DREAM ANALYSIS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY LILLIE WEISS International Psychotherapy Institute Copyright © 1986 Lillie Weiss e-Book Copyright © 2014 International Psychotherapy Institute All Rights Reserved This e-book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. This e-book is intended for personal use only. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be used in any commercial manner without express permission of the author. Scholarly use of quotations must have proper attribution to the published work. This work may not be deconstructed, reverse engineered or reproduced in any other format. Created in the United States of America For information regarding this book, contact the publisher: International Psychotherapy Institute E-Books 301-215-7377 6612 Kennedy Drive Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6504 www.freepsychotherapybooks.org [email protected] Contents Preface ................................................................................................................................ 6 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1 Historical Background ............................................................................ 11 PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DREAMING .................................................................. 11 NONPSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DREAMING ......................................................... 22 CURRENT APPLICATIONS OF DREAMS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY .................................. 28 Chapter 2 Research on the Use of Dreams in Psychotherapy ......................... 38 DREAMS AS REFLECTIONS OF PERSONALITY ............................................................... 40 THE EFFECT OF WAKING CONDITIONS ON DREAMS .................................................. 47 THE EFFECT OF DREAMS ON WAKING BEHAVIOR ...................................................... 50 EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES ...................................... 54 STUDIES ON THE USE OF DREAMS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY .......................................... 62 Chapter 3 The Use of Dreams in Psychotherapy ................................................. 68 Chapter 4 Dream Theory ............................................................................................ 90 Chapter 5 Presenting Dream Analysis to the Client ........................................ 103 Chapter 6 The Basic Steps ....................................................................................... 120 Chapter 7 Defining a Pattern .................................................................................. 133 Chapter 8 The Focal Point ....................................................................................... 145 Chapter 9 Definitions and to-the-Point Associations ..................................... 155 Chapter 10 Dream Mechanisms ............................................................................ 172 SYMBOLIZATION .................................................................................................................. 173 DRAMATIZATION ................................................................................................................ 177 NUMBERIZATION ................................................................................................................. 179 CONDENSATION AND DILATION .................................................................................... 181 REVERSAL OF ROLES .......................................................................................................... 182 DISSIMILATION .................................................................................................................... 183 FUSION AND TRANSFORMATION OF IMAGES ............................................................ 184 OMISSION ............................................................................................................................... 185 Chapter 11 The Dream Message and Therapeutic Applications ................ 187 Chapter 12 Summarizing the Interpretive Process ........................................ 195 References .................................................................................................................... 200 About the Author ........................................................................................................ 209 Preface Florida, October 10, 1980 I was sitting in Hattie Rosenthal's study during an intensive training session. I recounted the following dream: We are about to play a game. I very excitedly take out the money for it—five dollars in all—four bills and one dollar in change. I don't remember the whole dream, but my feeling is one of excitement, almost as though I am cheating, like I already know I have good cards in my hands, and I am excited about being able to gamble. "Whom were you playing with?” "I'm not really sure. I think it was some children I used to play cards with when I was a little girl." "What makes you so certain you will win?" "I don't know. I think I have good cards in my hands." "Why do you feel you are cheating?" "I guess because I am playing with kids. It's not really fair. I have an advantage when I play with children." "What is a game?" "It's where someone wins or loses, like life." "Why would an adult woman play with children? And for money too!" "I don't know." I was beginning to get uncomfortable. "Just take a guess. Why do you suppose a grown-up, not yourself, would play with children instead of with adults?" "I guess she may fear competition. She may be afraid to take a risk. She may lose or fail." "And why do you think someone would be so afraid of failure?" I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Hattie smiled and answered for me: "Because she wants to be an unfailing person!" We laughed together. Regardless of content, my dreams usually had the same theme. Hattie continued, "You know what I always say: 'To try and fail is to succeed. Not to try is failure.'" There was Hattie, as always, encouraging me to risk, not to be afraid. "And what is money? You take out five dollars.” "It is something to get what you want.” "What are five energies or abilities you have that help you get what you want in life?" I listed five attributes. "Four bills and one in change: Four you are sure of—one you are not. Which one of your abilities do you doubt?" Details, details, always paying attention to each detail. That was Hattie, never letting anything go in a dream, reminding me that every aspect of a dream is important; otherwise we would not dream it. Dr. Hattie Rosenthal was born in Germany in 1894 and came to the United States following World War II. She received her training from Freida Fromm- Reichman, a leading psychoanalyst. Dr. Rosenthal was President of the Hattie R. Rosenthal Institute in Florida and had been active in writing, teaching, and interpreting dreams for many decades. Her autobiography, Against All Odds (1978a), describes the uniqueness of this individual. Her many years of experience, her inner wisdom, and her skills have contributed to her developing a unique approach to the interpretation of dream in psychotherapy. Her techniques clarify and simplify the translation of dreams into invaluable information for the psychotherapist. Rosenthal's approach to dream analysis helps in quickly reaching the core issues in psychotherapy, thereby shortening the psychotherapeutic process. Dr. Rosenthal published several articles and monographs on her work. She died on April 11, 1983, at the age of 89 before her main manuscript in this area was published. The theory and guidelines in this book are based on Dr. Rosenthal's work. Although her training was primarily psychoanalytic, this book adapts her method of interpretation to make it compatible with a number of theoretical orientations. This book is for the clinician, regardless of theoretical orientation, who would like to learn new skills and make more use of dream interpretation in work with clients. The book is divided into two parts. The first part is an introduction to dream analysis. These chapters provide a historical and research overview and describe the use of dreams in psychotherapy, the theory of dream analysis, and how to present it to a client. The second part discusses the interpretive process in step-by- step fashion. Each chapter in this section is devoted to a detailed analysis of each of the steps used in interpreting a dream, together with clinical examples. The last chapter summarizes and integrates all of the steps and presents some guidelines for the clinician. This book is dedicated to Hattie Rosenthal whom I have had the good fortune to have had as therapist, friend, mentor, and guide, for giving me the courage to take risks and "stop playing with children." Acknowledgments I would like to thank all of the people who have shared their dreams with me. They have taught me a great deal and made it possible for me to write this book. I am also indebted to Jerome Frank, Angela Piliouras, and the rest of the staff at Pergamon Press for their help and suggestions. Special thanks go to Sandra McDill for her hard work in typing the manuscript as well as to my husband and friends for their encouragement. Chapter 1 Historical Background This chapter provides a historical perspective on the use of dreams in psychotherapy. Psychological as well as nonpsychological views of dreaming will be presented. Various theories and methods will