Sonya asked Katherine about the drawings.
Katherine responded:
“Oh, those were just my doodling with my memories of the beach. I often draw a bit to capture my memories of special scenes and special events. I am usually trying to capture what occurs when I am awake. These drawings are unusual in that they are about a dream rather than real lie.”
Sonya offers a comment:
“Perhaps this dream is just as real as what occurs during the daytime. And perhaps, the drawings represent a nonverbal response to the wise man’s inquiry about your inner life.”
Katherine is quiet for a moment and then speaks:
“Are you suggesting that the seabirds and the waves are somehow representative of my “inside person.” And maybe the girl running on the beach is somehow me? Is that what you are suggesting?”
Sonya:
“Does this interpretation make any sense to you? And what might seabirds, waves and girl represent?”
Katherine:
“I’m not quite sure. I do know that I was feeling free and even light-headed when sitting on the rocks with the wise man. In some ways, I guess this was a good time for this man to ask me about my inner self. Perhaps I should have tried answering him rather than getting angry and running away. Maybe my inner self has something to do with this sense of freedom. I might be running away for this freedom.”
Sonya:
“This makes a lot of sense. Tell me a bit about this inner self and feelings about freedom as they exist in your waking life. I guess I am asking you to respond to the wise man’s questions – but pleased don’t get angry or try running back down the beach!! [both Sonya and Katherine laugh.]”
Katherine
“I think these feelings about freedom relate to the sense I get that I am living only with the demands of my job . . . . and even the demands being made by my children. I even felt trapped in the demands made by my ex-husband. He always said that he was making no demands. However, there were demands embedded in his words . . . or at least our society demands that I act a certain way as a ‘dutiful’ wife.”
Sonya:
“But you end up running down the beach. You were escaping the confrontation with this desire for freedom.”
Katherine:
“Yeh. I feel that I am all messed up about this issue of finding freedom inside myself. I have always been a dutiful employee and dutiful wife. . . However, I don’t feel that I have been a dutiful mother. I feel like I have failed to be a great mother.”
