dreams in group psychotherapy: theory and technique

Dreams told in the group are conjoint individual and group creations. They are both influenced by the group atmosphere and may in turn influence it and the individual, promoting change and development. Dreams have a deepening effect on therapeutic work and, due to their unconscious content, they may represent the most authentic exchange between individual and group.

This state-of-the-art book provides help for therapists encountering a dream told in their group. It covers the major theoretical perspectives for their understanding, as well as representing different psychological schools and their approaches to the technical issues of group dream therapy. Despite the variety of sources, the clinical approaches described complement each other, and the book details many case studies, including a first dream in the group, an unconscious meeting between women and men, and other polarities within the individual and the group.

Claudio Neri is Professor of `Theory and Technique of Group Dynamics’ at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Rome. He is a member of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society, where he teaches, and the International Psychoanalytic Association. He is supervisor of the Group Psychology service at the Centre for Medical Hygiene at the USL `Roma B’, part of Italy’s National Health Service. The author of the book Group (also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers), Dr Neri is also the editor of two professional journals. Malcolm Pines is a group analyst and psychoanalyst, and a founder member of the Institute of Group Analysis. Prior to his retirement, he was Consultant Psychiatrist at the Tavistock Clinic, London, and is a former President of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy. He is the author of many books, including Circular Reflections: Selected Papers on Group Analysis and Psychoanalysis, and co-editor with Irene Harwood of Self Experiences in Group, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Robi Friedman is head of Technion’s student counselling centre at Carmel Institute for Groups, Haifa University. He teaches courses in individual psychoanalytic psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, team building, and dream seminars. Recent publications regarding dreams in group psychotherapy include articles in Group Analysis and Funzionegamma.