Between a full house and the loneliness of sleep: the practice of lullabies with children and adolescents in institutional care

Abstract

The article proposes reflections on the practice of lullabies with children in institutional care. Music and its relation to sleep and to the constitution of the subject are the central axis of the intervention proposal, which follows a psychoanalytic theoretical orientation. The text also addresses subjective and relational aspects in caregiving practices within institutional settings. The results are presented as subjective effects of institutional care on children and adolescents, perceptions of care relationships in these institutional spaces, and the contributions of the practice. From this analysis, the lullaby was identified as a powerful element not only for the processes of preparing for sleep but also for working through the trauma of separation in the context of institutional care.