What type of therapist analyze a client dreams?

Today, I will share with you what I learned in my class on Gestalt therapy and the interpretation of dreams. I found this topic to be particularly fascinating.

Below is a brief video clip in which Fritz Perls, the father of Gestalt therapy, is explaining the process of dream work.

Dream Description
Moving onto my class, one woman, let’s call her Alexandra, mentioned that she had a strange dream in which she was at her parents’ home and was asked to go and pick some potatoes (a vegetable that they did not grow at the time).

She went to her back yard to pick the potatoes and noticed that they were extraordinarily large and as she bent down to pick up six of them, she noticed that they looked rather alien-like because they had spikes on them.

She managed to pick up all six potatoes but was not hurt picking them up despite them having these spikes. She brought these potatoes home and then proceeded to pick up and throw a cookbook against the kitchen wall. It was after her throwing the cookbook that she woke up.

Methodology
The general principles in dream interpretation in Gestalt therapy (unlike Freudian/psychoanalytic) is that the therapist does not make any interpretations. The meaning of everything in a dream is determined by the client.

Dreams are often wish fulfillments; they can be rehearsals in your mind for when you are anxious about something.

All the elements of a dream are viewed as parts of a person’s persona. The I = who you identify with in the dream and you project other aspects of yourself that you may not fully own onto other elements (people or things) in the dream.

To assist the client in understanding his or her dream, the therapist asks the client to tell the dream in the present tense as if it is happening now (not in the past).

Furthermore, the therapist may ask the client to talk to the different actors (or elements) in the dream as well as conduct a dialogue between the different elements – in this manner, the client becomes aware of disowned or unrecognized wishes, desires or concerns.

Therefore, Alexandra was later asked to come up to the front of the class and start telling her dream again but this time as if it was happening to her right then. And as Alexandra was describing bits and pieces of it, the therapist/professor would ask her how/what she was feeling.

Retelling of Dream in the Present (with therapist as observer)
(based on my recall; I did not have this taped)

Alexandra says: “I am now in the kitchen with the six potatoes,”
Professor asks: “And how are you feeling standing in the kitchen?”
Alexandra replies: “I’m feeling angry and resentful. I didn’t want to go and pick these potatoes.”
Professor asks: “What happens next?”
Alexandra: “I notice my old and worn “Joy of Cooking” cookbook.”
Professor: “Could you be your cookbook?” “What are you feeling now as your cookbook?”
Alexandra: “I’m feeling well-loved and worn.”
Professor: “You’re feeling well-loved and used.”
Alexandra: “I hadn’t thought of feeling used before…but yes, I also feel used.”
Professor: “How do you feel about Alexandra throwing you against the wall?”
Alexandra: “I don’t feel angry. I understand that Alexandra is angry but she’s not angry at me.”
Professor: Now return to being you, what are you feeling as you look at the cookbook?
Alexandra: “I love the cookbook. It’s been in my family for years but I don’t want to be constrained by it anymore. I want to be able to do things my own way. I want to be able to figure things out as I go along. If I use the cookbook, I have to follow rules. I’m tired of following rules.”

The end result was that Alexandra realized through this here and now dialogue of her dream with the professor that she was fed up with following rules and being the good girl.

Instead, she wanted to go her own way now, to figure things out on her own without a prescribed set of rules to guide her. This was an exciting and scary moment of awareness for her.

While this was only a snapshot of dreamwork in action, I think it illustrates the incredible powerfulness of the Gestalt technique and how much potential information may lay hidden within one’s dreams.

What do you think about this method of interpreting dreams? What things do you envision being able to discover about yourself when remembering a dream?

Reference:

Yontef, G. M. (1993).  Awareness, dialogue, and process.  Highland, NY: Gestalt Journal Press.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a dream therapist?

