Strange Use Of A Food Processor: Post #3

 photo courtesy of gvc.com

A woman had a dream in which she was grinding chairs and stuffed toys in her gigantic food processor. She and I isolated the symbols and came to an understanding of their metaphoric meanings. Now, it’s time to reassemble the dream in its metaphoric version.

This is done by replacing the words that were her original symbols with the descriptions she gave of them. In addition, I will add short phrases like, "There is a part of me" to remind her that every symbol in her dream is an aspect of herself. For example, in her original dream, she used the word "standing." She described standing as "taking the firmest posture, ready for action." So, in the reconstructed version of her dream, that emerges as, "I have taken the firmest posture, ready for action."

Reconstructed dream

There is a part of me that is getting ready for something, and doing so with deliberateness. It’s a really special time in me. It’s the only non-religious holiday and family gathering time inside of myself. I don’t get all the complications of belief systems and points of view, and also the sense of “I belong and another part of me doesn’t.” I have taken the firmest posture, ready for action. I’m in the part of me where I prepare my food, for sustenance. I also think of it as the heart of my internal home. There’s a lot of femininity here, a lot of soft, caring, nurturing. 


I am by a workspace that is at a really convenient height so I don’t have to be in an uncomfortable posture. I am using a part of myself that is designed to chop, blend and grind up what I consume in order to survive and grow and stay healthy. It’s how I prosper physically. Doing this in me saves a lot of time and a lot of wear and tear. What I notice about this part of me is that it is exaggeratedly large, and a bit surreal. Normally, I couldn’t work with anything that big. But I clearly have no concerns. I begin to operate it. Basically, what I am doing is taking what I need to sustain me for growth and health—sections of it that are large and unwieldy--and I am reducing them to more manageable sizes.


But what is odd is that they are items that I would normally be unable to consume. One of them is a plaything for a small child. It floats and looks cute and can inspire the child in me to use its imagination. Essentially, I destroy it. Then, there is another toy. And it is certainly not intended to be used as sustenance. I have mauled it beyond recognition. Its innards are being flung this way and that, and are being torn apart. Finally, I do the same to a part of me that is a place to sit and rest, but also a place to consume sustenance in a relaxed manner. There’s a social element, too. It’s a part of me that offers a place of community and communion.


Thoughts
What a fascinating set of themes! We’ll ask her about them tomorrow.