I read an article today by Judith Warner that talked about the effect that President Obama and Michelle were having on the unconscious process of dreams as reported by some of her acquaintances.
I liked the article, as a therapist, because I think that at times there are leaders who tap into our archetypal notions of what a leader should be and pop up in our dreams.
I thought I would share a bit of her column, and encourage you to read it in full on her blog.
The other night I dreamt of Barack Obama. He was taking a shower right when I needed to get into the bathroom to shave my legs, and then he was being yelled at by my husband, Max, for smoking in the house. It was not clear whether Max was feeling protective of the president’s health or jealous because of the cigarette.
The other day a friend of mine confided that in the weeks leading up to the election, the Obamas’ apparent joy as a couple had made her just miserable. Their marriage looked so much happier than hers. Their life seemed so perfect. "I was at a place where I was tempted daily to throttle my husband," she said. "This coincided with Michelle saying the most beautiful things about Barack. Each time I heard her speak about him I got tears in my eyes — because I felt so far away from that kind of bliss in my own life and perhaps even more, because I was so moved by her expressions of devotion to him. And unlike previous presidential couples, they are our age, have children the same age and (just imagine the stress of daily life on the campaign) by all accounts should have been fighting even more than we were."
She goes on to recount other people's dream processes and their incorporation of the archetypal Obama as he became an internal symbol.
"I keep thinking about how I squandered my education and youth," the New York lawyer wrote to me. "I went off to college from high school being completely community-minded, doing a lot of volunteer work for the homeless and for hunger and tutoring poor kids. Then I got to college and forgot my ideals. Barack was my year at Columbia. Why wasn’t I hanging out with him and being serious and following my ideals instead of hanging out in clubs? Same with law school. I partied my way through instead of taking advantage of all that I could have. Both Obamas were there when I was. I feel like if I’d been a better person I would have gotten to know them."
http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/...
Sometimes a President is Just a President, Judith Warner
I am just curious, has anyone on Daily Kos had dreams about President Obama or Michelle....would you share please?