The Science of Dream Interpretation
- 1st Edition - September 30, 2022
- Imprint: Academic Press
- Author: Frederick L. Coolidge
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 8 8 4 9 4 - 5
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 0 6 6 2 - 3
The Science of Dream Interpretation presents a scientific, historic and psychological account of dream interpretation by introducing the biological and evolutionary foundatio… Read more
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Request a sales quoteThe Science of Dream Interpretation presents a scientific, historic and psychological account of dream interpretation by introducing the biological and evolutionary foundations of sleep, dreams and dream interpretation. Chapters cover the theory of dream interpretation, the physiological and evolutionary reasons for sleep and dreaming, an overview of the role dreams and dream interpretation throughout history, including the cultural and religious significance of dreams, and how dreams interrupt sleep, including issues of insomnia, sleep walking, and more. The next few sections present influential dream theorists of the 20th century, including a review of their theories (Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Fritz Perls).
The final section explains how dreams may be used to extract personal meanings and be utilized in psychotherapy, including case examples from actual psychotherapy sessions of the techniques used to interpret dreams.
- Presents the evolutionary history of sleep and dreams
- Discusses the psychotherapeutic techniques of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Fritz Perls in relation to dream psychology
- Reviews the historical and cultural significance of sleep and dreams
- Examines common and uncommon sleep and dream problems such as insomnia, sleep walking and REM sleep disorder
- Includes actual case examples from psychotherapy sessions
Psychotherapists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, psychology students
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Biography
- Acknowledgments
- Author note
- Chapter 1. An introduction to dream interpretation
- Myths of dream interpretation: A dream glossary
- Psychology: The field of dreams
- A contemporary sleep/dream theorist: Ernest Hartmann
- Summary
- Chapter 2. The evolutionary, biological, and cognitive foundations of sleep and dreams
- The evolution of sleep and dreams
- Biological foundations of sleep
- Major theories of why organisms sleep
- Cognitive consequences of sleep and dreams
- An empirical test of sleep insight and creativity
- The evolution of sleep continued
- Final thoughts
- Summary
- Chapter 3. A brief history of dream interpretation
- Mesopotamians
- Egyptians
- Jewish and Christian dream traditions
- Greek dream interpretation: the Oneirocritica
- Later Jewish dream interpretation: the Pitron Chalomot
- An uninterpreted dream is like an unread letter
- Buddhists
- Hindus
- Chinese texts
- Islamic religion
- Mormon religion
- Final thoughts
- Summary
- Chapter 4. Freudian dream interpretation
- The manifest and latent meaning of dreams
- Dreams as wish-fulfillment
- Freud's recurring dreams: Otto and Irma
- Freud: not all dreams are wish-fulfilling
- Freud's explanation for flying dreams and a physiological explanation
- A REM sleep explanation for reports of alien abductions and wish-fulfillment
- Summary
- Chapter 5. Jungian dream analysis
- The compensatory nature of dreams
- Dreams as a spontaneous self-portrayal
- The archetypal nature of dreams
- The five major archetypes of the psyche
- Animus and anima
- The persona
- The shadow
- The self-archetype and individuation
- Other archetypal themes
- Jung's explanation for flying saucers and aliens
- Summary
- Chapter 6. An introduction to Fritz Perls' dream interpretation techniques
- Gestalt therapy and dream interpretation
- Topdog and underdog
- The Gestalt prayer
- Here and now
- Dreams form a hierarchy of unfinished business
- Summary
- Chapter 7. Troubled sleep and dreams
- Insomnia
- Breathing-related sleep disorders
- Narcolepsy
- Nightmares
- Parasomnias: sleepwalking and sleep terrors
- Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder
- Restless legs syndrome
- Dream interpretation with people who have troubled sleep and dreams
- Summary
- Chapter 8. The prophetic nature of dreams
- History of prophetic dreams
- Prodromal dreams present early symptoms of future diseases
- Possibilities for the origins of prophetic dreams
- Summary
- Chapter 9. On the nature of recurrent dreams
- Freud
- Carl Sagan
- Carl Jung
- Fritz Perls
- Summary
- Chapter 10. A synthesis of dream interpretation techniques
- Principle 1: dreams form a hierarchy of unfinished business
- Dream example 1: Duke, the neglected dog
- Principle 2: people have a tendency to avoid and alienate the holes in their personalities despite their compensating need for wholeness. Watch for these holes in dreams
- Example 2: I have headaches or I am a headache
- Principle 3: have the dreamer become part of the dream and write a script. I favor inanimate objects over animate objects in the dream
- Dream example 3: take us out
- Principle 4: listen carefully to the language of the dreamer
- Principle 5: everything in the dream is a projected aspect of the dreamer. However, unfinished psychological issues can be raised by having a person create a script with anything. This technique can be used with people who say they do not dream
- Dream example 3: gone fishing
- Dream example 4: no dream, no time
- Dream example 5: don't eat here!
- Dream example 6: don't take me
- Dream example 7: move me
- Dream example 8: stuck in time and place
- Dream example 9: some dreams are wish-fulfilling
- Dream example 10: I can help
- Dream example 11: don't lean on me!
- Dream example 12: do not drink it!
- Dream example 13: I can't trust dead people
- Dream example 14: you are welcome here!
- Dream example 14: don't come here
- Dream example 15: don't lose me!
- Dream example 16: hold tight!
- Principle 6: listen carefully and be patient
- Summary
- Chapter 11. Pandemic sleep and dreams
- The COVID-19 pandemic, sleep, and dreams
- Summary
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: September 30, 2022
- Imprint: Academic Press
- No. of pages: 204
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780323884945
- eBook ISBN: 9780323906623
FC
Frederick L. Coolidge
Dr. Frederick L. Coolidge is a Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of Undergraduate Education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He received his PhD in Psychology from the University of Florida. Dr. Coolidge specializes in cognitive archaeology, behavior genetics, cognitive evolution, paleopyschology, and evolutionary neuropsychology. He is the author of 12 published books on cognitive archaeology and evolutionary topics.
Affiliations and expertise
CU Presidential Teaching Scholar and Co-Direct of Psychology Undergraduate Education, Psychology Department, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USARead The Science of Dream Interpretation on ScienceDirect