Dream Analysis AO3 Flashcards
(4 cards)
EFFECTIVENESS FOR RESEARCH
P- Dream analysis has been found to be effective in treating mental disorders such as depression
and anxiety.
E- Matt and Navarro (1997) in a review of 63 metaanalyses on the effect of psychotherapy found,
on average, 75% of clients receiving dream analysis showed improvements. Schredl et al. (2000) found in a survey of psychotherapists in private practice that approximately 70% of patients reported benefits of working through dreams.
E- These studies illustrate the benefits of dream analysis on uncovering the root cause of the disorders.
L-However, psychotherapy using dream analysis is less common than other forms of psychotherapy such as talking therapy and hypnosis.
EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST RESEARCH
P- There is limited scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of dream analysis.
E- Hobson and McCarley (1997) argue that dreams
are nothing but commands sent from the brain and are simply a form of thinking that happens while we sleep’.
E-This questions Freud’s suggestion that dreams fulfil unconscious wishes and desires.
L-As dream analysis cannot be scientifically
validated, it is difficult to support Freud’s idea of wish fulfilment in dream with any other
research.
ETHICS AGAINST
P-There is a risk of stress, anxiety, humiliation, or pain to the participants during dream analysis.
E-The therapist may guide the client towards an interpretation of the dream that is emotionally distressing as it may bring uncover past
traumatic events. Although this event may have occurred, it could also be a false memory.
E-This needs to be handled carefully during the therapy to ensure that the participant is protected during and after the therapy and be informed of their right to withdraw if the therapy becomes too distressing.
L-The therapist should make the patient aware of false memory syndrome and the interpretations
of the dream should be within the context of the client’s life with multiple interpretations offered.
ETHICS AGAINST
P- Valid consent is a key consideration of dream
analysis.
E-This is an important ethical issue to considerwithin dream analysis as it potentially willuncover emotionally distressing memories and the client should understand what is involved in the therapy before committing.
E-The therapist should make sure the clientunderstands what they are consenting to and if they feel distressed, they should be able to stop it at any point.
L-There is a risk of power imbalance between the therapist and client and the therapist needs to manage this carefully to ensure an over-reliance doesn’t occur.
