At a New Year’s Eve dinner the host, the patriarch of the family, ushered in the New Year with a speech. One of his sons-in-law, a lawyer, was not inclined to take the antiquated man seriously, especially when in the course of his speech he expressed himself as follows: “When I open the ledger for the Old Years and glance at its pages, I see everything on the asset side and nothing, thank Lord, on the side of liability; all you children have been a great asset, none of you a liability.” On hearing this the young lawyer thought of X., his spouse’s brother, who was a cheat and a liar, and whom he had recently extricated from the entanglements of the law. When the man opened the ledger, on the side marked asset, he saw his name among others, but on the other side, marked liability, there was the name of his brother-in-law, X. However, the word Liability was changed into Lie-Ability, which he regarded as X.’s main characteristic.  His uncle gives him a kiss in the automobile, this means auto-erotism. Some people feel compelled to give expression in an expensive luxury automobile because of all the thoughts and expectations aroused by it. The image chosen for persons who are undergoing psychoanalytic treatment, as a rule of a journey, usually in a motorcar, this being a modern and complicated vehicle; in reference to the speed of the car the patient’s ironical humour is given free play. If the unconscious as an element of waking thought, is to be represented in the dream, it is replaced, appropriately enough, by subterranean localities which at other times, when there is no reference to analytic treatment, have represented the body or the rear end. Below in the dream very often refers to the genitals, and it is opposite, above, to the face, mouth or chest.  

He was taken in the car by wild beast, the dream-work usually symbolizes passionate impulses; those of the dreamer, and also those of the other persons of whom the dreamer is afraid; or thus, by means of a very slight displacement, the persons who experience these passions. From this it is not very far to the totemistic representation of the dreaded father by means of vicious animals, dogs, wild horses, etc. One might say wild beasts serve to represent the libido, feared by the ego, and combated by repression. Even the exhibited in the dream as an independent person. I can remember that when I was a child, I repeatedly dreamed that God wore a conical paper hat on His head. They often used to make me wear such a hat at table, so that I should not be able to look at the plates of the other children and see how much they had received of any particular dish. Since I had heard that God was omniscient, the dream signified that I knew everything in spite of the hat which I was made to wear.  One might think that in this day and age each of us has plenty to work about—pollution, devastation of land and forests, extinction of the Rhinos, acid rain, overdevelopment; now we are told that in addition, we have to worry about our consciousness. For the real problem is diseased consciousness. This unfortunate effect of the work will stimulate soul capacities that have slumbered long in the history of humanity. You may feel an initial hopelessness as you enter into the faces of the World that I present; but that feeling too is the feeling of being in exile, while nonetheless, within the midst of everything of the World. If the eyes are the windows to the soul, we do not just see out of windows, we see through them. This turns the subtlety of psychic reflection inward. We are drawn to staring through the soul, as if in a dream state induced by this medium. 

You every wonder why some adults are mean, always engaging in trouble, and just rotten people to be around? Well, it is because their thoughts, emotions, or sensations or conditioned responses arise to distract attention from the quiet, peaceful emptiness and equanimity of who we all really are which are peaceful people. Some are able to access the different, deeper, impersonal self. When the emotional disturbance is desensitized and no longer experienced in the body, and one is relaxed and peaceful, one can review life lessons during eye movements and describe any distractions from peace and contentment. Targets for eye movements are distractions. Distractions are often persistent habits of mind, obsessive and intrusive thoughts, cravings, desires and addictions, memories, fantasies, self-talk, sleepiness, numbing out, physical pains, itches, discomforts, noises, smells, or visual images, and the full gamut of emotions including strong, good ones. Dissolve any blocking beliefs and go deeper for equipoise in difficult situations, relationships, and distracting environments. Now, what distracts from you being content in life? Do you have any new desires? Sometimes I find that I forgive people too much and feel like my spouse loves me more than anyone else in the World. I went to the door of the temple and went inside. I had become more religious and am married to God, and he is an even higher power than he was before. And I spend hours every day praying to God and trying to do things to restore that inner light in myself which attracted God in the first place. I heard about my brother’s death while eavesdropping, crouched on the upstairs landing, up too late and being wild. I overheard my parents talking about it. I had an image of a peaceful, loving God, who holds us all close to his heart and sees everything and will protect you. I have to be a good guy so God will love me.  

My brother’s death created, a traumatic event about which I had been mourning. As a child, I felt that his death and my being wild by staying up late without permission and spying on my parents were somehow linked, and that God was protecting us. That loss can be terrifying because one had denied in oneself and given to others the very qualities necessary for being itself. By acting warmly dependent, one reduces the anxiety and uncomfortableness of having to be responsible. Behavior is directed toward getting from others the very support and strength one feels one does not have in oneself. Others experience the pull of caring, helping, nurturing, teaching and so tend to respond with strong, friendly behaviors. By pleasing and appeasing, one secures both protection and help. The behavior appeals to love. The seeking of love from others, obviously, is neither unusual nor abnormal. It is love that makes the World go round. However, the exaggerated seeking of strong love creates the drag of the warmly dependent personality. “If you love me, then you will not hurt me. I love you dearly; therefore, you should love me in return and give up everything for the sake of my love. Because you mean so much to me, you should take care of me and my requirements. I am unable really to take care of myself. I look to you to give me answers. Since you are so wise and I admire your insight, you should share your wisdom with me.” The personality, requirements, and limitations of the strong, loving person are disregarded. A result of the anxiety which prompts the neurotic to cling to the other person. One who is drowning and clings to a swimmer does not usually consider the other’s willingness or capacity to carry him [or her] along. All that matters is one’s own desperation at being left alone, deserted, and abandoned. Precisely because one is both weak and warm, others are expected to be strong and supportive.