A New Way of Analysing Dreams on Its Profoundest Level: The Development of Motif Analysis and Phase Model (MAP) as an Extension of Structural Dream Analysis (SDA)

A new method called Motif Analysis and Phase Model (MAP) was developed to examine how dream motifs change during psychotherapy and relate to waking life. Analysis of 217 dreams from one male subject, first using Structural Dream Analysis and then linking content to waking life through guided interviews, showed a strong connection between dream content and both psychotherapy and waking experiences. Five motifs with structural changes were identified, leading to a four-phase model. A transformative child motif appeared at turning points. However, the course of dream patterns and the agency of the dream ego did not change. The method and generalizability were critically discussed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Dream research today assumes that there is a connection between dreams and waking life. However, the structural alteration of dream motifs in connection with the psychotherapeutic process and waking life has not yet been researched extensively. This study depicts the development of the new Motif Analysis and Phase Model (MAP), a dynamic method which allows research on the previous aspects. The following question was investigated as an accompanying key issue: can a connection be established between the course of the dream patterns and the agency of the dream ego as well as the dream contents and the course of the psychotherapies of the dreaming person as a whole? Four hypotheses were formulated and tested. The data material consists of 217 dreams of a male test subject. The motifs were analysed using Structural Dream Analysis (SDA) at first. Thereafter, the content was linked to the test subject's waking life in a guided interview. The findings show a strong connection between the dream content and the psychotherapies as well as the test subject's waking life. Five motifs with structural changes were found, through which the Phase Model with four phases was developed. At turning points, the transformative child motif also appears in the dreams. The course of the dream patterns and agency of the dream ego, however, has not changed. The results, the method and the generalisability were critically discussed and recommendations for future research were formulated.