Commentary: The Language of Dreams: Dissociative Processes and Symbolic Functioning in Dreaming

In response to Yariv Orgad and Yair Neuman’s chapter, “Children Dreams: A Novel Interpretation,” it would seem valuable to clarify and expand on the ideas they present in their chapter, as they relate to dream interpretation. Orgad and Neuman assert that both Freud and Bion interpreted dreams based on their respective theories of the unconscious. The chapter refers to two theoretical constructs (a) structural theory/ego psychology and (b) object relations. Specifically, I will reflect upon particular ideas and thoughts as they relate to Bion’s and Matte Blanco’s theories of dreams. In the following discussion, I incorporate a developmental perspective along with an understanding of dissociative processes in adulthood. I consider both of the aforementioned theoretical constructs significant in working with dreams to the extent that they are connected with the capacity or limitations for symbolic functioning and the development of self and other experiences. As Orgad and Neuman describe a particular technique of semiotic mapping of symbols in dreams, I will introduce general guidelines I find useful in working with patients’ dreams. These guidelines are somewhat informed by a theoretical preference towards working within a dissociative paradigm. More significantly, they have been established through what I have found to resonate with patients when working with dreams. I will present a brief clinical vignette and a dream report, which illustrates the intermingling of theory and practice as it pertains to work with dreams.