Dreams have been used in psychotherapy since Freud’s publication, The Interpretation of Dreams. First, the prominent dream interpretation theories of Freud and Jung are presented in comparison, as well as the resulting therapeutic approach. These concepts are then compared with the results of empirical dream research, which has developed since the discovery of REM sleep in the 1950s. An important finding here is that the central assumptions of Freudian dream theory need to be reconsidered, while many elements of Jung’s understanding of dreams are supported. The results of this research have also led to further development of the concepts of psychotherapeutic work with dreams within psychodynamic schools, which today can be formulated as a general psychodynamic model of dream work. In addition, there is now comprehensive clinical dream research in the context of various therapeutic schools. In summary, it can be said that it has now been convincingly proven that dreams have meaning, are related to problems in the dreamer’s waking life, that they deal with these problems in a targeted manner, and that the use of dreams in psychotherapy is helpful and effective. The overview of clinical dream research is rounded off with an overview of the results of the lecturer’s research program Structural Dream Analysis, in which the close connection between the client’s unconscious psychological issues, conflicts, and complexes, the course of psychotherapy, and the structure and symbolism of dreams could be demonstrated. This is illustrated by example cases with very large dream series (over 1000 dreams). It has been demonstrated here that dream series from psychotherapy follow a typical phase model and that typical motifs actually appear at the phase transitions (which can also be understood as turning points). Overall, it can be said that working with dreams in psychotherapy today enjoys broad scientific support, and that these findings can be used to derive a coherent, practice-oriented concept for working with dreams in psychotherapy.
Dream Interpretation and Empirical Dream Research
Agenda
- 11:30 – 11:35 pm Introduction
- 11:35 – 12:30 pm Presentation by Dr. Christian Roesler
- 12:30 – 1:00 pm Presenter-led question and answer session
Learning Objectives
- Discuss different psychoanalytic dream theories and how they shape different approaches to dram interpretation in psychotherapy.
- Summarize the research on dreams and apply this to the practice of dream interpretation in psychotherapy.
Presenter
Christian Roesler, PhD
Christian Roesler, PhD, is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Catholic University Freiburg/Germany, lecturer in analytical psychology at the University of Basel/CH, Associate Professor for Psychotherapy Science at Sigmund-Freud-Universität Austria. Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice in Freiburg, training analyst for the C.G. Jung-Institutes in Stuttgart and Zurich. Dr. Roseler specializes in work with couples and families and in interpretive research methods. He has researched and published on analytical psychology and contemporary sciences, dream research, couple counseling, postmodern identity construction, narrative/interpretative research, media psychology. He is a member of IAAP, DGAP, International Network for Research in Analytical Psychology (INFAP3), and Working Group of Psychodynamic University Professors. Email
Donald R. Ross, MD
Dr. Ross is currently in private practice in Austin, Texas after serving many years as the Medical Director and Senior Psychiatrist at TheRetreat at Sheppard Pratt, an intensive residential program in Baltimore, Maryland designed on psychodynamic principles for patients struggling with complex problems. He also taught seminars and supervised psychotherapy for psychiatry residents in the University of Maryland-Sheppard Pratt Psychiatry Residency Training Program. He currently is a Supervising and Training Analyst on the faculty of the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute, and a Consulting and Candidate’s Analyst on the faculty of the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies in Houston. Dr. Ross has co-authored psychoanalytic journal articles about various clinical topics, including the treatment of borderline personality disorder, as well as film reviews.
References
Roesler, C. (2025). Dreams and Dream Interpretation: A Contemporary Introduction. Routledge Introductions to Contemporary Psychoanalysis. London: Routledge.
Roesler, C., Kissling, L., Sütterlin, T., & Gees, A. (2025). Dreams in psychotherapy: An empirically supported model of the relations of dreams to the course of psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 42(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1037/pap0000527
Roesler, C. (2023): Dream Interpretation and Empirical Dream Research – An overview of theoretical developments in Psychoanalysis and empirical findings. The International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 104 (2), 301-330.