A dream therapist is a counselor or therapist who specializes in dream analysis or dream therapy. Dream therapy is the process of finding the key aspects of a dream that signal different goings-on in the patient’s subconscious. So, a dream therapist is a therapist who is specially trained to listen to your descriptions of your dreams and help you make sense of them. Dreams are a window into your subconscious, and while many different therapy types focus on accessing and making sense of your subconscious thoughts, dream analysis draws these conclusions based mostly on your dreams.

How does dream therapy work?

Like many other therapy types, dream therapy involves a therapist and a patient or client. The therapist asks the patient to describe their dreams with as much detail as possible. While the patient is describing a therapy dream, especially if it is a bad dream or seems to be a particularly meaningful dream, the therapist will interject with questions. The therapist will usually ask for extra details or clarification on points that she knows to be significant when it comes to understanding the patient’s subconscious.

Unlike other types of therapy, dream analysis focuses specifically on what is seen in the dreams, and not on intention or the thought process or decision-making process behind certain behaviors. This is because when you’re dreaming, you can’t really control what you see or feel. You certainly can’t control how you behave in the dream; whatever happens in the dream is a direct result of what’s going on in your subconscious. That’s why dreams play such an important role when it comes to understanding your subconscious and the subconscious thought that can drive your conscious thought and impact your behavior while you’re awake.

Dream therapy is also offered in a few different forms. For example, in addition to the traditional face to face therapy – sitting on a couch across from the therapist in their office – you can also participate in dream group therapy, or online therapy. If you go with the group therapy approach, be aware that you’ll be asked to explain your dreams in great detail to people who you potentially might not know at all. For online therapy, you can expect much of the same as the traditional therapy, but instead of being in the therapist’s office, you’ll be meeting via a video conferencing app.

Is there such a thing as a dream therapist?

Yes, absolutely. A dream therapist is skilled at understanding and interpreting dreams. Dream interpretation is a huge part of dream therapy because you will learn to understand what your dreams mean or symbolize, which is one of the benefits of dream therapy. We can all agree that dreams have a profound effect on our subconscious and on how we experience life. Each of us has likely experienced at least one dream that we remembered, whether in detail or in residual feeling it left behind, that impacted us in some profound way. A dream therapist can help you unpack it, and help you restore a better quality of life because as you recover or gain insights, your sleep will improve.

What does my dream mean?

You may be able to interpret what your dream means based upon what you associate with certain imagery. There are even dream dictionaries. But one of the benefits of dream therapy is that your mental health professional is skilled at dream interpretation. So, they’ll be able to tell you what’s going on as well as the meaning of a dream. But, if you keep a dream private, you are not affording yourself an opportunity to find out what it means, and that’s why a dream therapist can help you. They can figure out what’s going on. Those who experience lucid dreaming may feel like their dreams are real because they are aware that they are dreaming. Lucid dreaming can be very powerful, and that’s where a dream therapist can be particularly helpful in helping you change the ending of your dreams because you’re aware that you’re dreaming.

Should you pay attention to your dreams?

The idea that dreams mean something is shared by many people including psychologists. It’s good to pay attention to your dreams because they do have psychological meaning, and they are telling you something about how you feel and experience life. They are messages about things that are unresolved from your past or in the present. It’s especially important to pay attention to recurring dreams because they will help you understand issues or fears that are buried or unsettled, allowing you to work through them in dream therapy. Your therapist knows how to interpret dreams. One of the benefits of dream therapy is that you can talk openly about things that you may be ashamed of that you’re dreaming about. Sometimes dreams come with feelings of guilt or embarrassment, and some elements of your dream may be symbolic of something else entirely. This comes into play with trauma, when your mind may be struggling to process an event and has therefore altered the imagery in dreams, as a way to protect you and process emotions while asleep. There may be repressed information hidden within your dreams, so it is important to pay attention to your dreams and share them with your dream therapist. Part of the dream work can entail discussing guilty dreams or embarrassing ones with a dream expert. A dream therapist doesn’t judge you because they’re used to hearing all kinds of strange and unusual dream content.

