“Hello, Miss Robertson, how are we doing today?” he asked as the young woman came into his office.

“Not so good doctor. I’ve been having those dreams again. And please call me Donna,” she said, mustering a bit of a smile. Dr. Pendleton knew what dreams she was speaking of; he had been treating her for a couple of years now.

“Oh, dear. Those same dreams that troubled you before?” he asked her.

“No, actually these dreams are different ... sexier and more explicit,” she said.

“I see. Well would you like to tell me about them?” he asked.

“Gee, doctor, I don’t know. They are pretty ... dirty. I’m afraid I’m a real slut! It’s embarrassing just admitting I have these kinds of dreams, much less describing them!” she said.

“Now Donna, there’s no need to be embarrassed. I am your doctor. And everything said and done in this office is completely confidential. It goes no further than this room. So you can say whatever you like in total anonymity,” he said.

“I know, doctor, and I trust you. Okay, well this dream started out with me going to a bar to get a drink. I don’t know the bar, it’s just some random place. I walk in and find a table and sit down. The bar isn’t real full but there’s a decent crowd. The waiter comes over and I tell him I’d like a white wine cooler. He takes my order and as he gets ready to leave he flashes me a smile. He is good looking, but not like a male model handsome. He leaves and I watch as he walks up to give my drink order to the bartender.

I am sitting there alone at my table when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn to see what it is and this man walks into the bar. He is drop-dead gorgeous and he stands at the doorway just looking over the bar room. I can tell just by looking at him that this man is used to getting what he wants and I feel my heart beat faster just watching him.

He walks across the room like he owns the place and I am thrilled to see he has come to the bar alone. No woman is on his arm. He finds a table not too far from mine and sits down by himself. I am trembling as I watch him. The waiter brings him his drink without even ordering – he has been here before.

As I sip my drink, I can’t help but stare at this captivating man. He sees me looking at him and I have to tear my eyes away quickly. I’m so embarrassed that he caught me gawking at him! I lower my eyes and stare at the table in front of me as if I’m not paying attention to him, but he knows better.

All of a sudden I hear a deep man’s voice next to me. “Come join me at my table,” he says. He’s not asking me to join him, he is telling me. Normally, I would politely tell a man that I’m not interested or that I’m not his to boss around. But now, with this man, I don’t even question it. I just get up and walk over to his table as if I’m in some sort of trance. He pulls my chair out for me and I sit down obediently. We talk and flirt and my dream ends with us in bed and he is doing all kinds of hot, sexy, erotic things to me,” she said.

“I see. Well, Donna, before your appointment today, I reviewed your file and read what your last psychiatrist wrote in his notes as well. We have tried a number of things to try to help you with these dreams, haven’t we? We discussed possible meanings, we looked at your past relationships with your parents as well as with former boyfriends and the significant males in your life. We tried a few different types of exercises to help you with this. We even tried hypnosis to get to the root of these dreams as I recall, didn’t we?” Dr. Pendleton said.

“Yes doctor, we tried a lot of things. Most of them either didn’t work or only worked for a short while. But the dreams always come back. And now they are getting in the way of my daytime life – interfering with work and with my social life. I am afraid to date or go out with a guy for fear that I will somehow try to make him into the man in my dreams and do something stupid,” she said.

“Well, Donna, I have done some research into this and there is one other thing we could try. It’s kind of unorthodox and not all in my field will agree to this but I think it might just help you if you are willing to give it a try,” he said.

“Doctor, at this point, I am willing to give anything a try. Voodoo, acupuncture, faith healing – I don’t care what the therapy is, as long as it works! I can’t go on like this – I’m going to do something rash, I just know it!” she said, exasperated.

“Well, I think that the reason these dreams keep coming back is that your mind is trying to tell you something. People often dream about things that are lacking or needed in their life. People on diets dream of food, for example, because their bodies are craving it. People who have lost a loved one have dreams about them, putting them in situations and circumstances that they are going through themselves. The mind is an amazing thing and we know so very little about how it works. People are always talking about space or the ocean as the final frontier, but I think the mind is the real final frontier,” Dr. Pendleton said.

