Nand, Major Satya. The Objective Method of Dream Interpretation. [Lahore, India:  Northern India Printing and Publishing Co.]

The dedication of this book is rather quaint, “Dedicated to my parents, and to their boundless faith in the past and future intellectual supremacy of India.” One wonders what a scientific and objective method can have to do with “the intellectual supremacy of India.” Apparently the volume was not proofread for it abounds in typographical errors. The author is a member of the Indian Psychoanalytic Society and seems to prefer the term sub-conscious. With much optimism the author says, “As I imagine that this book can be understood by the layman, I am introducing it first to them and then to the specialists.” It is doubtful whether many laymen could understand this volume, while the reasoning for presenting it to the layman first is somewhat naive.

In spite of all this one very quickly gets the impression that the author is a widely read man who thinks for himself as well. In his interpretations of dreams the author uses associations but also correlations according to the classification of Spearman I; this is done in order to establish an “objective method.” The study of three dreams occupies nearly half the volume. The Oedipal material of the dream is rejected. The prospective nature is examined. That there are sexual aspects of dreams is not denied: other factors must be examined, the author says, in order to gain self-knowledge. The author feels that Jung was justified in his revolt against Freud and that the conventional method of analysis is an attempt to rejuvenate the Hebrew Weltanschauung. It is said that the discoveries of Freud, Jung and Adler were based on the data of their own self-analyses; and that it is necessary to study their methods scientifically. The unit of the “subconscious” is said to be “figures.” The author introduces much new material from various sources. One does not get the feeling it is too well assimilated. The bibliography refers to about forty-five different