A seminar on

1. DREAMS
BY
Dr. Subrata Naskar
nsubrata09@gmail.com

2. WHAT ARE DREAMS ?
DREAMS ARE SUCCESSION OF IMAGES, IDEAS, EMOTIONS AND
SENSATIONS THAT OCCURS SUBCONSCIOUSLY IN THE MIND DURING
CERTAIN STAGES OF SLEEP.
• DREAMS ARE MOSTLY SEEN DURING THE REM STAGE OF SLEEP [80%].
• DREAM CONTENTS IN REM SLEEP ARE ABSTRACT & SURREAL.
• DREAMS CAN ALSO BE SEEN DURING THE NREM STAGE OF SLEEP [14%].
• CONTENTS ARE LUCID, SOMEWHAT IN TOUCH WITH REALITY.

3. THEORIES OF DREAMING
SIGMUND FREUD
• 1900 – SIGMUND FREUD – INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS SAID
“INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS IS THE ROYAL ROAD TO UNDERSTANDING THE
UNCONSCIOUS”.
• DURING FREE ASSOCIATION PATIENTS OFTEN TALKED ABOUT DREAMS.
• INTIMATE CONNECTION BETWEEN DREAM CONTENT AND UNCONSCIOUS
MEMORIES AND FANTASIES.
• DREAM IS THE DISGUISED FULFILLMENT OF UNCONSCIOUS CHILDHOOD WISH
THAT IS NOT READILY ACCESSIBLE TO CONSCIOUS AWARENESS IN WALKING
LIFE.

4. • FREUD POSTULATED THE EXISTENCE OF A CENSOR.
• CENSOR GUARDS THE BORDER BETWEEN UNCONSCIOUS AND
PRECONSCIOUS MIND.
• IT EXCLUDES UNCONSCIOUS WISHES DURING CONSCIOUS STATES.
• BUT DURING SLEEP ALLOWS SOME OF THE UNCONSCIOUS WISHES TO PASS
THE BORDER IN DISGUISED FORM.
• IT WORKS IN THE SERVICE OF THE EGO.
• PREVENTS SLEEP DISTURBANCE.

5. ANALYSIS OF DREAM CONTENT
• THE DREAM MATERIAL IS ACTUALLY THE UNCONSCIOUS MENTAL ACTIVITY
TAKING PLACE DURING SLEEP.
• THE DREAMING ACTIVITY THAT FREUD ANALYSED AND DESCRIBED IS
PROBABLY MORE OR LESSASSOCIATED WITH THE STAGE 1 REM PERIOD OF
SLEEP-DREAM CYCLE.
• MANIFEST DREAM – CONTENT OF DREAM EXPERIENCED BY THE DREAMER
WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE RECALLED.
• LATENT DREAM CONTENT – UNCONSCIOUS THOUGHTS OR WISHES THAT
THREATEN TO AWAKEN THE SLEEPER.
• DREAM WORK – UNCONSCIOUS MENTAL OPERATION BY WHICH LATENT
DREAM CONTENT IS TRANSFORMED TO MANIFEST DREAM.

6. • A VARIETY OF STIMULI INITIATES DREAM ACTIVITY.
• STIMULI CAN ARISE FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.
• NOCTURNAL SENSORY STIMULI –
• PAIN, HUNGER, THIRST, URINARY URGENCY.
• FREUD SAID THESE STIMULI ARE INCORPORATED IN THE DREAM CONTENT IN ORDER TO
PRESERVE SLEEP.
• BUT RECENT THEORIES SAYS THAT THERE ARE MORE COMPLEX FUNCTIONS IN PLAY NOT JUST
MERELY SLEEP PRESERVATION.
• DAY RESIDUES –
• RESIDUES OF THOUGHT, IDEAS AND FEELINGS LEFT OVER FROM THE PRECEEDING DAYS
EXPERIENCE.
• RESIDUES REMAINS ACTIVE IN THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND AND LIKE SENSORY STIMULI CAN BE
INCORPORATED IN DREAM CONTENT.
• THESE RESIDUES GETS AMALGAMATED WITH INFANTILE IMPULSES WHICH GETS DISGUISED.
• THUS DAYS RESIDUES JUST BECOMES THE MASK OVER THE ACTUAL CONTENT.

