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THEDREAM POET

byRichard Jones

G.I(.HALL&CO.70 UNCOLN STREET BOSTON, MASS.

Schenk man Publishing CompanyCAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSEITS

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Copyright 1979 by Schenkman Publishing Company

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication DataJones, Richard Matthew, 1925-The dream poet.

Includes bibliographical references.I. Dreams. 2. Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.)3. Consciousness. 4. Human evolution. 1. Title.BF1078.J628 154 .6'3 78-26490ISBN 0-8161-9014-3 clothISBN 87073-903-4 paperThis publication is printed on permanent/durable acid-free paperMANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ForAndras and Gabriel

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PREFACEThis book joins Freud's seminal metaphor of the dream censor

with a newly emerging metaphor, which J have come in my work tocall the dream poet . Fr eud 's analyses of dreams were conducted asmeans to the ends of unde rstanding and trea ting psychoneuroses.Within that context the metaphor of the dr eam censor proved to beof great heuristic power. Int erest in dr eam s, in both scholarly andpopular cireles, is probably more extensive now than at any timesince Fr e lld es tab lish e d th ei r study as th e foundation ofpsychoanalytic research - du e to several converg ing recent cle- within each of which cOllsidera tions of neurosis arenex t to irrele\ant .

First, we have the unusually productive and fast Illoving resea rchefic)rts in the psychoph ys iological study of sleep, especially of rapideye Illovement sleep, made possible hy elec troencephalographictechnology. Scores of books and thousands of artides reporting th efindings of these researches have been published since th e discov-ery of rapid eye movement sleep by Azerinsky and Kleitman in195:3 ,1 and interest on the popular front can be seen in numerousplaces, notably in two feature articles summarizing these findings inthe New York Times Magazine. "Vhat seems to appeal most to thepublic imagination is the mounting ev idence that dreaming is astartlingly ubiquitous mental function (much more so than ourconscious memories allow us to appreciate) and that it occurs almostexclusive ly in a "third" psychological state (REM sleep), which is asdifferent from the waking state and from non-REM sleep as theselatter two are from each other.

Second, we have the findings of so-called "split-brain" res earch,wh ich suggest that the two basic modes ofhuman consciousness, the

ix

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x Prefill cration,d-vl'I" i>al and th E.' t'll1otive-inluiti\'e (\\-hat Frf'ud referred to asthe secol1darv and primary process) arc loeali ;ced in the respectivehemispheres of the hrain - the left hemisphere governing thesecondary processes and the right hemisphere goverIling the pri-mary p rocess('s, Dr eam ing, then, \\'hich is known to proceed undertlw pr cd ominant inll tl('nc(" of the prilllary processes. is larg t'ly afillletioll of the rig ht IWlll isplwr(: - which in \ \Ts!t :rn civil izede\'l)ltl ti on has corne to he mo re or less ec lipsed ill waking life by tlwleft h('rnispht'rc functions_ Carl Sagan, in his popular The Dragonsof fr l(:Il . puts it this way:

Iii, 1" 'i1li;!,, ('(' 01'''1 11 ' 1110,,1 rp,,('nl ""olulioll"r\ ' d('crclion, th " \ ,'rbal ,d)iliti c'"01 111( , 1(f t h "ll i splH ' re , olJ.' c11r(', 0111' ClW,U : 1e ,ss "ftlw functions of the intuitivE',-igl,t 1I'111 isph o:r(' , ,, 'I,ich ill 0 111 anc""tors 111 lISt ha\ (' I)('(' n the principallllt'an s ofpt'rct"iving th (" \\'orld , Th e left helllisph e re pro c( 'sses information s('Cju e n-li,dl,,; II ,,,, right h"lIlisphl, r(: simllitaneo usly, accessing se vcral inputs at 'm ce ,TIll' 11ft hClilisphl'rt, \\'orks in sc' ri,'" the ri ght in par a ll e l. Tht: left h(,lllispi "'IT is like" digital ('ollljl()t("d ,\11

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xii Pre.iiu'(''I llis hook is also ahoul sorrwtlling else: the values ofrememuering

and sharillg tin -ams, the values of learning to appreciate and cnjoythelll ( n cOlljunction \\ith thc appreciation and enjoyment of' someorlll

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XIV Prefacean\thing can he tried. And the s}'stern of evaluation by mutualrt-'Ilcction tends to keep most orus honest.

