The Ontology and Phenomenology of Dreaming in Psychosis: A Group-Analytic Approach With a Neuropsychological Perspective *
Journal of Psychology Research March 28, 2015 Anastassios Koukis
Group-analytic psychotherapy can help people with psychosis rebuild their ability to dream, which in turn eases their symptoms. In psychotic dreaming, a crude fantasy of the primal scene dominates, unlike the richer dream phenomenology seen in neurotic patients. By systematically analyzing dreams as they evolved through three developmental phases—primordial/archaic, intermediate bodily and mental images, and reality-oriented—the work shows how patients transform this archaic core into a more adequate dream experience. The findings also suggest directions for future neuropsychological research into the neuronal correlates of dreaming in psychosis and its reconstitution through group analysis.