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As the name suggests, dream analysis is a type of intervention used to uncover the meaning of dreams to determine unconscious memories, conflicts and desires. According to psychodynamic psychologists, these dreams may manifest due to internal conflict. The theory does not propose that these dreams cause dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses, but rather, the dreams result from them.
Dream analysis is an intervention first introduced by Freud, flaticon.com/Smashicons
Freud presented the theory of dream analysis after observing his clients with 'unhealthy' behaviour.
If this research were proposed nowadays, the usual method would be to compare findings between 'unhealthy' and 'healthy' (control variable) participants. This would help the research to be seen as more scientific.
Freud's theory proposed that dreams:
People who have violent dreams are more likely to have aggressive tendencies.
The manifest content is what and how the individual remembers their dream. It is the literal content and subjects of the dream.
Latent content is the repressed meaning of dreams. This is the actual meaning that the dream may have, based on the symbols created by the manifest content.
The dream analysis therapist's role is to take the manifest content that has been described by the client and help guide them to understand the latent content of the dreams.
Free association is when the therapist identifies a theme such as anger in a dream and says random words (in the context of anger and dreams) to which clients need to respond with the first word that comes to their mind.
Dream analysis is an intervention that is used to treat some mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or for people who have chronic (frequent) nightmares. The intervention applies psychoanalytic theories to treat dysfunctional behaviour.
Dream analysis tries to uncover repressed memories in dreams and may contribute to mental illnesses. The emphasis on repressed memories causing internal conflict is a key principle in the psychoanalytic approach to explaining behaviour.
Freud is the founding father of dream analysis. However, since his time, the theory surrounding dream analysis has evolved.
Jung, an important figure in the psychodynamic approach, argued that dreams are caused by thoughts and conflicts that were not expressed when the individual was awake. Their waking internal thoughts, desires and conflicts are expressed whilst dreaming, showing the 'true' state of mind during sleep.
Adler, another important figure in psychodynamic, believed dreams are guided by personality, and they can be interpreted in a way that allows you to regain control of your life whilst you're awake. The dream materialises a conflict for you to deal with it.
Freud was criticised because he over-emphasised sexual desires and libido's role in dreams and he over-emphasised the role of the unconscious.
Dreams are hard to test scientifically, flaticon.com/DighitalDesign
The dream analysis definition and intervention has changed since Freud's original thoughts.
Dreams are now thought to have multiple factors that can contribute to them. An emphasis on sexual desires and instincts are no longer over-emphasised. It is thought that dreams can be caused by many unconscious and sometimes conscious desires and conflicts.
Imagination is now also considered to play a role in dreams, but not all dreams result from it. They can be curated by thoughts and emotions - your daydreams.
More recent theories, such as the self-organisation theory of dreaming, propose that dreams are caused by information processing. Memories can also cause dreams. These memories are encoded or stored in the memory stores, which is the stage of sleep you enter when dreaming.
REM - this is a stage of sleep called rapid eye movement. This stage of sleep is associated with processing emotional memories.
NREM - this is a stage of sleep called non-rapid eye movement. This stage of sleep is associated with processing declarative memories.
According to this research, dreams in REM are more likely to be personal, whereas, they are more likely to be about random things in NREM. Therefore, REM dreams are more likely to be guided by personal motives and conflicts.
The components of dream analysis are:
Dream analysis moves away from a client's childhood but the therapist may ask about it to get a deeper understanding of the latent content of dreams.
Overall, there are three steps to dream analysis:
The client may be asked to keep a detailed record such as a diary to record information about dreams.
A typical method used to uncover repressed dreams and their meaning is free association.The therapist and client work collaboratively to experience and understand feelings and conflicts felt in dreams, such as using metaphors that compare dreams to clients' real-life experiences.A soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder has repetitive dreams of being angry at someone who has done no harm to them. This may be repressed anger and due to time and feelings experienced when they were in combat.
Therapists interpret your nightmares using dream analysis, flaticon.com/free-icon
Let's discuss the benefits and drawbacks of dream analysis as an intervention.
The strengths of dream analysis are:
The weaknesses of dream analysis are:
Dream analysis cannot be used to treat autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or sensory or memory deficits.
Dream analysis is a type of intervention used to determine the meaning of dreams to uncover unconscious memories, conflicts and desires. According to psychodynamic psychologists, these dreams may have manifested due to internal conflict. The theory does not propose that these dreams cause dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses but rather that the dreams result from them.
Dream analysis attempts to get to the root of an individual's problems that may be causing dysfunctional behaviour or mental illnesses. This intervention attempts to identify what is causing the behaviour and adapts it to solve the 'problem'. Other interventions, such as drug therapy, do not have this approach. Instead, they try to solely get rid of the problem.
According to Feud, dreams are desires, drives, and thoughts that are unconsciously hidden and expressed whilst we sleep. Society considers these desires unacceptable, so people repress them, and they manifest in dreams.
According to Freud's dream analysis approach, therapists should refrain from telling clients what dreams mean. Instead, he asked clients to say whatever came to their minds when discussing their dreams. He argued that this should be done through free association.
A dream analysis example is a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder. They may have repetitive dreams of being angry at someone who has done no harm to them. This may be repressed anger due to time and feelings experienced when they were in combat.
The main components of dream analysis are:
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