Psychoanalytic Understanding of the Dream

283 Pages·1990·3.319 MB·English

by  Paul Sloane

PSYCHOANALYTIC
UNDERSTANDING
OF THE DREAM
Paul Sloane, M.D.
JASON ARONSON INC.
Northvale, New Jersey
London
Copyright© 1990, 1983, 1979 by Paul Sloane, M.D.
109876543
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may
be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from
Jason Aronson Inc. except in the case of brief quotations in reviews for inclusion in a
magazine, newspaper, or broadcast.
New Printing 1990
ISBN: 0-87668-362-6
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 79-50290
Manufactured in the United States of America. Jason Aronson Inc. offers books and
cassettes. For information and catalog write to Jason Aronson Inc., 230 Livingston
Street, Northvale, New Jersey 07647.
to my family

CONTENTS
1990 Preface vii
Acknowledgments lX
I. Introduction
2. General Principles of Dream Interpretation 11
3. The Mani fe st Dream 33
4. Demonstration of a Supervisory Session 53
5. The Dream Wish 65
6. Early Dreams and Premature Interpretations 85
vi PSYCHOANALYTIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE DREAM
7. Transference Dreams 107
8. Resistance and Dreams 145
9. Dreams with Unpleasurable Affects 171
10. Validation of Interpretation 201
11. Terminal Dreams 237
Bibliography 261
Index 271
1990 PREFACE
The continued demand for Psychoanalytic Understanding of the
Dream indicates that it has found a place among analytic students and
those in allied fields. It has been a source of personal gratification to
have been told by students of the practical value the book has been to
them, not only in their understanding and work with dreams, but also
in their everyday practice. This perhaps may be attributed to its em
phasis on the importance of establishing an affective rapport with the
patient, together with the ability to swing back to an objective stance in
making a realistic evaluation of what has been learned. Scientific
abstraction in psychoanalytic theory, as important as it is, is remote
from everyday clinical practice and should be introduced at a later
stage of the didactic process. Isakower (1963) maintained that its
overuse could be detrimental to the development of the sensitivity so
essential to the clinical practice of psychoanalysis.
I trust that students will continue to find this new printing useful in
making a difficult subject more easily comprehensible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Samuel A. Guttman and
Dr. Henry T. Kleiner for reviewing sections of the book and for their
very helpful suggestions; to Dr. Bernard Cowitz for his valuable
contributions to the seminars; to Dr. Gerald I. Margolis and Miss
Margot Newman for their suggestions; to my secretary, Mrs. Lynne
Elberg for her devotion and patience in transcribing tapes and
typing the manuscript; to Mrs. June Strickland for her generous
assistance in providing me access to library materials; to Mrs. Ray
Lincoln and Mr. Lesser Zussman, who guided me in dealing with the
intricacies of publishing; and to the candidates who presented such
interesting and instructive material at the seminars.
I would not want to let this opportunity pass without expressing
my indebtedness to Herman Nunberg. Dr. Nunberg was a superb
and inspiring teacher and, as evidenced in his many writings, an
outstanding interpreter of dreams. Where psychoanalysis was
concerned he was a person of uncompromising integrity. He never
offered hypotheses without providing abundant clinical evidence,
and he insisted his students do the same. He epitomized the
combination of the intuitive and scientific analyst at his best.