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Professor Meier is uniquely qualified for the task he undertakes in this second volume of his textbook on Jungian psychology, of providing an overview of Jung's approach to dreams. Jung himself only specifically addressed the subject in four short works, but gave to Meier, his assistant and successor, his seminal notes on dreams. These inform much of the substance of the book, giving it an especial interest and value. Meier himself brings to the work vast clinical experience with dreams and a wealth of theoretical and historical knowledge.
In line with his respect for the psyche as a constant in human existence and his belief that the consensus gentium should be taken seriously, Meier sets his presentation of Jung's views on the meaning and significance of the dream within a comparative and historical context. Much can be learned from the different ways investigators have approached a phenomenon widely agreed to have function and meaning, and Meier undertakes his survey of the various methods used to study dreams in a spirit of open-minded enquiry. He finds that although experimental and modern scientific methods raise questions which are important for the psychological study of dreams, they can only offer limited explanations and stop short of the meaning of the dream, leaving a psychic phenomenon which can be observed and approached only by psychic means.
Ancient dream theories greatly interest the author in this connection and Meier is deeply versed in the subject. As often throughout the book he counsels abandoning prejudices when exploring the literature of other times and cultures, contrasting Freud and Jung in this respect. Here, as in his chapter on methods of dream research, Meier gives extended detail, examples and quotations, and both these sections are an excellent guide to sources of texts on dreams, often little-known.
The second half of the book is an exposition and discussion of Jung's own views on the dream and ways of approaching its meaning. Meier de