Using Daydreams in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Daydreams, long recognized as containers of unarticulated, unrecognized and/or unconscious material, can be subtle but powerful tools for introducing clients to the process of exploring internal experience. They offer a crucial, relatively non-threatening path to self-understanding for individuals who come into therapy without the capacity for introspection, tolerance of affect, and sense of agency that are requisite for the process of psychodynamic psychotherapy. In part because they are often available to conscious awareness, they are an amazingly useful medium through which to help many of these clients gain access to their internal world. They encourage the development of the capacity to symbolize, to play, and eventually to embrace the potential space of internal experience that makes it possible to have a rich and fulfilling life in the external world. In this article, the author introduces the use of daydreams in psychodynamic psychotherapy, focusing specifically on three specific areas: resistance, somatization, and transference.     

Recording and Interpreting Work‐Related Daydreams: Effects on Vocational Self‐Concept Crystallization

This mixed‐methods study examined the effects of recording and interpreting work‐related daydreams on vocational self‐concept crystallization and attitudes toward daydreams. Fifty‐one college students were assigned to 1 of 2 experimental groups—daydream journal group (n = 15) and daydream interpretation group (n = 18)—and a control group (n = 18). Data were analyzed using analyses of covariance. At posttest, both experimental groups showed higher levels of vocational self‐concept crystallization than the control group, and the daydream interpretation group perceived their daydreams as more relevant than the control group. Qualitative data were collected via written postintervention surveys and embedded as a supplement to the quantitative design. The qualitative data support the findings that participants in the experimental groups gained a greater awareness and clarity regarding their vocational self‐concepts and a greater belief in the relevancy of work‐related daydreams.