DREAM+2

At the time of the following dream, Doris S. was an 18-year-old woman living in a rural area. She was getting ready to graduate from high school and begin the long road toward a medical degree (she would have been the first child in her family to become a doctor) when she found out that she was pregnant. Her parents were not yet aware of the situation and she and her boyfriend were in the midst of deciding whether to try to arrange an abortion or to get married, though the latter option meant the end of her medical school aspirations. Beyond these rather unfortunate problems, Doris lived a very normal life and had never experienced serious psychological problems. //Doris's Dream// "I am at my friend Betty's house. I call Ann up to make an appointment to get my hair highlighted. I speak to the receptionist at the beauty parlor. I speak in a Russian accent. She asks when I can come. I say in a couple of days. I think that might be Wednesday. She asks 'Are you sure because we are changing things around here; implying that it won't be good if I change my mind and cancel the appointment. After speaking to her, I realize that I don't need to have my hair highlighted yet, because my hair hasn't grown out yet. But George and I go on the 'A' train to the beauty parlor. It goes through a neighborhood that I have never seen before. The train travels outside. George gets out at a stop as if he nonchalantly is doing something. The train leaves without him. I wave to him and feel bad that he is not on the train." (Ullman, 1986, p. 539).
 * Handout 2**