DlII'ing 111)' first year at Evcrgrct-'n, I was asked by a former (Arthur \Varllloth, by that time a prominent figure ill th eAssociation fe)r Humanistic Psychology), who was composing a text-hook on "h uman is tic psychology," to write th e ehaptcr on dreams. It to Iw an (>asy t

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xvi Prefaceogy in which my thoughts on the dream poet evolved, Chapter Oneis addressed to students, and is currcntly in press as a chapter of Th eA rt and Science of PsychoLogy : Hll1ll{lnisti c Perspectiues ,Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Chapter Two was written Illr the.-\me rican Psychoanalytic Association and was presented at its an-Ilual in Nt'\\ York City on Dece mber 1S , 1973. ChapterThree \\'as presented as part oCthe symposi um : Research on CollegeTeachillg: Theoretical Perspectives, sponsored hy The Center forthe Teaching Professions, :-.Iorthwestern University on May 24,1973, Chapter Four was a letter to an appreCiative, critical friendwho had been a discussant at the Northwestern symposium, Chap-ter Five was written for The American Orthopsychiatric Associationand \\ias presented at its annual meeting in San Francisco, April 12,1974. Parts of Chapter Six \vere included in an address given to theInvitational Conference of the Social Science Education Consor-tium in Denver, Colorado on June 13, 1975,

The \\Titings which interlace the chapters were by students inresponse to dream reflection seminars, There were thousands tochoose from , I chose, from among the shorter ones, those that Iparticularly enjoyed.

1 am indebted to Charles McCann, former President of The 'Evergr ee n State College, whose criticisms of the first draft helpedme to hear the book's pulse. And to Eli Bower, Leo Daugherty, LeeGraham, Bob Greenway, Tom Maddox, Ed McQuarrie, AnneReynolds, Pete Sinclair and Montague Ullman for their criticisms ofand comments on the final draft. And, mostly, to my students at TheEvergreen State College whose enthusiasm , hard work and goodhumor made my first hunches about the dream poet turn, eventu-ally, into belief.

CHAPTER ONEDREAM REFLECTION

If ' here :ere dre ams' 0 se ll ,Wha t would you /nty?Some cos t II passing-bell;Some a lighl sigh, Thomas LOt:ell BeddoesDream Pedlnrl}, 1840One of the hazards of becoming interested in psychology is that

one almost always has his personal relations with his unconscious*thrown into confusion. This is because most books that speak of theunconscious speak of it as something either so abstract or so elusiveas to he out of reach of normal eve ryday introspection, Actually,becom ing consc ious of our unconscious experiences is like becom-ing conscious of air; no more abstract nor elusive than that, bu t also,as we civilized persons tend to live, no less unusual. The air thatsurrounds our bodies is always there , just as the unconscious imagesthat suffuse our minds are always there . But we tend not to be awareof the scents, touches, tastes and sounds of air except during thosebrief moments of physical transition in which we occasionally findourselves aswe go about pursuing other interests A dingy overcastday suddenly brea ks into clear blue sunshine. Or vice versa. Iemerge from a smoke-filled seminar room with my head full ofthoughts into a tangy, autumn, hurning leaves evening, and sud-" shall overlook the theoretical distinction betwee n unconscious and pre-conscious proces-ses, not becouSt! it isn't an important distinction, hut hecause it isn't germane to the practicalpurposes of this discussion. Those who wish to comprehend this distinction should readLawrence Kubie's "Neurotic Distortion of the Cn:ative Pmcess ,"" or Chapter Seven of my.. Fantasy and Feeling in Education,"

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2 3he DrealH Poett\cnly tht' tllOlI ,!! hts \\'cigh more than they arc worth, Or I'm dridng;ltTOSS tilt' Pulaski Skn\'a\ ' outside l ' \C\\ York City trying to hreatheas little as possible and gratefully anticipating th e relati\ 'C' fragranc('Ilftlll' Ilolland Tunnel's exhaust fumes, Th ese kinds ofllloments ar e(x[J(-'ri('ll( t,d 1)\, IIlOSt of liS , for th c most part. as chance happenings ,S OIll(, lWopl(" it is tru e, t;lkc to heing Oil th e lookout for them , theIwltt'r to appreciat( tllcHl \\'hen they happen , Some people evenj";lJIl to cultivate them, But most of have becn taught to arrangeour \i\'( ,s in other \\ 'ays, the betkr to pay attention to the things that('()lIIlt. Lik!' hill boards and ofTj(:(' nWllIoranda and wond erin,! ifh eing('llIb(:ioIiS of il

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4 The Dream Poet\\"h,llL'n:r pri\"ate images tend to accompany those Fo reX

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i'.) Tile J)1'('WJ1 Poetth()lIght s , images alld llH'lllorics ane! (2) \\'!I,' lw ('an't stand\i sl i

l. d liS "IJPPO'" one thillg Let us imagin e om flsh phohic( j i l l ' d;l\ II ;1\ ilit! a ell,("t m ah()u t a hu\\ I full offis h oyes, H C approachesit \\itil (';llltioll ; then rl 'ali/('s tktt fish havo no hones and are('ollsickrl,d hy "on w pc'upi

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9The J)r eo 1/1 Poet\"hat Schadel has hrought to our attention is that civilized intel-

ligc-Il t people> Ilormally develop literacy and logic to an addictivedegn:c_ \' cry long away from either, and ,\'c manifest withdrawalsymptoms, lIsuallv by way of feeling silly or childish. True, theidioms of childhood are the architects of myths and poems - anddreams. And the grcat artists have brought this up to IJS in ways that helittlemen t. Shakespeare shm\'ed, /()r example , again in Ham-let, that he \\'as no stranger to the machinations of conventionaliza-tion ancl the conventionalized unconscious:

