Dreams and nightmares : the new theory on the origin and meaning of dreams /

According to Hartmann (psychiatry, Tufts Univ.), neither Freud's view of dreams as wish fulfillment nor modern biologists' emphasis on random forebrain activity during sleep does justice to the nature and functions of dreaming. Hartmann, who has conducted dream research and clinical work with dreams for a quarter of a century, suggests that dreaming makes broader connections in the brain's neural nets than does waking. As a result, rapid processing activities (e.g., reading) seldom occur in dreams where emotionally toned images and activities, which are connected to each other by the nets, serve as metaphors for unresolved life issues. Hartmann suggests that just as rapid-eye-movement sleep serves biological purposes (e.g., restoration, regulation), dreaming--when it contextualizes emotions--serves psychological functions (e.g., solving problems, resolving traumas). Hartmann admits that evidence supporting this speculation is hard to obtain, but he supports his new theory in a reader-friendly manner using human examples and case studies. All academic and professional collections. S. Krippner; Saybrook Graduate School