NIGHT DREAMS AND HYPNOTIC DREAMS: IS THERE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE DIFFERENT?

Abstract

Abstract The evidence against equating night dreams and hypnotic dreams is reviewed in the light of 2 developments in dream research—Dement and Kleitman's (1957a; 1957b) physiological and behavioral indicators of dreaming and Hall's (1951; 1963) quantitative studies of dream content. It is concluded that the equivalence of the EEG patterns of the hypnotic trance and the “dream” stage of sleep (Stage I) cannot be ruled out. It is further concluded that the psychologically-important question of content differences between night and hypnotic dreams has never been examined in a controlled, quantitative manner.