POl.O ." 1L s: \Vhat do YOll read m)' Ion!?\-1.\ \ I LET: \V"rds , "orcls words.I'OLO'.;Il S: What is the l11atlt'r, my lord? LE T Behn,,,n ,,-hn?POU), , ! L S: 1 mean, the lIlatter that you I'(:ad. 111 )' lord .11:\\1LET: Slal'l,kr . . ir: for the sati rical rogut" says here that old men hU \,f'

grcy beards . that tl,eir faces arc: wrinkl ed , tllt'ir eycs pmgingthick am ht:r and plul11-tree gum , and that a plentifulla ck of wit together with most ,,-eak hams ; all of which . sir .though 11ll,,,t powerf,dl y and polt-ntl), t" , )'

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10 Th e Dream Poetthe J ifference in the personal meaning of a partieu lar experiencewas \\hic:h of these two holistic systems gave it definition. Th ee).perience might he of great significance, like the hirth ofa child orthe death of a mate; or it might he trivial, like mowing the lawn orhrtJshin,1; one's te eth. As defined in the one system, all of thesee:'l)('ri('ncL's took their places as manifestations of "being a person!i\ a life ;" as defined in the otlwr system, all of these same(:xpcriellu!s took their places as manifestations of "being a personwaiting to die," The patients who got well gave articulation to thisinner perception of "u nivel-sal ambiguity" in highly individualized hu t they had one thing in common: having di.scovered withinthemselves these two itineraries for tra\'eling through life, andha\'ing gained some experience in following each, more or less bychoice, they cho.se by a succession of conscious acts to identifythemselves with the one and to rejec t, although not forget, theother.

Angyal concluded .. ..In llH" course of m)' work with neuo'otic patients I have been searching lor a

cono::eplnalization of personalityade'luate for the practical tasks of education andtlwr"p ' . The most significant general statement I am ahle to make as a result ofthis s(,arch is that wh il" p

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12 Th e Dream Poetthe unr ealized health system, which, und er these circumstancesIllay he said to he unconsciolls. In Angyal's view dreams are likewiseto he seen as exposures to consciousness of the struggle for domi-nance hetwee n the dreamer's two systems of total personality or-ganization .Two things sh ould he kept in mind ahout the holistically repres-sed unconsciolls. (1) It pertaills more to perceptu al, or, more accu-rately, to appen.:eptllal functions, than to memory functions. Thememory, say, ofh eing deserted by one's father will be a bitter andper haps blinding memory as it functions within the person's neuro-tic gestalt. For example, "I am unlovable, and even if I am not I amhopelessly handicapped." The same memory in the same person , asreflected within the health system may actually have strengtheningor dee ping effects. For example, "What must the poor man's lifehave hec n like to have driven him to le av e his o\ n child?" (2) Theholist ica lly repressed lIn eonscious may harbor one's lat ent talentsfor he ingworthless and helpless , or it may harbor one's latenttalentsfor he in g worthy and conf1dcnt. No personalit y lacks e ither ofthese,an d most of us live ou t parts of olIT lives in each .DR EAMS AND DREAMING

Dreaming is a form of thinking experienced as action. Let's pon-der that for a moment. All forms of thinking, from deductive logic todaydreaming, are ways of exploring the consequences of variousactions without commiti ng ourselves to those various actions. This istrue of the f()\'\n of thinking known as dreaming too, hut - wond er of\\'ondcrs - this particular form of thinking is experienced as action .The most compelling daydream will include some de gree of aware-ness that we are not really living what we are daydr eaming, bu t themost mundane dr ea m is experienced at the time of its beingdreamed as being lived. We may, then, view learning by way ofdream re flection as an acceptance of Nature's most provocativeinvitation to learn hy doing, an obs ervation wh ich makes th eparadox that the "doing" hody is actually asleep during dreaming allthe more tantalizing!

Dream Reflection 13Dreaming, it has rec ently been discovered, is an integral part ofavery distinctive psychophysiological state which periodically super-

venes the state of sleep every night in all people. Called REM (forrapid eye movement) sleep it is as different from non-REM sleep asnon-REM sleep is from being awake. It includes the concomitantpresence of irregular pulse, blood pressure, and respiration; penileerection in males; rapid conjugate eye movements; sporadic activityof certain fin e muscle groups; near absence of tonic anti-gravitymuscle potential; a low voltage desynchronized cortical EEG pat-tern; and high brain temperature an d metabolic rate. REM sleepsupervenes the sleep cycle about every 90 minutes through thenight and lasts for increasingly longer periods of time ranging fromabout 5 minutes to about 40 minutes.

Why dreaming should occur during this kind of sleep and notduring the othe r kind is anybody's glless. Actually, it may he that wedream all night long, in and out of hoth kinds of sleep, bu t onlyrem e mber th e that occur during REM sleep , since the onlyevidence we have for associating dreaming with REM sleep is thatpeople sleeping in laboratories almost always remember a dreamafter being awakened from REM sleep and almost never remembera dream after being a\\lakened from non-REM sleep . However,most authorities currently favor the idea that dr eaming is somehowfunctionally related to REM sleep.

