Sue Does Not Tell Dr. Stone About Her Dream

"Sleep well?" Dr. Stone asked.

"Fine, thank you," Sue Storm replied.

It wasn't that Sue intended to lie about her dream. The Invisible Woman had decided that she would admit to the dream if asked directly. Yet Sue still felt embarrassed when she thought of the dream, as embarrassed as she was spending the night hugging a pillow with her psychiatrist's image on it. Sue already felt guilty enough for having a sex dream that didn't feature her husband, she wasn't sure how she would feel if she explained what had happened.

"During today's session, I'd like to talk about the nature of dreams," Dr. Stone said, settling back. "Everyone dreams, even if not everybody remembers their dream on waking. Dreams are the result of the brain processing memories and events. When you hear about people dreaming about the solution of a problem, or receiving some prophetic omen in dream, that is their mind working on data and problems that the conscious brain cannot handle. The rules of reason and logic are suspended, lines of thought can run in new and exciting directions."

Sue Storm nodded. She had heard some of that before, but perhaps not quite so clearly put forth.

"Have you ever had a sexy dream of someone other than your husband?" Dr. Stone said, point-blank. Sue froze before answering, and Dr. Stone saw the Invisible Woman tense and quickly added, "You don't have to give me any details; a yes or no will suffice."

"Yes," Sue said, after a moment. She could say that honestly.

"Such dreams do not indicate that you are thinking of infidelity," Dr. Stone said. "It simply means that your brain is processing a physical or mental attraction that the conscious mind cannot tolerate. Dreams are a safety valve, a release that allows you to face such problems as finding someone sexually attractive outside of your marriage. Such dreams are healthy, as they provide an outlet other than physical cheating."

Sue licked her lips. She dared to ask a question.

"What if I don't want such dreams? Is there a way to get rid of them?"

Dr. Stone tilted her head slightly, the very corners of her mouth twitching for a moment into a ghost of a smile.

"There are techniques that can help control such dreams. Lucid dreaming, is one. Dream journals are another. When you first wake up in the morning, record that night's dreams while they're still fresh in your mind, before doing anything else. Once we have the dreams recorded, we can do lots of interesting things with them."

Sue nodded. That all sounded like practical advice.