Combines therapeutic guided relaxations in an inviting and user-friendly way for all

I welcome Katie’s new book: the Relaxation Rainbow: guided visualisations for children, as it focuses on relaxations for young people and complements her previous: Guided Relaxation…  release.

As a psychologist, and primary school educator, working in schools the Relaxation Rainbow is going to be an essential tool to both the classroom, students, parents, and the wider community. Katie has been able to combine therapeutic guided relaxations in an inviting and user-friendly way that is able to be accessed by all. The explicit step by step instructions at the beginning of the book ensures that even those unfamiliar or new to guided relaxation can easily set up a space and use language to create a warm and calm atmosphere.

Katie has suggested complementary items to support each relaxation but also variations that whole groups or classes of students can access with ease. By linking to the colours of the rainbow there is an instant appeal, and familiarity, establishing visual memory for easy recall. This enables clear reminders of the concepts that are linked to colours and introduces colour association to feelings that people, both young and old, can find challenging to express.

The layout of the book: the Relaxation Rainbow, has immediate attraction and charm for the reader. The soft colours and gentle illustrations using familiar creatures and settings, such as the calm castle, enable young people to draw on their own experiences to create imagined images easily and with clarity so that the visualisations within the relaxations can be quickly enveloping and engaging. Young people would be able to use the book independently or with their families.

I would thoroughly recommend: the Relaxation Rainbow for use with young people individually or within a group setting, such as a classroom. In a school setting the guided relaxations would be ideal to introduce calm after a break period such as recess or lunch so that everyone is able to engage calmly in the next task or activity. Within the home setting the relaxations would be ideal to settle young people before rest or bedtime to facilitate sleep and to wake up refreshed.