People hav e always wondered why they dreamed but the discov-ery that we dream so much has prompted the more functionalquestion of what dreaming does for us, since nature has not beenknown to lavish attention on insignificant functions. The best ans-wers that can be given to this question, linked as they presumablymust be to the question ofwhat REM sleep does for us, can be statedonly hypothetically at this writing.

Five biological functions have been ascribed to REM sleep:1. It may serve a neutralizing function, in counteractive relationto some noxious by-product of metabolism;2. It may serve a stimulating function , in compensatory relation

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1 Th e Dream Poctto the periodic sonsory deprivations which are t:haracteristic ofsleep ;

3. It Illay ser\'c a reorganizing hmction, in response to the disor-ganizing efkcts ofslecp on tht' et"ntrdl ncrn)l1S syst(!Ill :

t . It Illay serve an alerting function , in preparation for fight and/light pattcrns; and

.). It may serve an innervating function, in the specific service ofde pth perception.As fClr the psychological functions of dreaming , I have suggested ,

again hypothetically, that these may be analogous to the supposedfunctions of HEM sleep. Thus as REM sleep Illay neutralize this ortliat cerebral toxin , so dreaming may neutralize this or that noxiollSimpulse or memory. Similarly, as REM sleep may reorganize firingpatterns in the central nervous system in response to the disorganiz-ing effects ofsleep, so dreaming may serve to reorganize patterns ofego defense or cgo synthesis in response to the disorganizing effectsoh\aking life. Similarly, as sleep may serve an alerting func-tion ill res pect to potential thrcats to physical integrity , dreamingIila\" sen e an alerting function in respect to potential threats tops\chosO(;ial int eg rity. Finally, as sleep may help to establishand mai ntain depth perception, dreaming may, if you will , help toestahlish and maintain "perceptiveness in depth. "2 0

Th e last of thcse hypothetical functions of dreaming is the onlyone that is relevant to our present purpose , sinee it is presumahly"perceptiv eness in depth" that we are after when we set out toexplore our unconscious. Indeed, it is probably only this function\\"hieh requires that a dream he remember ed. The other functionslIlust be served whether or not the dreams are remembered , be-canse so vcry little of total dream production is rcmem bered that it ishard to imagine these functions heing served if only remembereddr eams would do.

\-I/c come now to how to rememher dreams, Actually the bestthing to do , as in so many other pursuits , is to have some purpose intn iing to remember them, based on previously gratifying slIccess.But since it may he that your main purpose in reading this book is

Dream Reflection 1.5that you haven't had such previous experience, the trick will be ingctting started. My experiencc with ppople who have difficultyH'lllemlwring dreallls has been that if the following five-step routineis conscientiollsly followed, at least partial sliccess can he guaran-teed without exception.

1. Keep a pad and pencil next to your bed .2. Lea rn to wake up with your eyelids closed . If you depend on

an alarm clock, don't use th e radio kind and learn to turn it offwith your eyes closed .3. After you have run over the dream a couple of times behind

closed eyelids , and have it we ll fixed in mind, write it downimmediately , Resist all temptations to postpone the writing .This is where most dreams are lost. It is also where yourmotivation to avail yourself of your dream life will be pu t to itsseverest test.4. Before the day is out , read the drea m over and reflect on it forat least a half hour.5. Write down those reflections that we re particularly meaning-ful or instructive to you.

Th e gratifications that will reward this routine and make it self-slIstaining \\'ill come in the periods of re flection , so I want to devotethe rest of th is chapter to the art of dream reflection, As in any art ,instruetion sholiid hc kcpt to a minimum , the be tter that you mayconw to sense the uniljue possibilities for self-expression and sclf-discipline that are in It for you. In this connection, I should point outth e all-important distinction betv,'ee n dream reflec tion and dreamanalysis.

Dream analysis may have its artful sides, and usually does in thehands of a master analyst, bu t dream analysis is ultimately a scien-tific enterprise. For example, each of the hypothetical functions ofdreaming listed above have been partially derived from a particularme thod of dream analysis or combination of such methods. Theneutralization function was suggested by Fr eud's method, thestimulation function by Lowy's method; the reorganization function

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Hi Th e Dream Poethy tlw methods of ErikSOil , French Hnd me; th e alerting function bythe me thods oI'J\I'ng and Ullman, Each of th ese methods is based on\ ast amollnts ofknO\\ledge, has dc'vised \\ith intricate andmtlst h(' with precisiOll , \; 0 kno\\'lerlgeable person wouldtllink of s1ck, 1974,

Dream Reflection 17Slowly I inch my hand do\\'n to the spot be low my hip where I fear the bugs

may be coming Ollt. Sure enough I feel a flap in th e skin like lab ia and now th er eis no (jll(',stioning m!' fears, for at that "ery moment one of the bugs comes outli''' Il11.11J(I(,J tl1< ' llap, ('ros" " mv finger and flies ofl', I punic, Jesus, "'hat might itI,p un der the r

