The function of dreams has been a highly controversial topic throughout history, and at this point, no one fully comprehends why we dream (Hill, 1996). Philosophical explanations for dreams are dominated by Socrates and Plato, both of whom also believed in the psychological function of dreams. Plato thought that when our reasoning capacity was suspended during sleep, passions and desires revealed themselves (Hill, 1996). Similarly, Socrates argued that an unruly gathering of desires exists and is exposed during sleep (Dreisbach, 2000). Thus, there seems to be striking similarities between these views and that of Sigmund Freud.
Freud believed that there was a place where thoughts that were intolerable to the conscious mind were repressed …show more content…
The most obvious limitation is that people tend not to remember their dreams in the morning. It is suggested that the hormones norepinephrine and serotonin, which imprint them into long-term memory, are not active during REM sleep (Hill, 1996). Thus the stages of sleep and when dreaming occurs is important, and perhaps now it is obvious as to why I included it in my discussion. Regardless of the reason for not remembering dreams, the inability to recall them has obvious implications for using dreams in therapy – if people cannot recall their dreams, it is not possible to work with them in dream interpretation, and they cannot be used to unlock the unconscious mind. Although it is unlikely that dreaming occurs in non-REM sleep, there is some suggestion that dreams, or more specifically dream-like thoughts can occur (Hill, 1996). These thoughts can easily be recalled, as the hormones that transfer them to long-term memory are active during non-REM sleep (Hill, 1996), however the question arises as to whether or not these ‘thoughts’ provide access to the unconscious. Further limitations arise, as it is difficult in gaining access to what is truly unconscious (Jacobs, 2003). However, as discussed previously, this is resolved through free-association of manifest content, and can therefore be used in the therapeutic
Freud believed that there was a place where thoughts that were intolerable to the conscious mind were repressed …show more content…
The most obvious limitation is that people tend not to remember their dreams in the morning. It is suggested that the hormones norepinephrine and serotonin, which imprint them into long-term memory, are not active during REM sleep (Hill, 1996). Thus the stages of sleep and when dreaming occurs is important, and perhaps now it is obvious as to why I included it in my discussion. Regardless of the reason for not remembering dreams, the inability to recall them has obvious implications for using dreams in therapy – if people cannot recall their dreams, it is not possible to work with them in dream interpretation, and they cannot be used to unlock the unconscious mind. Although it is unlikely that dreaming occurs in non-REM sleep, there is some suggestion that dreams, or more specifically dream-like thoughts can occur (Hill, 1996). These thoughts can easily be recalled, as the hormones that transfer them to long-term memory are active during non-REM sleep (Hill, 1996), however the question arises as to whether or not these ‘thoughts’ provide access to the unconscious. Further limitations arise, as it is difficult in gaining access to what is truly unconscious (Jacobs, 2003). However, as discussed previously, this is resolved through free-association of manifest content, and can therefore be used in the therapeutic