SOMETIMES A COSTUME IS JUST A COSTUME
Who am I this time?
That’s the question millions of kids and adults ask themselves in anticipation of Halloween each year.
Their answer can say a lot about what’s going on within them, many experts say.
In other words, think of Halloween as the ultimate Rorschach test.
"It gives parents a real sense of what the child may have as a gift or talent or also what qualities the child feels that he lacks," says Jacquelyn Small, a psychotherapist and author of "Psyche’s Seeds: The 12 Sacred Principles of Soul-Based Psychology." When Small trick-or-treated, she always dressed as a goddess or priestess. Looking back, she says that helped her get in touch with her dreams for the future.
"I think, as a little child, I knew I would be a leader or a teacher someday," she says. "I felt like I was being totally myself. I felt great."
Jesse Rabinowitz, a psychologist, remembers being attracted to the monster costume because it was everything he wasn’t.
"I was a mild, intellectual, non-macho kid growing up, but I loved to dress up as scary monsters and powerful creatures that could
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