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18 ' TIll' Drea1l/ Poet rttl('clill ,! on dr('am, u, ()II C!(ki :i l' th f' 1rI to h(J:' For

111.d 1r1.dtt, l". ll () \\ II l, l l l y otllt'1" I llill , ' do ,UI \l' l l 'dIJ !"( ,. ... dn;llt , \ \ l ih-I di>Ol l t .Illd Ilvlp }ldlivll h t() do lhal Oi dr t ' n t ... 0 I l l l t . l t Ollr't If?1

r rolll til "" lu lil1'" a littl" gllat-likt, bug rise'S up tlll'IIl1gl, 111)' of "i>irHI. Fora",hil(' Inl('l ,' Iy 1I0te tl", lle(,tin,! c1i,tractiolls alld pay no furthcr heed,

,That ', lillniJjar, COllcenh'ating in tilt' presence ofdish'actilln, Like think-i l l l ! throllgh "",I(' inlll'r lhulight ",I,ile ,aying \lh huh , uh huh to someon('lo ,,1,,"1'1 'o u "1'(:I\'t listenillg, That\ d good talent to havp, Cd, me introuhle: on Dcc:asiu,." B"t. 01\ J,alallce, I'll tab: it, SOl11dhillg elst' or whichthi s ('( ! nind. )))(': tVlld\'ncy to pf'reeivl' intrllSioI1!'1, as people hllg."" ing 11)( ', wlidt in n :trn spe{"l an- . ometime. . (' ('11 to have ht'l'n oppor-tllllitit', Ii 11 ' dh 'ersinn , I ollght to try to be mo re ' discriminating - and1111)1'""

TI ,\ 'n a I,-., rl'lI I hillt ill' ' ' ' 'picioll CI'IlS" 'S m) mind: tlll'I'l' J,;l\'" he'"n ,,' ,cral oftl" ',,, IIII,g, 111)\' ,llId tl"" , ,,'ell! til Ih' lip at rq:uL,r illtl'I",,,ls and all of thclll '" li 'OIII the pJaCf '.

,TI'dt. til". is !:llniliar, Lik illl.l!.!,in ... to hl ' '-I ,pot tJIl ri .L.dtt tilt, hip .,Bllt I,, 'n.'s til

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20 rill' Drealll Poet,Sollwthill .u h(')'(.' "I)I,"t being r,'" ,, "r('rI that it isn't "(ndl"ss." Fllllll\'"hoi,,(' nl'\\ol'ds Ihf'n' . Can't pi" " " it for sun ". \" ' yl)(' the k ctlln'

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22 Th e Dream Poethv ours(,lv('s, hut , these sch'es being unconscious, their communi-cations \\'ith us se em as thougb the y come from someone else.someou e who knows us very very well.

JlIst to rOllnd out this discussion, Id's see if we can identify in m)'dn 'am the three kinds of ullconscious describedearlier . rOll tr\' it first, nnd th('n come back to see how I did it.TIlE HEI'RESSED INFANTILE l'NCONSClOUS

Finding a SOIiP ho\\I-shaped cavity on my thigh just helo\\' the hipw01Jld "ppl';lr to he a \'ery ('\(overly ('once iv cd symholic repres("nta-iioll oLlIl inblltile dcs in" to have a womb. " 'omh en \'Y n boys is nottalked ahout in psychoanalytic literature nearly as much as is penis(' Il\\' in girls. Nevertheless , man y boys develop this secret \\'ish andart' marie amious hy it. Apparently I was one such boy, The endlessIfla sses of dec,lying cn\'ities hranching out through m)' insides mightthell represent the (iwildlv imagi,ncd fears that I secretlydsso('ialt'd with this dcsire , which calls('d it to 1)(' n"pn'ssed ,

OJ COIIISC. all of tIl(' contimination (foul , decaying , rot-tinl':, dc . \ suggests rcpn 'ss('d "anal" That I ha\'(' n' prl'sscd,lIlal illl p lll s('s dOl's not slIrprisc ml ' , In Etc( , I

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24 Til e Dream PoetTHE CONVENTIONALIZED t:l\'CO:\'SCIOVSIt was along th is dimension that th e dream refledions really paid

oil. TIl(' high point was th e P;lrt ahuut feeling tender!\' to\\'a rd th ehugs for haVi ng mack such good u, (' of l l l ( ' , and seeing tllis as aIlwtapllor fill' the \\ay J regard patients \\'h o ge t hetter, I just kno\\' J\\mild 11('\'('r haw' hecomc as articulatciv conscious ofthat rare sd ofattitudes and feeli ngs ha d I no t re fled ccl on this dr ea m, Certainly Jwould neve r h,I\'e thought to com pare it with what a \\'()tnan in loveor a l11otlJ

Running a very close second was th e refl ec t ion that suggested theisolllorphism of sex and paternity, i. e., that be ing a lover an d a fatherinvoke some parallel if not overlapping intentions: "enjoyingthe touch," "gen tly nudging .. . into flight," " trying no t to injure."Particularly remarkable here is th e fac t that I was no t ye t a father\\ hl'n J dreamed this , althou/h Illy thoughts \ \ ' ( ' n' dWf'II-ing Oi l \\ hat kind or a btlwr I might \[ os t ]'('llIarkahl

