A gentle tool for session and home practice
A structured yet open-ended resource for emotional regulation, mindful presence, and imagination activation. Designed for therapeutic settings and home practice.
Imagination as intervention
wonderbefore is a collection of short audio stories (5-10 minutes) originally designed to help children access imagination during quiet, screen-free moments. In therapeutic settings, it offers something more specific: a gentle, repeatable tool for regulation and creative engagement
Each story uses second-person narration, placing the child as protagonist in a gentle sensory world.
The pacing is slow and deliberate, with extended pauses that invite children to build internal imagery rather than receive it.
This makes wonderbefore adaptable for a range of therapeutic goals.
How clinicians use it
For children who benefit from play therapy approaches, wonderbefore stories offer starting points for symbolic exploration. What did you see? What did that feel like? What would you do next?
The predictable structure and calming tone also make these stories useful for session beginnings, endings, or as a bridge during difficult moments.
Stories in our Feeling series focus on emotional literacy, helping readers encounter and sit with feelings in safe, metaphorical contexts. These can support children who struggle to name or tolerate emotions, offering a contained space to practice.
Our Listening series emphasizes present-moment awareness through sensory attention. The slow pacing and deliberate pauses can help anxious children practice stillness without the pressure of formal meditation.
Because wonderbefore is designed for everyday use, it can extend therapeutic work into home environments. Parents can use stories during car rides, rest time, or wind-down moments to reinforce regulation and imagination skills between sessions.
Four Acts of Imagination
Stories are organized into four thematic categories: Feeling (emotional literacy and encountering feelings), Making (creative agency and imaginative building), Listening (mindful presence and sensory attention), and Wondering (curiosity, awe, and expansive thinking).
wonderbefore is informed by neuroscience research on the Default Mode Network, the brain state associated with imagination, self-reflection, and internal processing. The deliberate pacing and sensory-rich, low-stimulation design are intended to support this neural activation.
All content is gentle and non-directive.
There are no high-stakes narratives, no villains, no conflict-driven plots.
The focus is on invitation and exploration.
-
![Pink heart shape on a white background.]()
Act I: Feeling
Emotional regulation. Stories that help children notice and name what's happening inside
-
![A close-up of a yellow-green rock with white squiggly lines.]()
Act II: Making
Creative activation. Stories that invite children to build, imagine, and create alongside the narrative.
-
![A cartoon cloud with a smiling face and closed eyes.]()
Act III: Listening
Mindful presence. Stories that slow down, tune in, and practice deep attention.
-
![A cartoon illustration of a cookie with a smiling face and chocolate chips.]()
Act IV: Wondering
Curiosity and awe. Stories that expand outward into big questions and cosmic possibility.
