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In discussing working with dreams and issues of dream symbolism, I have chosen to present my perspective as a researcher and psychoanalyst by entitling this paper with a metaphor taken from Claude Bernard's (1865) classic book, An Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine. In that book, Bernard indicates that the researcher has a dual task. First he must develop an hypothesis, and then he must change hats and become an objective observer. I will try to show how this can be applied to the study of dreams and then present some results of our research and discuss applications to clinical work with dreams.
As you know, this era of double blind research has blossomed because of doubts about the ability of researchers to maintain an objective stance. Although these doubts have some basis, the problem is certainly not absolute, and a lot of good research has been done in medicine and in psychoanalysis without hypothesis-blind observation. I have found two aspects of my work with dreams conducive to the maintenance of objectivity.
The first is my training as a psychoanalyst. We all hope that even during the intense interchange of the clinical situation, we can sustain our power of self-observation. This faculty, although often imperfect, proves to be most helpful when doing research, for it does enable one to monitor one's reactions to observations and to allow for the investment in confirming cherished hypotheses. I suspect there are few groups of researchers who have the opportunity that we analysts have to develop the faculty of self-scrutiny.
Dr. Greenberg is visiting Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Mental Health Center.