Claire Frederick, M.D
Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
Dreams and Ego State Therapy
Claire Frederick, M.D.
Saybrook University
San Francisco, California
www.clairefrederick.com
Copyright 2010-2013
Our sleep, our dreams and our healing have been intricately connected over the millennia.
Dreams also have been recognized as a source of self knowledge, creativity, and problemsolving. They are innate resources, present in every human, that contribute to resiliency
and wellness. In this workshop the history of dream utilization and theories of dreaming
will be presented. The focus will be on the use of dreams and hypnotic dreams (which are
not identical) in Ego State Therapy. We will look today at the history of dreams in
several cultures, take a Cook’s tour through some theories of dreaming, and discover what
research is telling us today. We will weave Ego State Therapy concepts into our
consideration of dreams, and we will learn how Experiential Dream Groups are conducted
and how that approach can be helpful in Ego State Therapy.
Dreams have always been considered valuable sources of information through all cultures.
According to Freud there were only two pre-scientific approaches to dream interpretation.
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To attempt to understand the content of the dream within another context for
its meaning
The use of quotes ciphers and in which every image was considered to be a
separate sign
We see these approaches in indigenous cultures in the 21st Century.
Indigenous Dreams
“For people living on the edge of survival, dreaming is a practical matter. A good dreamer is
also a good hunter or fisher” (Moss, 2009, p. 6).
In indigenous cultures dreams are used for:
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Real time information
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Contact with spirit guides who bring wisdom, information, and health
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Claire Frederick, M.D
Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
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Rendezvous with other dreamers in “dreamspace”
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Accessing the minds of others
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Dreaming the “secret wishes of the soul”
Dreams of Australian Aborigines
“Every place has its dreaming” (Moss, 2009, p. 9).
All 500 tribes of Australian aborigines believe we dream our way into this world and are
prepared in Dreamtime by loved ones and ancestors for death and the passage to the
afterlife. When we are dreaming our spirits go on a “walkabout” in Dreamspace.
These groups do not believe it is necessary to go sleep in order to dream. In this sense,
the dream and the hypnotic dream are considered to occupy the same mental space.
The dream is often a shared and social experience
Dreams are of two types:
1. Everyday dreams
2. Dreamtime, or the realm of the gods and the ancestors
The two kinds of dreams can have interplay with one another
Egypt, Babylonia, Israel, Greece, and Rome
In ancient Egypt, Babylon, Israel, Greece, and Rome dreams were also viewed as
mechanisms used by the gods to communicate useful information to man. They were an
ordinary part of human life in ancient Egypt ( a “dream book” is recorded in the 2000
B.C.E. Chester Beatty papyrus). However, special incubation procedures were used to help
reduce dreams worthy of remembering and interpreting. In Egypt hese were conducted by
priests and others who devoted their lives to this work. They were called “Masters of
the Secret Things” and “Scribes of the Double House.”
Increasingly however dreaming became a vehicle for healing. In Greece the healing took
place in the temple with the help of the priests, usually a priest of Asclepius. Dream
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Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
incubation was a key factor in healing. There were over two hundred healing temples in
the Mediterranean countries.
Theories of Dreaming
There are many, many contemporary theories of dreaming.
Freud: The Dream Is the Wish
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). was the first to introduce the first “modern” perspective on
dreams in The Interpretation of Dreams. According to Freud dreams are manifestations
of universal instinctual drives (sexual, aggressive, selfish). These are generally repressed
in society. He believed that these drives appear in our dreams as wishes. This is the
central truth in Freudian dream interpretation. Dreams express the realization of who we
are on some level: our motives, goals, and hopes, even though we may not be aware of
them or acknowledge them as belonging to us. Freud thought that dreams help us deal
with internal conflict by manifesting them in disguises that the conscious mind can
accept. Freud introduced into science what had been believed in folklore, magic, and
shamanism but not subjected to scientific scrutiny:
1. Dreams have meaning
2. Dreams are legitimate and important objects of scientific study.
3. Dreams are not random and chaotic, but rather express deep meanings that can be
discovered through scientific inquiry.
4. Freud's view of dreams as a combination of long-term memory (even procedural
memory) and recent memory (the “day residue”) is one currently held by some
contemporary neuroscientists. It contains the possibility that dreams could be
involved in the learning process.
