ABSTRACT

Archetypal Dream Tending in Psychotherapy - Theory and Practice

Roger M. Knudson, Ph. D.
Department of Psychology
Miami University
Oxford, OH 45056
knudsorm@muohio.edu

Roger Knudson is Director of Clinical Training in the Ph. D. program in clinical psychology at Miami University and a member of the ASD Board of Directors. He has taught courses on dreams for 25 years at Miami.  After several papers on the on-going significance of significant dreams, his research is now focusing on dreams in relation to eating disorders.

Summary of Presentation

The approach to dream tending in clinical practice based Hillman's archetypal psychology has a number of unique features.  It contrasts sharply both with the methods of classical psychoanalysis and with the orthodox Jungian approach.  It differs as well from Gestalt practice.  This workshop presents the key theoretical ideas of the archetypal approach followed by a detailed illustrative case study.

Learning Objectives.

To present the major elements of archetypal psychology's approach to the dream

To compare and contrast the archetypal approach with both the Freudian method of association and the Jungian method of amplification

To illustrate how the approach is applied in a specific case

Evaluation questions:

What does archetypal psychology mean by "Stick to the Image"?

How does the archetypal approach of "animating" the image differ significantly from associating to the image or amplifying the image?

How does imaginal dialogue in the archetypal approach differ from the "empty chair" technique of Gestalt therapy?

Abstract 

In a set of articles published in the journal Spring in the late 1970's, first Patricia Berry and then James Hillman laid the theoretical foundations for a radically alternative approach to the dream as presented in psychotherapy.  The rallying cry of this approach was "stick to the image!" 

This workshop will present the key theoretical ideas of archetypal psychology that give substance to the idea of sticking to the image.  How these theoretical ideas may be translated into clinical practice will be discussed in detail.  Stephen Aizenstat's questions:  "Who visits now?" and "What's happening here?" will provide the framework for this translation of theory into practical application. 

As the presentation unfolds, archetypal psychology's approach to "animating" the dream image will be differentiated from the traditional psychoanalytic approach of association as well as the Jungian approach of amplification.  Animation of the dream image in the service of developing an imaginal dialogue with the others of the dream will also be contrasted with Gestalt "empty chair" work.

Following the presentation of the theoretical underpinnings of the approach, a case example will be presented to illustrate in some detail both the process and some of the challenges of the approach.  Ample time for discussion will be provided with emphasis on application in clinical settings.

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