Unless a client gives me permission I do not publish examples of their material and will not publish whole case studies as such preferring to use examples of dreams from text book studies. Looking at a dream as text does not convey the impact of it as set in the unique context of the individual’s life journey. However it can be useful as an exercise in how the unconscious presents material.
Case Study 1
This dream came from an elderly lady who worked with the Jungian analyst Marie Louise Von Franz; she died soon after. It illustrates how the psyche does not view our physical death as an end to consciousness. She dreamt the following:-
"…that she stood in a dark room looking out into the night with only a lighted candle on the window sill. All of a sudden an icy wind came and blew out the candle leaving the room in a terrifying darkness. But on the other side of the window in the night darkness she still saw the reflection of the candle where miraculously the flame of the candle still burned."
Case Study 2
The following dream is from a client who for over ten years struggled to pass her driving test. All her instructors said she should pass but the fear of failure kept her failing. The essence of her dream was:-
"I at last know why that girl at my secondary school had such magical shiny hair; it’s because of the caraway seed mixture…"
My client’s association was that there was indeed a girl at her school who had this ‘magical’ shiny hair but that she never found out what shampoo she used despite her best efforts. The girl was not friendly enough to ask outright.
That which grows from the head can be a literal reference to consciousness/thoughts. Here the unconscious plays with the word ‘caraway’ – ‘car away’. Add to this that the dream had a magical quality for her (finding the holy grail of great looking hair that was so important for her teenage self) then this was a most positive dream.
She passed her driving test the next day.