7. • REPRESSED INFANTILE DRIVES –
•
• MOST IMPORTANT DREAM CONTENT.
• IN FREUD’S SCHEMA, ULTIMATE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND DREAM FORMATION.
• CONTENTS ARE SPECIFICALLY FROM THE OEDIPAL AND PRE-OEDIPAL LEVELS OF
PSYCHIC INTEGRATION.

8. THE DREAM WORK
• UNCONSCIOUS MENTAL OPERATION BY WHICH LATENT DREAM
CONTENT IS TRANSFORMED TO MANIFEST DREAM.
• ASPECTS OF DREAM WORK ARE:
REPRESENTABILITY:
• REPRESENTATION OF LATENT DREAM CONTENT IN MANIFEST DREAM
• NO MOTOR AVTIVITY DURING SLEEP -> REPRESSED WISHES HAS TO FIND
ANOTHER MEANS OF REPRESENTATION BY WAY OF MECHANISM OF
THOUGHT AND FANTASY.
• CENSOR CONTINUE TO ACT, SO THESE IMPULSES ARE ATTACHED TO MORE
NEUTRAL IMAGES THAT PASS THE SCRUTINY.
• THIS TRANSFORMATION INCLUDE SEVERAL PROCESSES.

9. •SYMBOLISM
•DISPLACEMENT
•CONDENSATION
•PROJECTION
•SECONDARY REVISION

10. SYMBOLISM
• IT A COMPLEX PROCESS OF INDIRECT REPRESENTATION THAT IN THE
PSYCHOANALYTIC USAGE HAS THE FOLLOWING CONNOTATIONS:
• A SYMBOL IS REPRESENTATIVE OF OR SUBSTITUTE FOR SOME OTHER IDEA FROM
WHICH IT DERIVES A SECONDARY SIGNIFICANCE THAT IT DOES NOT POSSESS OF
ITSELF.
• A SYMBOL REPRESENTS THIS PRIMARY ELEMENT BY REASON OF A COMMON
ELEMENT THAT THESE IDEAS SHARE.
• A SYMBOL IS CHARACTERISTICALLY SENSORY AND CONCRETE IN NATURE.
• SYMBOLIC MODES OF THOUGHT ARE MORE PRIMITIVE, BOTH ONTOGENETICALLY
AND PHYLOGENETICALLY, AND REPRESENT FORMS OF REGRESSION TO EARLIER
STAGES OF MENTAL DEVELOPMENT.
• SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS TEND TO FUNCTION IN MORE PRIMARY PROCESS OR
RELATIVELY REGRESSED CONDITIONS—IN THE THINKING OF PRIMITIVE PEOPLES, IN
MYTHS, IN STATES OF POETIC INSPIRATION, AND PARTICULARLY IN DREAMING.

11. • A SYMBOL IS THUS A MANIFEST EXPRESSION OF AN IDEA THAT IS MORE OR LESS
HIDDEN OR SECRET.
• USE OF THE SYMBOL AND ITS MEANING IS UNCONSCIOUS.
• SYMBOLS TEND TO BE USED SPONTANEOUSLY, AUTOMATICALLY, AND
UNCONSCIOUSLY. THE USE OF SYMBOLS IS A SORT OF SECRET LANGUAGE IN
WHICH INSTINCTUALLY DETERMINED CONTENT CAN BE RE-EXPRESSED BY OTHER
IMAGES; FOR EXAMPLE, MALE ORGAN REPRESENTED BY SNAKE OR POINTED
OBJECTS, FEMALE ORGAN AS CONTAINER, BOX OR VESSEL.

12. DISPLACEMENT
• TRANSFER OF AMOUNT OF ENERGY FROM ORIGINAL OBJECT TO A
SUBSTITUTE OR SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF OBJECT
• SUBSTITUTED OBJECT IS ALWAYS NEUTRAL OR INNOCENT.
• FACILITATES DISTORTION OF UNCONSCIOUS WISHES BY TRANSFER OF
AFFECTIVE ENERGY FROM ONE OBJECT TO ANOTHER.

