A 21st Century Look at Freud's Dream Theory

It is hardly surprising that four decades of sleep and dream research have invalidated a good many elements of Freud's original dream theory. Even if it weren't for the momentous discovery of rapid eye movements (REMs) in the '50s, a discovery which we all know not only revolutionized our understanding of the very nature of sleep but for the first time in history made the scientific investigation of the dream experience possible, the mere passage of time would in all likelihood have given rise to many changes and modifications in Freud's original conceptualizations, which after all are now about a century old. What is surprising is how much of Freud's original thinking has stood the test of time. It is my purpose to look at these developments in some depth, i.e., to subject them to an analysis from a variety of perspectives—empirical, clinical, historical, and epistemological. My hope is that by doing so we can arrive not only at a more realistic appraisal of Freud's contribution but also achieve greater clarity in determining the future course of dream research.

For the sake of organizational clarity I have divided this paper into three parts. First I will discuss those elements of Freud's dream theory that have by and large not stood the test of time. Having gotten these out of the way, I shall next take up aspects of Freud's thinking that have largely been upheld by modern dream research. Were Freud alive today, I don't think he would actually be all that displeased with what he would find. Third and finally, I will review some altogether new directions that my colleagues and I are following, directions that go way beyond anything Freud and his contemporaries could possibly have anticipated. It is true, of course, that we today see further than Freud because we are standing on his shoulders, but it is equally true that Freud did not possess the technology that is available to us today, which makes it possible for us to delve into the unknown to an extent unthinkab