“What do you think my mind is trying to tell me? What can these dreams mean, doctor?” she asked. He could tell the young woman was about at her wit’s end.

“Well, Donna, you have told me about some of your past dreams, as well as this one. And it seems in all of these dreams you are being taken by a more powerful, more dominant man or men. This domination theme is a very popular one with women these days and you are not the first one of my patients to confess to having such feelings. With today’s views on political correctness and its trend towards ‘gender neutrality’, many women – and men for that matter – long for the good old days where men were men and women were women. You could call it sexism if you want, but a lot of people wish for the days when the woman looked after the home and family while the man went off to work and bring home the money. Both had their place and their responsibilities were clearly defined. Nowadays things are so muddied up that neither sex knows what it wants or is supposed to want,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said wistfully.

“Now remind me – you aren’t married right?” he asked.

“No, I’m not married,” she said.

“Any significant men friends? A boyfriend perhaps?”

“No, nothing serious right now. Like I said with these dreams, I’m afraid of any kind of commitment – I don’t want to cheat on anyone,” she said.

“Well, I can understand that. But your lack of any kind of sexual relationship could very well be adding to this problem you are having,” he said.

“Then what can I do doctor? I am afraid of having any kind of relationship for fear of cheating on him, but not having one is making me have dreams of wanting to have sex with someone! It’s a vicious cycle!” she cried in a state of near panic.

“Yes, I can imagine it is quite frustrating. Listen, Donna, I want to help you overcome this. I’ll tell you what, if you are willing to trust me I believe I can help you. Why don’t you come to my home tomorrow night at around 8:00 pm and I will explain what I think will help you with this problem,” he said. He handed her a card with his address handwritten on the back. “Do you know how to find my home?”

“I can find it. All right doctor if you think you can help me, I will be there. I really can’t take much more of this!” she said.

The following evening Donna began getting ready to go to Dr. Pendleton’s home. She wasn’t sure what he had in mind to help her, but she was willing to do just about anything to clear her head of these erotic dreams.

She drove over to the address the doctor wrote on the back of his business card. She pulled up to his condominium and walked up to the front door. Being a secure building, she looked up his name and pressed the button next to it. The door popped open and she went inside and through the lobby to the elevator. She rode the elevator to the fifth floor and then stepped out into the hallway. She walked down the hallway until she found the door marked 5015 and she stopped. This was his apartment. She checked her makeup once more before she knocked softly on the door.

The door opened and she was greeted by a different man than she had seen in his downtown office. Dr. Pendleton had shed his three-piece Brooks Brothers suit and tie for a much more relaxed look in his blue jeans and casual short sleeve shirt.

“Hi Donna, please come in,” he said as he opened the door wider for her.

“Thank you,” she said and she came inside.

He led her into the living room, “Please Donna, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink? I have soda, iced tea, coffee – what would you like?” he asked.

“Iced tea would be nice Doctor, thank you,” Donna said.

“Iced tea it is then. And the name is Allen. I’m only Doctor Pendleton in my office!” he said with a big grin.

“Okay ... Allen,” she said with a shy smile. He went into the kitchen and returned a moment later with two tall glasses of iced tea and the pitcher on a tray. He set the tray on the coffee table between them and handed her a glass.

“Allen, I am curious as to what you think you can do to help me. I have to tell you, I had another of those dreams last night. I have them almost every night now. Before, when this started, it was every few nights; maybe once a week or so. But lately, it has increased in frequency until I have them just about every night now. It’s gotten to the point I don’t want to go to sleep. Most people wouldn’t mind having sexy dreams like this, but when you don’t have any way to relieve the pent up feelings, they can build to a point where it will drive you crazy! If I’d had a boyfriend when this started that I could ... well, maybe I wouldn’t be in this situation now!” Donna said.