13. CONDENSATION
• SEVERAL UNCONSCIOUS WISHES, IMPULSES OR ATTITUDES
COMBINED IN A SINGLE IMAGE IN THE DREAM MANIFEST.
• REVERSE OF CONDENSATION CAN ALSO OCCUR IN DREAM WORK
• SINGLE LATENT WISH IRRADIATED THROUGH MULTIPLE
REPRESENTATIONS. THIS IS CALLED DIFFUSION.

14. PROJECTION
• IT ALLOWS DREAMERS TO RID OWNSELF FROM UNACCEPTABLE
WISHES OR IMPULSES AND EXPERIENCE THEM AS BELONGING TO
SOME OTHER PERSON OR INDEPENDENT SOURCE.
• THE FIGURE IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE ONE TOWARD WHOM THESE
WISHES OR IMPULSES ARE DIRECTED.

15. SECONDARY REVISION
• FINAL PROCESS IN WHICH THE BIZZARE, ILLOGICAL, ABSURD ASPECT
OF THE DREAM IS REORGANIZED IN A LOGICAL, COHERENT FORM.
• NECESSARY SO THAT THE CONTENT IS ACCEPTABLE TO THE EGO AS
MATURE.
• USES INTELLECTUALITY ON PART OF THE DREAMER.

16. AFFECTS IN DREAM WORK
• IN THE PROCESS OF DISPLACEMENT, CONDENSATION, SYMBOLIZATION
OR PROJECTION THE ENERGY COMPONENT OF THE INSTINCTUAL
IMPULSES ARE SEPARATED FROM THE REPRESENTATIONAL COMPONENT.
• THIS COMPONENT FOLLOWS AN INDEPENDENT PATH OF EXPRESSION IN
THE FORM OF AFFECT OR EMOTION.
• REPRESSED EMOTION MAY NOT BE PRESENT IN MANIFEST DREAM.
• IT MAY BE PRSENT IN AN ALTERED FORM..
• THE LATENT AFFECT MAY SOMETIMES BE DIRECTLY TRANSFORMED IN
THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAN THAT IN THE MANIFEST CONTENT

17. REGRESSION
• FREUD TALKED ABOUT HIS MODEL OF PSYCHE APPARATUS IN THE 7TH
CHAPTER OF “THE INTERPRETATION OF DREAMS”.
• THE APPARATUS WAS CALLED “THE PROJECT”.
• BASED ON STIMULUS-RESPONSE MECHANISM.
• IN NORMAL WAKING EXPERIENCE THE STIMULUS IS TAKEN INTO THE
RECEPTOR END OF THE APPARATUS.
• PROCESSED THROUGH A NUMBER OF MNEUMONIC SYSTEM OF
INCREASING COMPLEXITY AND ELABORATENESS.
• DISCHARGED VIA THE MOTOR END OF THE APPARATUS..

18. • IN DREAMS, THE MOTOR END IS BLOCKED.
• SO EXCITATION IS FORCED TO MOVE BACK IN A REGRESSIVE DIRECTION
THROUGH THE MNEUMONIC SYSTEM BACK TOWARD THE SENSORY END
AND EXPRESSED.
• IN WAKING HOURS, THIS PATH IS BARRED BY THE CENSOR.
• IN SLEEP, HOWEVER THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CENSOR IS WEAKENED.
• THE UNCONSCIOUS MEMORIES AND INSTICTUAL DEMANDS PRESS ON
FOR DISCHARGE.
• SOME OF THESE MEMORIES AND INSTINCTS SOMETIMES CAN BREAK
THROUGH THE CENSOR, MAKING THE DREAMER WAKE UP AS EGO
CANNOT ACCEPT THEM.

19. TYPES OF REGRESSION
• TOPOGRAPHIC REGRESSION: REGRESSION FROM CONSCIOUS TO
UNCONSCIOUS SYSTEMS WITHIN THE MENTAL MODEL.
• TEMPORAL REGRESSION: MENTAL PROCESS REFERS BACK TO OLDER
PSYCHICAL STRUCTURES, DERIEVED FROM INFANTILE LEVEL OF
DEVELOPMENT.
• FORMAL REGRESSION: PRIMITIVE METHODS OF EXPRESSION AND
REPRESENTATION TAKE THE PLACE OF MORE NORMAL ONES.

20. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PROCESS
FREUD ENVISIONED TWO FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PSYCHIC
PROCESSES.
ONE PROCESS TEND TO PRODUCE A RATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF DREAM
THOUGHTS.
ANOTHER PROCESS TREATED THE DREAM THOUGHTS IN A BEWILDERING AND
IRRATIONAL MANNER. [ 1ST PSYCHIC SYSTEM IS FREUD’S SCHEMA]
HE FELT THAT A NORMAL TRAIN OF THOUGHT COULD ONLY BE SUBMITTED TO
ABNORMAL PSYCHIC TREATMENT, IF AN UNCONSCIOUS WISH DERIEVED FROM
INFANCY IN A FORM OF REPRESSION IS TRANSFERRED ONTO IT.

21. • DUE TO OPERATION OF PLEASURE PRINCIPLE, THE 1ST SYSTEM CANNOT
ALLOW ANY DISAGREEABLE CONTENT IN THE DREAM CONTENT.
• IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 1ST SYSTEM THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM
THAT CATHECT ONLY THOSE UNCONSCIOUS IDEAS IF IT DON’T DEVELOP
ANY KIND OF UNPLEASURE. [ CATHECT – IMPART EMOTIONAL ENERGY]
• THE PSYCHIC PROCESS DERIEVED FROM OPERATION OF THE 1ST SYSTEM
IS REFERRED TO AS THE “PRIMARY PROCESS”
• THE PROCESS RESULTING FROM THE INHIBITION IMPOSED BY THE
SECOND SYSTEM IS REFERRED TO AS THE “SECONDARY PROCESS”
• THE SECOND SYSTEM THUS CORRECTS AND REGULATES PRIMARY
SYSTEM IN ACCORD WITH PRINCIPLES OF LOGIC, RATIONALITY AND
REALITY.

22. ALTERNATIVE THEORIES OF DREAMING
• ERIKSON [1954] FELT DREAM REVEALS MUCH MORE THAN JUST
DISGUISED WISH FULFILLMENT, AND THAT ITS MANIFEST CONTENT IS
WORTH TAKING SERIOUSLY.
• FRENCH AND FROMM [1963] SHOWED THAT A SERIES OF DREAM COULD
BE INTERPRETED AS REPEATED ATTEMPTS BY THE DREAMER TO SOLVE
PROBLEMS.
• HALL [1953] SHOWED THAT SOMETIMES THE THOUGHTS THAT APPEAR
IN DISGUISED FORM ALSO APPEAR IN PLAIN FORM IN THE SAME DREAM.

23. • JUNG [1944] SET UP HIS OWN THEORY OF DREAM INTERPRETATION.
BASIC TO HIS THEORY IS THE CONCEPTION OF ARCHETYPES –
FUNDAMENTAL NOTIONS SUCH AS GOD, MOTHER, WISE OLD MEN.
• IN DREAM THESE ARCHETYPES EMERGE IN INTERACTION BETWEEN THE
CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS PARTS OF THE PERSONALITY.

24. • DO EYE MOVEMENT REFLECT THE DREAM CONTENT ?
• OCCASIONALLY EYE MOVEMENTS CORRESPOND QUITE WELL TO EVENTS
REPORTED IN THE DREAM.
• BUT PROPER EVIDENCE IS STILL LACKING REGARDING THIS.
• HOW LONG DO DREAM LAST ?
• EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES REVEAL THAT DREAM TIME IS NOT VERY DIFFERENT
FROM WAKING TIME.
• DEMENT[1972] SHOWED THAT DREAM CONTENT IS RELATED TO THE LENGTH OF
THE REM PERIOD OF SLEEP FROM WHICH THE DREAMER IS AWAKENED.
• THE NUMBER OF WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE THE DREAM HAS TURNED OUT TO BE
DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE LENGTH OF THE REM PERIOD FROM WHICH THE
DREAMER IS AWAKENED.

25. THANK YOU