The Significance of Dreams: Bridging Clinical and Extraclinical Research in Psychoanalysis

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. These cover dreaming as it sheds light on clinical conditions such as depression and trauma, or dreams as they form a core aspect of clinical work; be that as a co-construction, or as shared play between therapist and patients. The book provides insight through dreams to understanding mental functions in all clinical situations and across all conditions.