The Dream in Clinical Practice

Catalog description

This weekend course explores the use of dream-states (night dreaming, day dreaming, reverie) in clinical work from a variety of perspectives. Cultural and historical attitudes about dreams, dreamers, and dream interpreters will be discussed. Issues of cultural difference and diversity are considered when talking about dreams. Empirical human and animal dream studies and contemporary cognitive and neuropsychological research will be reviewed. From a psychoanalytic view, we will consider dreams as diagnostic indicators of psychic structure and content, facilitators of deeper and more authentic communication, representations of unconscious perceptions, as objects of mutual exploration, as retreats and advances, as transference and countertransference indicators and communications, wish and defense configurations, personality developmental level, character style indicators, as well as serving as the “royal road to the unconscious”. We will discuss different types of dreamers, dream interpreters, various forms of dream interpretations, and dreams as interpretations of life as experienced. In addition to night dreaming, the class will also discuss nightmares and night terrors, as well as the absence of remembered dreaming. Experiential learning will be emphasized and the class will explore the experience, function, and capacity of dreaming, day dreaming, and reverie in clinical waking states. Dreaming as a listening perspective will be emphasized.