Psychoanalysis, dreaming and the REM state: a clinical vignette

This presentation examines the effects of the discovery of the REM state of the psychotherapist. A clinical illustration serves as the point of departure. A dream fragment which might be explained in terms of the activation-synthesis hypothesis is shown to connect with conflicts in a way that this hypothesis cannot encompass. Freudian theory requires modification in its explanation of what instigates dreams and in its explanations of energy and drive. The therapist's interventions, to the extent that they imply causation to the dream or an energy that they imply causation to the dream or an energy transformation, also require modification. At the same time psychoanalytic theory does provide a unique understanding of sequential clinical events. The pitfalls of focusing solely on dreams are discussed. Finally, the tentative findings from the REM laboratory concerning the function of dreams are shown to fit nicely with the use to which dreams have been put by psychoanalytic therapists.