WORKING WITH DREAMS

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 7, 1979

Ullman, a psychiatrist who has been a dream researcher at Maimonides Medical Center (Dream Telepathy, 1973) and Zimmerman, a non-professional dream group leader, promote the idea that ""dream appreciation,"" and especially group dream work, can be made accessible to the general public. As interpretations go, the authors' analytic approach is eclectic, although generally more Jungian (""dreams as natural events bearing messages that are meant to be understood"") than Freudian (repressed instinctual impulses are discharged). And, salutarily, their advocacy of a free-wheeling exploration of metaphors generated by the dream material has the advantage of freeing the dreamer from textbooks of rote symbolism- However, this positive aspect creates its own drawback. Readers unfamiliar with the basics of dream work are presumed to be the audience for this elementary book, but they won't get a firm grounding in the mechanics of dream analysis here. A very sketchy history of dream interpretation and anecdotes which are as likely to amuse as to inform doesn't help matters. Although the authors maintain that any interested person can establish and lead a viable dream group, they also admit that the end of an emotional session may create a need for aftercare. In fact, the workings of a dream group sound suspiciously close to informal group therapy (""When we began, we cared about our own dreams. Now we care about each other"") or any other lightly structured support system--except that the dreamer must be able to defend the integrity of dream content from others' misinterpretations. A dubious entry overall.

Pub Date: Oct. 7, 1979

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1979

Categories: NONFICTION