Dream Interpretation and False Beliefs

Dream interpretation is a common practice in psychotherapy. In the research presented in this article, each participant saw a clinician who interpreted a recent dream report to be a sign that the participant had had a mildly traumatic experience before age 3 years, such as being lost for an extended...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Professional psychology, research and practice research and practice, 1999-02, Vol.30 (1), p.45-50
Main Authors: Mazzoni, Giuliana A. L, Lombardo, Pasquale, Malvagia, Stefano, Loftus, Elizabeth F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Dream Analysis
Dreams
False Beliefs
False Memory
Human
Memory
Psychology
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Summary:Dream interpretation is a common practice in psychotherapy. In the research presented in this article, each participant saw a clinician who interpreted a recent dream report to be a sign that the participant had had a mildly traumatic experience before age 3 years, such as being lost for an extended time or feeling abandoned by his or her parents. This dream intervention caused a majority of participants to become more confident that they had had such an experience, even though they had previously denied it. These findings have implications for the use of dream material in clinical settings. In particular, the findings point to the possibility that dream interpretation may have unexpected side effects if it leads to beliefs about the past that may, in fact, be false.
ISSN:0735-7028
1939-1323
DOI:10.1037/0735-7028.30.1.45