By Will
I was going through my dream journal and decided to share my first ever dream, which happened three years ago, when I began therapy for the second time. The dream was very short, but massively vivid and powerful; The dream took place after therapy one night.
I suddenly found myself in the bath with my analyst. At first, we smiled at each other in a surprised and innocent way. Straight after this exchange my analyst reached down below and started to touch me under the water. I refused the advances and my analyst began to paddy, thumping his hands and feet ferociously on the floor like a child. It was extremely disturbing and vivid and I remember thinking that I was more mature than him.
I knew from having therapy before that the dream had to be ‘aired and shared’ and I found myself laughing as I recounted the dream during our next session. We talked about the dream for most of the session and together we unpacked some possible meanings and realisations.
We discussed the meaning of the bath itself, which may be interpreted as a place where one literally washed oneself clean internally, shedding old ideas, opinions and negative patterns. We were in a tight place together where we could possibly remain stuck for some time. The initial smile we shared could be our true selves meeting for the first time. We discussed going to new places that are below the surface. Places we shouldn’t go. Down below; Should not be touched down there. Touching the darker shadow self would cause a huge paddy, huge resistance and the new beginnings of re-living a battle of previously held opinions and beliefs. Who knows more than who has been in control for so long. Of course ‘I’ am more mature.
inPsychotherapy 
Lovely post as always but blimey, you’re brave. Am I right in thinking that this is traditional analysis that you are talking about?
Thank you. I would say the answer would probably be no to traditional analysis in that there is definitely a Kleinian approach but leaning towards more free thinking relational psychoanalysis based on the individual.
ah yes this makes sense – thanks 🙂
I find it interesting how people who are in different types of therapy write differently.. and focus on different things 🙂
I’ll stop imagining you lying on a couch in a fug of cigar smoke now 🙂
It is interesting how people write differently and focus on different things regarding their therapy. I do ‘lie’ on a couch and I really would love nothing better than to smoke in the room too : )
So funny, I was going to do a post today on the ‘pants’ of the dreams I had last night. I did write down some of them when I woke (at 5 ugh) but it doesn’t feel right now.
It is very interesting though to read of others’ dreams and to see how they attempt to interpret them or use them in analysis. (in which, btw, I sit in an Ikea chair though there is a couch available too 😉 )
It is especially interesting looking back at those interpretations years later to see if they had some light in them. It seems small now but moving from chair to couch was a huge step for me : ) Not looking at each other! Thanks for the comments as always Helen.
Made me smile. It can feel like torture to expose our thoughts and dreams………and oh yes why is the journey from the chair to the couch so long?
Ah! I am really glad it made you smile Christine : ) It still makes me laugh how much resistance there was moving to the couch. So much so that I named it ‘The Magic Couch’ it took on this amazing persona! I think it could be about being seen and seeing and also lying down, vulnerability?
I’ve been meaning to comment on this since first reading it, but then the weekend got in the way. I found it so amazing what your therapist got out of this dream. It all makes good sense, of course, but I would have taken it in a different direction. Shows how little I know about symbols in dreams.
BTW, I also wanted to ask where you got the image for this post. Beautiful.