Carl Jung
Jung (1875-1961) proposed a dream theory focusing on what dreams reveal instead of
what they conceal. Dreams are considered a natural expression of the imagination through
use mythic narratives. He believed that dreams facilitated individuation as the mind’s
quest for integration. Dreams could perform their functions without any interpretive
effort on the part of the dreamer. Jung envisioned the psychotherapist as a shaman or
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Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
priest who could help the patient discover and change a personal mythology by discarding
maladaptive patterns and replacing them with healthy ones in their place.
Other Theories of Dreams
Calvin Hall’s Cognitive Theory of Dreaming: Dream Images are the Embodiment of
Thought
The Neurophysiology of Dreaming: Hobson’s Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis
Hobson and McCarley (1977) reported REM state dreams form through neurochemical
changes in the brain. Hobson accused Freud of impeding the scientific study of dreams
with his theory that dreams contain inherently hidden messages. He believes that dreams
can be quite obvious in meaning and often disclose more than they mask.
Hobson’s theory is known as the activation- synthesis hypothesis of dream formation.
The Evolutionary Theory
This theory holds that dreams have a biological function. Dreams stimulate threatening
events for the purpose of rehearsal and discovering new ways to avoid them. It was
formulated by Antti Revonsuo, a Finnish philosopher at the University of Turku. His group,
including researcher Katja Valli call their approach Threat Simulation Theory for dreams.
Their studies are based on the dreams of both traumatized and non-traumatized children.
Rossi and Rossi (2008) II
“From our new neuroscience perspective, vivid, dramatic, unusual and surprising dreams,
which are typically experienced during life crises are manifestations of the deep
psychobiological arousal that evoke the gene expression/brain plasticity cycle to reframe
and reconstruct consciousness and behavior in an adaptive and creative manner
Dreams and Ego State Therapy
Ego State Therapy is a therapy that utilizes a version of the polypsychic model Erickson
believed to be a fundamental human structure and a useful resource. Watkins and
Watkins (1997), Phillips and Frederick (1995), and Frederick and McNeal (1999) all
reported on the use of dreams with their Ego State Therapy. McNeal (2003) was the
first to focus on Ego State Therapy and dreams.
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Claire Frederick, M.D
Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
Guidelines for Using Dreams in Ego State Therapy
1. Think of every actor in the dream as an ego state. Although this may not be the
case, this kind of “trying on” is useful in detecting ego state dream activity
2. Use dreams to help patients become more aware of their ego states. Have you
patients keep a dream journal.
3. In therapy sessions selectively invite ego states to communicate on selected
topics and issues in dreams.
4. Call patient’s attentions to possible Center Core manifestations in dreams such
as feelings of strength and confidence, bursts of wisdom, creative ideas..
5. Discuss with the internal family whether they can let the patient safely know
more about something in a dream.
6. If you have hypnoanalytic training attempt to learn more about the dream by
having the patient continue it in therapy in a hypnotic dream. Hypnotic dreams
are like dreams, although they are not physiologically identical.
7. Incubate and program dreams.
8. Consider attending or forming an Experiential Dream Group. This participation
will increase your sensitivity to and use of dreams with ego states.
Programming of Dreams
When we focus on dreams, those of us with hypnosis roots always think of Milton
Erickson. Erickson used hypnosis to program dreams. Although he is well-known for his
indirect approaches, Erickson used deep, formal hypnosis and a great deal of repetition to
program dreams that could bring information and solutions.
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Claire Frederick, M.D
Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
Ullman’s Experiential Dream Group
(from Ullman & Limmer, 1998)
The Purpose and the Requirements
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Size: Optimal size is 6-8 participants
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THE DISCOVERY FACTOR
o The group will help the dreamer make discoveries he/she could not make
alone
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THE SAFETY FACTOR
The dreamer (presenting the dream) needs Safety: control of the process will
always remain is his/her hands
The process of working with the dream will be respectful of privacy and nonintrusive
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The Frederick Modification of the Ullman
Method for Didactic Groups
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The group can be of any size
Participants may volunteer their own dreams
Participants may volunteer the dreams of their patients, always respecting
confidentiality as to names and other identifying information
Psychotherapists may bring their patient’s dreams to the group (Knapp, 1988)
Stages in The Experiential Dream Group—Stage I
(from Ullman & Limmer, 1998)
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A dream is volunteered by a group member
Group members may ask questions about the dream, but only about the dream
itself
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SAFETY FACTOR:
Offering a dream is totally voluntary
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DISCOVERY FACTOR:
The decision to share signals a lowering of defenses
Telling the dream may, at times, result in sudden insight
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Claire Frederick, M.D
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Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
RATIONALE:
The dreamer only talks about the dream itself
The dreamer does not ever give associations to it
Stages in The Experiential Dream Group—Stage II
(from Ullman & Limmer, 1998)
Each group member interprets the dream as if it were his/her own dream: “If this
were my dream ……”
Group members share feelings and imagery evoked within them by the dream
The imagery is explored next in its symbolic and metaphorical aspects. Goup
members associate to their own life circumstances, thoughts, feelings, meanings.