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2(i Th e Drealn PoeII'igu rat iH' dood I ng, Btl t, as I said , you " 'ill c\'oh'e yo u r own style ofrecording yUUl" dr(' ' >" llU develop your potf'ntial stde ufrdl('l"ling lin thelll,1, Ht 'sist the tCIl C('I1(:Y to Ilclittl . or tri\ 'iali7.e tlw drcam as, ilh, cllildish, or ,Ihsnrd , .\/all>' dreams appea r at first glance to 1)('silk , cl lildi,h , or absurd . Btlt to allo\\' such first glancc appearancesto stop the rl'ilec ti\'(e procpss is to enlist the strength of your CO ])-SCiOli, "ill in the service Ofco])vcntio])alizatioll, On further leflec-tiOll, thes(' first r('actions to tilt' dn 'am \\ 'ill alllHlst alwa ys hc pcr-('(\iqd as 1I1lctilicalt'd fin,t imprcssiolls of the dream's esse])tial[I l' ttl I h](,ss ,

2, K('sist thl' parallel t('ndl'Il('\' to diso\\n th e drcalll ,IS "onl>' adn'dlll, " 11(''Ollr dn'ams , :\ 0 onc else docs , cL'I" tainly : an d , in alilikeli-IH)()(!. no Ollt' else- could. Ou r dream s sho\\' us th e styles , te mpos ,sh"IWs.

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28 Th e Dream PoettLe hllllil iar a,gain, So , ask ofthosp dream images that strik

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42 The Dream Poet

In the I()urfuld genetic tCln pk\Vhere th

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-l4 The Orca 111 PoetIt remained for Lawrence Kubie to filrther systematize this con-

cept ,lnd to dra\\" its implicatiollS for educational reforms. Kubie firstelre\\' a set of distinctiolls between conscious, unconscious , andprccons

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46 rhe Dream Poet" . \\ I,ll ;1'" COIlCt'lItration; ne ga tion \\'(11 as affinn(ltion : the forrnation of ('on-, '( 'ph d,' \1('11 a, tl,, ' attaillmellt of con('cph - in short, ill\c'n tion as \\' (' 11 asdi'('(l\ ''I,' TI,,, diHk,,!t\ np('ril'lI(,l'd hy teac h(,rs ill H's iwet to thi s manifoldpr incipl" 1.." Ilut het' ' ' onl' of cr e dihility hnt on,' of "ppl;catio,.., 1vlost !('achers\\ 1,,,1,,,,'" 1'1",,1 or hl',ml oftl, , ' rc' s('archc s "fC('tze ls alld Jackson , forank Barron ,Edilll Cahin Tadoi' "n d ..\I,rah alll \\a,lo\\ , Ina",ol lll'r", find thl' \alidil, ' or tiJ('ir rildori(' ,,,lr-('\, i(I

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4H Th e Dream Poet\\ 'hile engaged in studying and teaching Moh" Di ck , I record ed

the full()\\'ing dr

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50 Th e Drr'om Poetit? I \\'a!) '( '1"\' ITIllch \\-ilh 'Tl w Sermon" ,,-hell reading it aJllIllllh or :W ago. had underlint'd it t'opiullsh- and mad(' a mentalnot!' 10 rc-rl,ad it \\ he n we gut to .I ling. feeling confidcnt I wouldtl)/:' 11 h(' ah k to st!:' sOllle imporlant cOllll('d iollS - jllst as in th edrea1l1 I \\ 'as confid en t r

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52 Th e Dream PoetIt "'as in trying to answer this question that I was startled to

that \Iurray doesn't even mCHtion Ishmael in his anal ysis.In illy H'ading of Moh!/ Dick, Ishmael was at least as compelling acharacter as Ahab ancilllore compelling than anyone e ls e - e xc ep t-ing possibly Bulkington, of "hom we harely heard.

\ 1ost of my lInderlinings, I see now, were busy trying to captureIshmael's vision . What I want to do here is to simply record some ofthe more engaging linf's in all their a" 'akcning concretenesses;

" \Ipthinks " .(. ha n> mistaken this matter of Life and D c-ath . . thatwhat thL'\' ealllllY shadu,,' here on earth is my tn ... sul"tance." (Signet Clas,;c:\ ..w :\1TI('ri"an Library edition , p . .5:))

" QU

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54 The Dream Po et:\ fe ll' \\ords nOw about the procedures we have fOllnd llsdtt! lilr

invokmg dream reflection in tl)(' edllcatiq process .Firs!' it is essential that the atmosphere oitlw scminars in which

the students share and dis(;uss their dreams and rdlediollS be ves. Thus , exdus iveiy' fher'apeu ticgains in self knO\dedge are as acceptable . but th eprevailing expectation is that personal insight shall always be ex-tended to grace some as ped s of general knowledge \\'ith personalJlwaliing. Here are some rec ent examples of what I mean, all fromtIll' same group of students who were con(;urrently studying 'vlel-ville (1 shall presellt the

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5f) The Dream PoetIwad of his drcalHsjust once and s"en it all. . a on a pilgrim's progrl'ss\\ith i10 J('adlin('s to lIlake, no doms to Ill' doscd too soon, !t:adng VOII .Itrande'!lik, tl", lallH' boy whost, Pied Pilwr had !,)rgotten him.

