B1a3Anlysing Dreams

Reviewing the process of

Dream Analysis

• The analyst starts by listening to a description of a dream.

(Manifest Content).

• Then analysis takes place

• The latent content can be uncovered by analysing symbols

in the manifest content.

• Unconscious desires ‘leak’ into the dream via symbols to

protect the sleeper.

• Mental health comes from uncovering unconscious desires

and dream analysis can be part of that therapy.

• Freuds Therapy is called Psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysisaims to reveal the unconscious wishes, desires and

emotions of the patient.

• A ‘talking cure’ Freuds idea of a mental approach not a

physical one.

• Treated middle class patients in a wealthy part of vienna.

• His patients told him about their problems, disturbing

dreams which lead Freud to work on uncovering the

meaning.

• If he could give enough explanation the patients would

consider themselves ‘cured’.

Three methods used in

Psychoanalysis

• Slip of the tongue

• Free association

• Dream analysis

• By using more than one method, the analyst has more than

one method to work with and to use as evidence for

conclusions about the unconscious wishes.

Slips of the tongues

(Freudian Slips)

• Using one word when meaning another.

• for example using an ex’s name when talking about a

current partner.

Free Assiciation

• Say your thoughts out loud without controlling them.

• This way an analyst can look at an association between the

thoughts and the ideas.

Dream analysis

• can use free association along side the usual description

of the dream.

• Patient tells their dream to the analyst. Each item in the

dream is used as a starting point for free association.

• E.g. a boat, they would then be asked to allow a stream of

consciousness about a boat.

• The analyst can then look for themes and links that might

reveal the unconscious emotions or wishes.

Time consuming

• Takes a long time as many dreams will have to be related

and many sessions undergone, before the analyst can start

to suggest what the dream might symbolise.

An example of Dream

analysis

• Ashmur has a dream about being a little boy and being in

a large boat about to go under a bridge that was too low.

In the dream he was in the boat alone, and there were two

people, one on each bank, shouting at him. He was too

frightened to get out of the boat and be confronted by

those on the banks, and was terrified because the bridge

was too low.

Analysis of the dream

• The two people , one on each bank could be Ashmuirs parents.

• Their shouting could be interpreted as fear as a small boy

might have of his parents, as to him they are authority figures.

• There could have been a past experience on a boat trip that was

frightening.

• The boat could represent Ashmuir himself, feeling insecure

and not on firm ground.

• Low bridge represent something blocking or holding Ashmiur

back in his life. ie. promotion in job, trapped in personal life or

some other reason for being trapped.