The dreamer only listens. It is important that he/she does not participate in this
part of the process
SAFETY FACTOR: The dreamer is free to accept or reject what he/she is hearing and is
under no obligation to share more than he/she wishes
DISCOVERY FACTOR: many of the “projections” help the dreamer understand more
about the dream. The group energy, group material, and group interest activate
the dreamer’s insights.
RATIONALE: Spontaneous and often intuitive responses “touch” the dreamer. “We may
well relate to the metaphorical images of the dream.”
Stages in The Experiential Dream Group—Stage III
(from Ullman & Limmer, 1998)
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The dream is returned to the dreamer
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Questions asked by the group of the dreamer are “information-seeking, not
information demanding.”
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A dialogue takes place between the dreamer and the group
The group helps the dreamer contextualize the dream. The purpose is t connect the
dreaming with the waking reality of the dreamer’s life.
The dreamer’s own ideas about the dream are solicited.
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Claire Frederick, M.D
Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
SAFETY FACTOR: All decisions about self-revelations reside within the dreamer.
He/she is free to accept or reject any part of the program
DISCOVERY FACTOR: The dreamer acquires new ideas about the dream’s meaning/ may
become newly aware of relational aspects.
RATIONALE: As long as group participation is non-intrusive, it helps the dreamer move
more deeply into the dream
Stages in The Experiential Dream Group—Stage IV
(from Ullman & Limmer, 1998)
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The dreamer is able to review the dream after the group meeting is over and
return it to the to the next group meeting
The dreamer is then invited to share any additional thoughts, insights, identifiable
feelings, and meanings at this next meeting.
Dreams may be brought up in the future, particularly when additional relevant
dream or life material clarifies or adds further questions to the dream
Dreams and Hypnotic Dreams Brief Bibliography
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Domhoff, W. (1997). Finding Meaning in Dreams: a quantitative approach
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Hall, C. (1953/1966).The meaning of dreams.
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Hobson. A. & McCarley, R. (1977). The Brain as a Dream State Generator: an
Activation-Synthesis Hypothesis,” American Journal of Psychiatry 134, 1335-1348.
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Hobson, A. “The new Neuropsychology of Sleep: implications for Psychoanalysis,”
Neuro-psychoanalysis: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Psychoanalysis and the
Neurosciences, 1(2): 159.
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***Hurd, Ryan
http://dreamstudies.org/
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http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/
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Jung, C. (1961) Memories, dreams, and reflections. New York, NY: Random House.
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****Krippner, @. & Waldman, M.R. (1999(. Dreamscaping: New and Creative Ways to
work with your dreams. Lincolnville, IL: Lowell House.
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Dreams--Webinar Material September 20, 2013
**** McNeal, S. (2003). "Perchance to dream: ego state therapy and dreams."
Hypnosis International Monographs, 6, 79-89
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Moss, Robert (2009). The secret history of dreams. Novato, CA: New World
Library
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****Ross, R. (2009). The secret history of dreaming. Novato, CA: New World
Library.
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Schenk, P. W. (2006) The hypnotic use of waking dreams; exploring near-death
without the flatlines. Bethel, CT: Crown House Publishing
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Schneider. Alan & Donhoff , William
http://psych.ucsc.edu/dreams/
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Solms, Mark. The Neuropsychology of Dreams: a Clinico-anatomical study,
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1997
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****Ullman, M, & Krippner, S, (1973). Dream Telepathy. New York, NY: Macmillan
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****Ullman, M. & Limmer, C. (1988). The variety of dream experience: expanding
our ways of working with dreams. New York, NY: Continuum
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Valli, K., Revonsuo, A., Palkas, O., Ismail, K., Ali, K., Punamaki, R. (2005). The threat
simulation theory of the evolutionary function of dreaming: Evidence from dreams
of traumatized children. Consciousness and Cognition, 14(1), 188-218. DOI:
10.1016/S1053-8100(03)00019-9
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**Van De Castle, R. (1994). Our Dreaming Mind
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