Scientific Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Psychology - Consulting, Therapy, Harvard University, course: Psychoanalysis, language: English, abstract: Dreams are a fascinating topic and can be interpreted from multiple angles, which can result in a multitude of interpretations. Freud believed dreams were formed by an intrapsychic conflict created by the Id's unconscious wants pushing in to the conscious process, and the Ego defending against Id's assail. Dreams are believed by many to be a way of working through conflicts from waking life that may be too difficult to be rationalized by the conscious process. Another major element of dreams is to "trick" the Id into believing that its wants have been fulfilled, due to the fact that imagery within dreams through the "Manifest" or "Latent" content may present the want the Id desires, which may not be directly or easily attainable in waking life. Psychoanalysts view dreams and their interpretations as a significant part of therapy, for the reason that they may represent conflicts the mind is trying to make sense of, which may correlate with the tribulations currently being counseled by the analyst. Dream interpretations may present the object troubling the client to the analyst through their latent content, which may not have been noticed otherwise. These same interpretations may also aid the process of psychoanalysis and confirm the progression of analytic therapy, thus tell the psychotherapist s/he is on mark with their course of treatment. Dreams may also inform the analyst of certain personality or character traits due to a repeating pattern within dreams, or lack of certain patterns revealing more about the client, thus allowing the therapist to better shape the direction of analysis.

This book looks at dreams from a twenty-first century perspective. It takes its inspiration from Freud's insights, but pursues psychoanalytic interest into both neuroscience and the modern psychoanalytic consulting room. The book looks at laboratory research on dreaming alongside the modern clinical use of dreams and links together clinical and empirical research, integrating classical ideas with the plurality of psychoanalytic theoretical constructs available to modern researchers. Psychoanalysts writing about dreams have traditionally represented the cutting edge of clinical and theoretical development, and this book is no exception. Many of the contributions, as well as the epistemological position taken by the writers, represent a kind of radical openness to new ways of thinking about the clinical situation and about theory. In line with the ambition of the editors, this volume represents an integration of theories and disciplines, and a scientific context for modern psychoanalysis. The link between clinical research and extraclinical research via the royal road of dreaming is a theme that runs through all the contributions.

This classic work by the Father of Psychoanalysis, is essential reading for any serious student of psychology. Dr. Freud covers the hidden meanings within our dreams, especially repressed sexual desires, the purpose of our conscious and unconscious minds, and the importance of dreams to our wellbeing. This title is, in essence, a comprehensive analysis of Freud's psychoanalytical studies, research and empirical observations. Freud begins by explaining the meaning of dreams through presentations of varied real examples. He then proceeds to explain the causes of dreams and their relation to past and on-going events in our lives, he analyses dream elements, and then explores specified topics such as sexual thoughts in dreams and humans desires and wishes.

Weaving together state-of-the-art research, theory, and clinical insights, this book provides a new understanding of the unconscious and its centrality in human functioning. The authors review heuristics, implicit memory, implicit learning, attribution theory, implicit motivation, automaticity, affective versus cognitive salience, embodied cognition, and clinical theories of unconscious functioning. They integrate this work with cognitive neuroscience views of the mind to create an empirically supported model of the unconscious. Arguing that widely used psychotherapies--including both psychodynamic and cognitive approaches--have not kept pace with current science, the book identifies promising directions for clinical practice. Winner--American Board and Academy of Psychoanalysis Book Prize (Theory)

Dreams told in the group are conjoint individual and group creations. They are both influenced by the group atmosphere and may in turn influence it and the individual, promoting change and development. Dreams have a deepening effect on therapeutic work and, due to their unconscious content, they may represent the most authentic exchange between individual and group. This state-of-the-art book provides help for therapists encountering a dream told in their group. It covers the major theoretical perspectives for their understanding, as well as representing different psychological schools and their approaches to the technical issues of group dream therapy. Despite the variety of sources, the clinical approaches described complement each other, and the book details many case studies, including a first dream in the group, an unconscious meeting between women and men, and other polarities within the individual and the group.