Bad Dreams Are Made Of This Looking at Distressing Dreams In Light of Heidegger’s Befindlichkeit And Boss’ Dream

Abstract

This paper explores the experience of sharing distressing dreams in therapy. The author is influenced by his own therapeutic dream-work, and focuses on his experience working with a client who brings a recurrent bad dream in therapy. A review and critique of Boss’ dream theories is included, looking at paradox, reality/fantasy and waking/sleeping experience, while the second part focuses on Heidegger’s Befindlichkeit and its relevance to distressing dreams in therapy. This paper attempts to bring Boss’ theory and Heidegger’s philosophy closer to the lived experience that happens in the therapy time/space. In the light of what is presented here, the potential value of existential dream-work lies upon looking at the interrelatedness between the waking and dreaming worlds, which happens through the relationship between client and therapist.