Childrc'n ""alizc s{) much without even knowing it; my favorite fairy tale was"Wizard of Oz" when I was little; Dorothy, a detadll'u pilgrim on a constantlychangingjo\lrnev . When she nc"dcd to go home . . he looked right in her 0\\-11h"ck )arel. TIl(' \\'iZdrd . part of a positi\'(' c!\rnmllnity with ,,,tcnsibl,. a "(;0111-",illlwlll therap,." of Illagie: " " I](,\'('r t'.'pe ,,,,.",).(i, 's Iwl\wen Hidf and I .rn,,", Ballll' - paper \\

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.5.S The Dream Poet)\; othing of therapy whatever, Just startlingly penetratingthought and qualities ofwrittcm expression worthy him-self.

I take thc last example from the other end of the spectrum. Thestud en t was hright enol'lgh hut not of a scholarly hent, He typicallyl'xpress(, cl himselfwith difllculty, and by his 0 \\,11 admission had notwrittt'n a single pap er during the first two quarters of tlw year. Iilldud(- this ('xample. also, because its last two paragraphs nice ly th e ('sprit of plavfuln C'ss an d good humor which tends topn'v,ti l in th e dream rdkdion seminars .

A Di,I'co!lrse Oil Dream Heflec tiorl-Davc Ham es

l.1pOIl f' llIc rging fi'olll Illy first dn'alll s('min"r " thought struck me, the iele"that pt:rhaps ollr attellipt to reflect upon dr eams is similar to the whaling \'ovageoreapt"ill Ahah ill '\/oiJ!I })ick, It s"ellls as though ou r ohject in rc.flccting "POldr/'ams h" , Ililich in ('omillon with th" o],j t:d which se nt .-\h,,1o UpOIl hi,s searchfill ' th;, whi " wkd", In .I(JiJIJ [Jick ,-\bab says that h,' is altcilipting to ,strike thrut lh-' l1 1.1sk of oillward appearance ,",

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flO Th e Dream Poet,:re,\tive than anything most of the students ha\'e e vcr done before .Th e first few times it fcels almost incongruous that this kind ofwriting should have occurred in a ,chool setting, with the result thatthe students arc literally awed hy the experience oflistcning to eac hother. And , however moving the personal insights developed in thedream reflection session may ha\'e bee n. tlte e xpericnce' \\hieh hasoften lIloved 1111- (amI hy now many a student and co lleague) to theve rge of tears is that of re ading and listening to the writings whichthe dream session 50mehov,,' had a part in inspiring. Over the courseof time , as the novelty of the dream sessions heg ins to wane, it is thercading-the-writings step in the sequence to which we C'Ollle to lookforward th e most.

Returning to the quotation with wl)ich I bega n this section, howmay we view these experiments? "Cooperation between a precon-scious alld an unconscious impulse, eve n when the latter is subjectto very strong repression, may be established ," said Freud , "if thesituation permits of the unconscious impulse operating ill harmol1!}with one of the ego's controlling tendencies ." (Italics mine. ) Sum-ming up these att empts to in\'olve dream life in sehool life I havecon cl ud ed that th e controlling tend encies of a typical student 's egowill not usually operate in harmony \\ : ith the methods of dreaminterpretation - psychoanalyt ic or other - because these methodswere developed for th e purpose of strengthening weak egos, th econ b'olling tendencies of \vh ich are more defensive than expressive,The controlling tenth-neies of a competent student's ego will, how-ever, usually operate in harmony with the methods of dr eamreflection , as incomplete ly set forth above, because these are beingdeve loped for the purpose of providing conditions in \\'hich the egomay express and enjoy its competence. In continuing efiiHts tofollow lip valuahle thought on " the gene ral condition thatgoverns all aesthetic ideation ," it \\ill he important to keep th edi ffe re nces hetween dr eam analysis and dream reflection in vie\\':Th e authority involved in dream analysis is perceived as externalto the dreamcr; the dream is "confessed" and the dreamer feelsdepend ent on the person or persons to wllOm he reports the dream

Dream Refl ection as a Learning Tool 61for confirmation or disconfirmation of his interpretive efforts. Th eauthority involved in dream reflection is perce ived as residingexclusively in th e dreamer's judgment ; the dream is "confided" andit is the person or persons to whom it is eonfided who feel dependen tfor confirmation or disconfinnation of their rcflec tive efforts.

Dream analysis is ex perienced as work , as seriolls busincss , heingexclusively intent on C'xplanation and discovery. Dream reflection ,although often induding periods of interpretive work, tends on thewhole to be f'xpericllced as play, An esprit of humor and goodfellowship fi 'equ ently prevails as the dreame r and his friends seek togo beyo nd explanation and discovery to enjoyment , invention andcelebration.