“Actually, Donna, that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, you are having these sexy, erotic dreams, I believe, because you don’t have an outlet for your sexual needs. Most young people go through a period where their bodies are ready for sex, but for one reason or another, it just isn’t happening for them yet. So the mind creates these sexual fantasies to exercise itself, so to speak. In your case, this happened because you don’t have an outlet for your sexual urges to be resolved, so your dreams have started back up again,” he explained.

“I see. So you’re saying that all I need is to start having sex again and the dreams will go away?” Donna asked.

“Pretty much, Donna. Once you start having sex again, even if it’s not regular three times a week sex, your dreams will become less frequent and eventually go away. Your mind won’t have to fantasize so much and create these dreams,” he said.

“Well, that sounds simple enough, except that in order to have sex like that you need a partner and as I have told you, I am afraid of getting involved with someone because until these dreams go away, I may be tempted to have sex with someone else. I won’t mean to do it, but it may happen and I couldn’t bear hurting someone like that – especially someone I cared a lot for,” Donna said.

“Well, what if the whole cheating on someone you cared a lot for was taken off the table? What if there was no risk of hurting a loved one – would that help?” he asked.

“Sure I guess so ... but how...?”

“Me, Donna. I am suggesting I help you by being your partner. This would be a clinical arrangement – there won’t be any messy emotions to get in the way and complicate matters. I would be helping you express your sexual needs and urges and by doing so make your nighttime erotic dreams fade away. I told you I want to help you and I believe this is the way,” Doctor Pendleton said.

“But don’t you have someone yourself? Don’t you have a girlfriend or someone significant in your life? Wouldn’t you be cheating on them with me?” Donna asked.

“No, Donna, I don’t. Between my work and my terrible shyness, I just haven’t found anyone. Plus the fact that I am a psychiatrist seems to put a lot of women off ... I guess I take all the mystery out of being a woman for them!” he said, grinning mischievously.

“You are shy? Funny, you never seemed that way to me,” Donna said.

“Oh, it’s quite true. If you and I had met another way than professionally, or if you hadn’t been my patient for so long, you would not be standing here right now!” he said. “I am painfully shy in social situations with new people. That’s why I never go out and only associate with people I’ve known for a long time. A real wallflower – I always have been.”

“Well, I’m glad I got to know you then,” she said. “But isn’t being shy hard in a line of work where have to meet and talk with new people all the time?”

“That’s what is strange about it; when I am in my office and someone new comes to see me, I’m not shy. I think it’s because it’s my territory. I have the ‘home court advantage’ and so I can be confident. I am in control there and the other person is the nervous one,” he said.

“So it’s a domination thing then,” she said.

“Yes, I suppose it is. I feel dominant there because it is my home turf. They came to me and because I am a psychiatrist, they feel less in control and out of place ... submissive, I guess,” he said.

“Well, I know I sure feel that way. Even now after all this time, walking into your office make me feel somehow obedient and docile,”

“And you like that feeling? The submissiveness and feeling domesticated?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess so, I never really thought about it like that. But yeah, I suppose I do like being submissive ... to the right man,” Donna said.

“Well, that is part of your dreams – from the way you describe them, there is always a feeling of submission on your part in your dreams,” he said.

“Yes, I guess there is. Why is that Allen? I mean I’m not submissive to anyone. I don’t have a husband, and my father lives three states away from here. I am the boss at my company, so why would I be submissive?” she asked.

“Because, Donna, your submissive feelings are not because you are submissive, it’s because you want to be submissive,” Doctor Pendleton said.

“Huh?”

“Donna your dreams are telling you that you need to have a dominant force outside of yourself to submit to. You need a strong, powerful man to take control of you and complete you. You need to feel needed and desired. You need someone who will take command of the chaos and calm your spirit down.

You are like a ship in the stormy sea without anyone at the helm. You are being tossed around with no rhyme or reason, and you need a firm hand on the wheel to guide you to where you need to be,” he explained.