Dream as symptom, dream as myth: A cross-cultural perspective on dream narratives

Freudian dream analysis pays little attention to a dream's manifest content, except as a starting point for free association. But many dreams have a clear narrative structure, and in many cultures, the manifest content of such dreams is culturally patterned and significant on its own terms. The dreamer and others may find in the story of the dream a resolution to personal and even social conflicts that may be transformative. Such phenomena suggest that in clinical settings, attention to dreams as a creative process as well as a vehicle for expressing symptoms may further healing.

Duke Scholars

Author Katherine P. Ewing Cultural Anthropology