Storms and Rainbows

There are several common themes of dreams experienced by LBGQT+ youth. The specific themes and frequency often relates to experiences of trauma. Some such factors include the extent of family support or lack thereof, fear of coming out, religion and politics, dysphoria and other body image issues, and bullying. Common dream themes include drowning or being trapped, family and friends laughing or pointing, incorrect pronouns or usage of birth name, being in the wrong body, being hurt or threats of harm, being ignored, and family acting disgusted. There are also positive dreams, which often correlate to young people with more supportive families or communities. These include such dreams of receiving support, or having completed gender reassignment surgery. The author's personal family history combined with years of experience with trauma-related dreamwork provides a unique perspective on the dreams of LGBTQ+ youth. David is the father of transgender twins who were among the first in their school and community to come out. Their substantial social media following includes thousands of young people in the LGBTQ+ community who have contributed to the dreams and personal experiences in this book. David has done presentations at the conferences of the International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) on the topics of the dreams of genocide survivors, diet-related dreams, and technology used with dreamwork. He has a contribution in the Encyclopedia of Sleep and Dreams on the topic of the dreams of genocide survivors and has several published articles in magazines including DreamTime and The Lucid Dream Experience. From 2011 to 2014 David served on the IASD Board of Directors and remains a longtime member of the organization.