The Pain from Tucson

Published in the Brattleboro Reformer, January 21, 2011.

The killings in Tucson have awakened fear and confusion and pain (and even guilt) in many people. Here I focus only on the pain. Perhaps the deepest pain has come from the story of the nine year old girl. I would guess that most people who have seen interviews with her parents and her friends feel upset that this little girl has died. People who are not particularly interested in their feelings may not know they are in pain. Others may have noticed the pain within themselves but decided not to focus on it, because "What's the point: It's just one of those situations where we suffer, and there's nothing we can do about it. This is how life is. We're grown-ups, not naïve kids or neurotics, and we go on with our lives. Even more, 'We didn't know her personally.'"

"Big" Dream 1 (March 19, 2013)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This is a dream that came to my attention. I am not sure if it was a pure dream or one of those dream-fantasies that occur while lying in bed, half awake and half asleep. It occurred about one week ago. 

Explanation of the "Big" Dream Section

When Carl Jung, the psychiatrist and student and colleague and friend of Sigmund Freud, spoke to a member of a tribe in a remote part of Africa (to which no white man had ever gone), he was told that there are small dreams and big dreams.

"Big" Dream 2 (August, 2013)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This is a dream of a patient who was involved in a family dispute that was very troubling to him. It involved his extended family. The members of this family are prominent and are used to being respected, listened to, and even obeyed. In the dispute no one was listening to or respecting or obeying anyone else, and the man felt discounted. On the day of the dream, it came to the dreamer's attention that many of the family members, in spite of their outward disrespect, might have been listening to him more than he thought. He devised a plan based on this assumption, but, when he went to sleep, he still felt shaky and weak, feelings that were not usual to him.

"Big" Dream 3 (September, 2013)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This is not a "big" dream in the sense of its subject being of importance to more than the dreamer. The dreamer did not feel the dream was of importance to anyone but himself. I give it here because it is an example of a powerfully disturbing nightmare that feels real. Even if a dream is "only a dream," it can feel real and powerful and important, often as much as waking experiences.

"Big" Dream 4 (November, 2013)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This Dream felt like a very big dream to the dreamer. I present it as a kind of quiz. The quiz question is: "Is it a big dream or not?"

"Big" Dream 5 (January, 2014)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This dreamer was touched by the following dream but was not sure if it was about him alone or had some bigger implications.

"Big" Dream 6 (March, 2014)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This dreamer is a high-powered businessman who was stressed from his work in finances. He had the following dream (personal details of which I have omitted) which, if nothing else, served to relax him.

"Big" Dream 7 (May, 2016)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This dreamer is a 73 year old intellectual. He has been quite upset about the rise of Donald Trump to political power. In waking life, the dreamer is fascinated by the rise of fascism in Germany and Italy and has often wondered if fascism could appear in the United States.

"Big" Dream 8 (November 13, 2016)

(from the series of "Big" dreams)

This dream occurred five nights after the election day that gave Donald Trump the presidency of the United States.