Do dreams actually mean anything?

On the whole, it is widely believed, both by trained psychologists and the general public, that some dreams do have meaning. While not every detail of every dream that you have is significant, there are major themes that appear in people’s dreams. These themes and recurring patterns have allowed psychologists to study the meanings associated with the images that people see in their dreams. So, while every single image in every single dream that you have might not actually mean something significant, there is a large consensus in the scientific community that says that many of the recurring images or patterns that you see in your dreams do, in fact, lend some important insight to your subconscious. The best way to find out if the images and patterns that you’re seeing in your dreams are relevant is to talk to a psychologist or dream analyst.

What are the advantages of dreams?

There are several advantages of dreaming and having dreams while you sleep. First of all, if you’re having dreams – and remembering them when you wake up – that’s a good indicator that you are hitting all of the stages of sleep. This means that you’re getting a good sleep, and you’re not missing out on any of the rapid eye movement (REM) or non-rapid eye movement (nREM) that your mind and body need to fully rest. These important stages of sleep, during which you have dreams, are necessary parts of a complete sleep cycle.

The purpose of dreams is also to provide a way to lock information into your long-term memory. What you see in your dreams is usually based on information or stimuli that you’ve received throughout the day. In the process of dreaming, your brain is trying to organize this information before storing it in the long term memory. When you’re dreaming, you may have particularly vivid dreams, or even a recurring dream that keeps coming back to you throughout the years. In these cases, the themes and ideas represented in these dreams could give some deeper insight into your subconscious and the inner workings of your brain that even you might not be privy to!

How do you analyze your dreams?

There are plenty of sources for dream analysis, and many of them are available online. A quick internet search turns up thousands of websites that offer clues as to what the images in your dreams might be telling you. You can find lists of different themes and images in dreams, along with what these themes and images represent. This is a great place to start, but it’s also a good idea to get a second opinion before drawing any concrete conclusions about your dreams and what they mean.

For a second opinion, you can also go to a spiritual or religious leader for help with analyzing your dreams. In cultures all over the world, dreams are closely attached to the spiritual life of the dreamer. So, if you have a religion or are spiritual, you can ask her or him for some input as to what your dreams mean.

You can also go to a psychologist or dream therapist. They are specially trained to find the key details and images from your dreams, and then draw research-based conclusions about the significance of the dreams. They can also help you identify patterns in your subconscious mind, and then learn how to apply this knowledge to your thought processes and behavior. So, going to a psychologist or dream therapist for help with analyzing your dreams can lend special insight to your subconscious.

Are dream interpretations valid?

There are many different ways and places to have your dreams interpreted. For example, you might go to a spiritual or religious leader to have your dreams explained, or you might find a therapist or psychologist who specializes in dream analysis. Dream analysis, like other therapy types, is based on research and a large body of scientific publishing. Over the past several decades, psychologists have been studying dream analysis and dream interpretation, and on the whole, they’ve been able to build a pretty reliable method for interpreting dreams to understand the subconscious. Plus, there have also been plenty of studies to show how this understanding of the subconscious, as gleaned through the analysis of dreams, can be harnessed and applied to the cognitive processes and decision-making processes of the patients. In short, dream interpretations give critical insight to the subconscious that can then be translated to better thinking, behavior, and overall mental health!

Are dreams therapeutic?

Dreams are therapeutic in the sense that they help you process all of the stimuli that your brain has received throughout the day. This means that dreams help your brain to categorize and makes sense of the flurry of things that you’ve seen, heard, and felt. Dreaming, and then analyzing and understanding those dreams, is a great way to process the stimuli that are constantly bombarding your brain during the waking hours.

