, David Shannon
David Gets in Trouble, David Shannon
Where The Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak

Bedtime
Just Go To Bed, Mercer Mayer
The Very Noisy Night, Diana Hendry and Jane Chapman
There's Something in my Attic, There's a Nightmare in my Closet, There's an Alligator Under my Bed,
Mercer Mayer

Loss
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, Judith Viorst and Eric Blegvad

Culture
All The Colors of The Earth, Sheila Hamanaka

Bullying
Bootsie Barker Bites, Barbara Bottner

Fear
Sheila Rae the Brave, Kevin Henkes

Embarrased
Crazy Hair Day, Barney Saltzberg

Parents going out at night
Owl Babies, Martin Waddell

Imaginary Friends
Emma Kate, Patricia Polacco

Sibling Rivalry
The Pain and the Great One, Judy Blume
I Love You the Purplest, Barbara M. Joosee

Moving
Alexander; Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move, Judith Viorst

New School/Fitting In
The New Bear at School, Carrie Weston and Tim Warnes
Ruby the Copycat, Peggy Rathman

Belief in yourself
Dancing in the Wings, Kadir Nelson

My Favorites
Zen Shorts, Jon J. Muth
Martin's BIG Words, Doreen Rapaport

For Parents

The Sedona Method,  by Hale Dwoskin
Playful Parenting,  by Lawrence J. Cohen Phd.
Unconditional Parenting: Moving From Rewards and Punishments To Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn
Loving What Is  by Byron Katie
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  • My Path
  • Blogs
    • Rereading Torah
    • In My Experience...
    • Teachings
  • tIR
    • Trauma Informed Rabbinics
  • Artwork
  • Meditations
    • Release The Balloon
    • Election Eve: Growing a Seed of Justice