Th e sole objective of dream analysis is the deepen ing of thedr eamer's self-knowledge, It te nds , therefore, to focus on thedreamer's memories, with an eye to revealing previously unknownor unaccep ted aspects of the self, and it seeks to go about all this witha mor e or less impartial air. In dream refl ect ion, the deepening of is viewed !lPJ:tJ4ll.D.o]Iie.:.iilllini:jte-eodouillPIIfy-ing the approach therefore , to focuson the "(\reamer's 'imagination and his ahility to communieate theworkings of his imagination; utter self-indulge nee being the prevail-ing tone of the procee dings,

In summary, thanks to dream analysis as practiced by Freud andothers , we know a great deal about th e structure and functions ofdr eams and dreaming, i .e" about questions of how dreams work. Ithink this puts us in un ideal position to address questions of howdrcams pill!/; and I submit , furtherm o)'('. that the humanities class-mom is all appropriat e place in which to pllfSlle this quest. Inmaking this assertion. I am but following Ollt the implications ofthese learne d obsel'\'ations, \\ hich were made by Elizabeth LeonieSimpson in a recent report to the Ford Foundation:

"Whateve r truth , grace, and beauty are our monumental heritage, it is notenough; for I, too, must be an ancestor as well as a descendant, a progenitor aswe ll as seed from the past . ,M y knowledge is never inherited experience. It ismy own, th e gift ofmyselfand not the gift of others, however much they deem it

\,)/

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G2 rh e /) re(lll/ Poel or I myself with tho se who value it. It b the workings of myn:spoTlsi\"(' .,dr, Illy consciousncoss - the view from within - a most privat"piace to which only I } " IV ( ' access .

Ther.., is ill 111\' own inl1 er life till' authorit y and the that will link me toth . agcs FroiO "aried hi.storie,,1 conte xts, from the forms, th" ideals, tht', , .JUl 'S, till' b . lid :, of th,' cultures which are ,p t'cifically ours, we dra\\ th e. "p portin ' stnlctun:s of o ur I,..ings. hilt not from tl" ,st' alone . The data areui tililat .h- ')Ilr.",h - .., . T/IfI( pol'try is honlc-ga nl t'n('d and gatllf'rcd; it is and it i" trlll' . ":{2

"K itche n-yard psychology hom e ga rd ened and gathered,"T nll', and t' .xactly ,, hat we find grows abundanth' and happily indream rd l l.'dion seminars. And vastly to be preferred , in my ex-pe riellct', to the hot-house kinds found in psychology texts, For thePU' l)()S t" that is , of e nahling students to make of their culturallwriUl;gl' "a gift to thc mselves."

Dream Refl ection as a Learning Tool 63

What "Really" Means\Vhen I \\ as three ' had a pair of toy pistols, and' wore them around the house

on a holster. One Jay m)' fathersaid, "Ld 's see you draw your gun. " ran to get apicce ofpaper and pe ncil. of

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64 Th e Dream Poe t

Il nly means that dinner is rt'ady ." "i ew of till' " orld is "right", and if! dr eam,)f d little li ,:ht "I ieking a ll , tlH 'n it is "."'lIsible and rat ion,.!" that tlwn: will he an(xpiosiol'l.P1)tting lll)'selfback to six, I ge t an inJlT1 t- llse ou t of irnagining , ill adream that nil' mothe r 'bSllre' me that till' littl e: light is onl" the tempe ratureindicator, got's into the hOllse, and ge ts blown to Kingdom COilH: .I think imm ediately of Andy, Richard's son, when he assured me verysokmllh' that I,, "a s not Jewish hut English - "hut no t \tiddle English." I'msun ' he has a vc r\' de a r five-year-old eonce ption of what \Iiddle English means ,and I'm a hit sorry I laughed when he said it. At le ast I didn 't e nlighten him on"hat \Iiddl e English "really" means.

-L ee Graham

CHAPTER FOURRESOLVING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

III dreams begin responsibility.-W .B . Yeats

Professor David Bakan of York University was the discussant atthe Northwestern University symposium of the paper which be-came Chapter Three. The present chapter consists of his commen-tary, and my eventual reply:

24, 1973Ladies and Gentlemen:

Last year I visited with Dick in Olympia for several days an d wetalked a good deal. We talked a good deal about politics. I wasarguing for greater involvement in the body politic, and for therelevance of the political situation in the educational process. Dickdefended a somewhat more apolitical posture.

In this ongoing debate betwee n us , I have been much moreadamant, certain and dogmatic; and Dick has characteristically beenmore qualified, more open, less certain, and generally more reason-able. :'Iiow, as I read through the manuscript of Dick's paper re-cently, I began to understand more dearly why Dick was reasona-ble. If my arrogance can be forgiven, I began to appreciate how itwa-s that his reasonableness coincides with my adamance. And thus,I hope to draw Dick's reasonableness as evidence for the validity ofthe position I hold so adamantly.

First, a few words on my position. I have been working in the fieldof the history of psychology. Without trying to defend my conclu-sion, I have become increasingly convinced that psychology in

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