Dreams and Therapy

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the importance of working with dreams in therapy and develop a scientific basis for the practice of dream interpretation. This paper presents: (a) an historical perspective on how dreams have been viewed and the implications of these views for therapy; (b) what we know about dreaming and the effects of this knowledge for therapy; (c) a model for how dreams are formed; (d) some common misconceptions that therapists have about dreams; (e) a model of dream interpretation; (f) our research program on dream interpretation; and (g) ideas for future research.