In some cases, though, dreams can be disturbing. For instance, in cases of recent trauma or loss, dreams often recall or bring back the images of the traumatic event. This can interrupt a person’s ability to get through all of the stages of their sleep cycle, and it can cause serious problems for their ability to sleep well and get rest. This inability to sleep and rest well can then lead to a whole host of other physical and mental health issues. However, but analyzing these bad dreams and looking at the underlying trauma and grief that is causing them, they can work towards recovery. So, while the dream itself may not be therapeutic, it can be a stepping stone to recovery, as well as a great tool or jumping-off point for therapy.

Can dreams heal?

Some dreams can be incredibly healing, especially if you allow yourself to experience them and don’t judge yourself. Maybe your loved one passed away, and you see them in your dreams. People have varying ways of describing and talking about the experience of dreaming of a loved one who has passed away. For example, if your mother passed away, one might say they imagined her, heard her, envisioned her, or feel that she visited in dreams. Whatever language feels comfortable to use in dream work is accepted in dream therapy because it is a judgment-free zone. This, in itself, could be quite healing to know. Perhaps dreaming of a loved one who passed away, could be healing if the messaging indicates to the dreamer that they are okay or at peace. Some people believe that when you see someone who has died, in your dream, it signifies that they’re trying to reach out to you from another place, from beyond, such as the afterlife. But others believe that dreams are simply symbolic. What a dream means is very personal to each dreamer, and one of the benefits of dream therapy is that your own beliefs can be discussed and respected in a safe, therapeutic environment with a licensed professional.

Does dream interpretation work?

Dream interpretation can be powerful for many reasons, and one of the ways to make it work for you is to understand what these dreams mean and how they can impact you and let you understand yourself. One of the benefits of dream therapy is you have the skill of a mental health professional who can interpret your dreams so that you don’t have to do it alone. You have somebody who understands why you’re dreaming what you’re dreaming and whether it’s a result of trauma, repression, or anxiety.

How do you analyze your dreams?

A dream therapist is a mental health provider who analyzes your dreams. They may use a dream dictionary to help understand what you see when you’re asleep. The meaning of a dream differs from person to person. Many people agree that dreams have significance in our waking lives. They can help us better understand ourselves. One of the benefits of dream therapy is learning to understand how you feel and what you can do to work through these complex emotions. A sleep and dream expert can support you by analyzing your dreams. They understand how impactful dreams are and can guide you in understanding why you’re dreaming particular things.

What are your dreams telling you?

Your dreams have meaning, particularly recurring dreams. If a person has bad dreams that they can’t seem to shake, that’s where image rehearsal therapy IRT can help.

What does it mean to dream about someone you used to like?

Dreaming about someone you used to like means that you may miss that person. There may be unresolved issues surrounding the relationship. The person could also represent a particular time in your life. There are many reasons that this person may be entering your dream. One of the benefits of dream therapy is you can bring the dream up to your therapist. They can help you figure out why this person that you used to like is entering your dreams.

Can dreams tell the future?

Some people believe that dreams can be prophetic. One reason that this could be is that when you’re in a relaxed dream-state, you can tap into your intuition. All human beings are intuitive, but one place you can listen to your inner voice is in your dreams. Pay attention to what’s happening to the mind movies when you sleep, and you may be able to see what’s to come in your life.

Why do people appear in your dreams?

People show up in your dreams to give you messages. Sometimes a person comes into your dream world, and they represent someone else. Just because you see your mother, doesn’t mean the dream is about her. She could represent a person that reminds you of her, such as a teacher or co-worker. One of the benefits of dream therapy is delving into your dreams and figuring out the significance of people in your dreams.

Why do we forget dreams?

The main reason that we forget dreams is that we’re experiencing them during the REM sleep phase. It’s when we are deep into the sleep cycle, and when we emerge from that cycle, we often forget dreams soon after waking. According to Scientific American, another reason we forget dreams is that the brain is missing a hormone called norepinephrine that should be in the cerebral cortex. This area of the mind is responsible for memory and consciousness. When the brain is missing norepinephrine, people have difficulty remembering their dreams.