Ben-Zvi,
Anat (4/08) The referential cycle in a Cognitive-Experiential Dream
interpretation Model of dreams, projective material, and life events (Gary
Kose, Ph.D.; Nicholas Papouchis, Ph.D.; Barry Ritzler, Ph.D.)
This study asked two central questions
previously posited by Hill and colleagues (1993). Is there something unique to
dreams distinguishing them from other kinds of material that are often the
subject matter of therapy sessions? Or, is it the nature of the therapist's
inquiry that makes dreams seem meaningful in a therapy context? Using Hill's
Cognitive-Experiential Dream Interpretation Model (1996), this study compared
three kinds of material: a dream, life event, and a story based on picture (projective)
with and without Hill's model. Thirty adult participants wrote about a dream,
life event, and imaginary story on-line. Their written text for all three kinds
of material and for the non-structured and structured (Hill's model) on-line
sessions were compared on Bocci's (1984, 2007) psycholinguistic variables: RA,
AFF, REF. Dreams and projective material were significantly higher in RA than
life events. When people began to write about life events they used more REF
words, and fewer RA words. Hill's model led to a significant increase in AFF
words, helping people connect their dream, event and story to feelings. These
findings have implications for the types of material presented by patients in
therapy. It is possible that dreams and fantasy material help patients use
symbol and metaphor to articulate previously dissociated emotions, whereas life
events more readily lead to intellectualization and abstraction.
