Dream Analysis (Therapy)

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Dream Analysis (Therapy)
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Todays Lesson

• Understand how the psychodynamic approach
  explains dreams
• Understand the key features of dream analysis

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Starter

• With the people around you discuss the two
  following questions.
• Why do we dream?
• Do dreams have a meaning?

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What is Psychoanalysis

• A therapy developed by Freud
• Based on the idea that we are often unaware of
  the influence of the unconscious
• Catharsis
• Insight
• How do these two processes link back to the
  assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

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What are Dreams

• Have you ever had a really memorable dream? Any
  interesting dreams recently?
• Dreams as wish fulfilment
• Missing words
• How does this explanation link back to the
  assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Dreams are the royal road to the unconscious
(Freud, 1900)
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Manifest and latent content

• Use the information at the bottom of page 34, and
  define the following terms
• Manifest content
• Latent content
• Think of some examples

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Dream analysis

• AIM
• Not so much to interpret dreams, but to use
  dreams to uncover things in the unconscious
• Insight
• Catharsis
• The purpose of dream analysis in therapy
  therefore is to uncover the _______________
  content of a dream by examining the
  ________________ content.

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Main features

• A patient will talk to the therapist about the
  _________________ content of their dream, and the
  therapist will help guide the patient to
  uncovering the _________________ content.
• Done in the content of the persons own life and
  experience
• IMPORTANTLY
• It is not the therapist who makes the final
  interpretation. The therapist will provide a few
  possible interpretations and the patient will
  pick the explanation which they feel is true.

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Dreamwork

• The latent content is turned into the manifest
  content through dreamwork
• Makes things symbolic
• Cut out and stick the information into the
  correct boxes below
• Read the case study. Have a go at interpreting
  Bobs dream. Try to use the correct dreamwork
  terms

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Dreaming

• How could Freudian theories explain nightmares?
• Not everything is symbolic in dreams

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar!
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Findings from research

• Solms (2000) found evidence for Freuds theory of
  dreaming
• PET scans show that when people are dreaming,
  their forebrain is active, but the parts of the
  brain involved in logic are dormant (quiet).
• The id is active, the ego is dormant

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Exam Focus

• Explain how the psychodynamic approach has been
  applied to either dream analysis or free
  association. (12)
• Write an essay plan. Use the guidance sheet from
  systematic desensitisation, and the How to
  Answer Exam Questions hand-out.