Exploring dream content as an expression of underlying mental states: A thematic analysis of ten clinical cases in homoeopathic practice - A pilot study
Nikunj Jani, Chirag Shah
International Journal of Psychiatry Research July 1, 2026 DOI: 10.33545/26648962.2026.v8.i7a.158 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Secondary qualitative analysis Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10 |
| Population | Clinical cases selected from a homoeopathic practice |
| Topics | Anxiety Dreaming |
| Keywords | Thematic analysis Qualitative research Dream Content analysis Nonprobability sampling Mental health Narrative inquiry Interpersonal communication Clinical psychology Applied psychology Data collection Experiential learning Interpersonal relationship Psychotherapist Qualitative analysis Content measure theory Developmental psychology Expression computer science |
| Key findings | Five higher-order themes emerged from dream narratives, suggesting that dreams may reveal emotional concerns not readily expressed during waking interviews. |
Abstract
Background: Dreams contain emotional, interpersonal and experiential material that may relate to waking-life concerns. In homoeopathic practice, dreams are traditionally considered during case-taking; however, their interpretation is often subjective. Systematic thematic analysis may provide a more transparent method for exploring the relationship between dream content and the mental state of an individual.
Objective: To identify recurring themes in dream narratives and explore their relationship with documented waking-life situations and emotional states in a purposively selected sample of clinical cases.
Methods: A secondary qualitative analysis was conducted on 10 cases selected from a clinical practice. A purposive sampling was used to select the cases which had established a contextual relationship between dreams and life situations. Dream narratives, documented life situations and clinical interpretations were re-analysed using a thematic-analysis procedure adapted from Braun and Clarke. Data was grouped into subthemes and subsequently higher-order themes. Reporting was guided by the Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR).
Results: Five higher-order themes emerged: Threat, anxiety and loss of control. Suppressed and repressed emotional experience. Aggression, conflict and the threatened self. Attachment, sexuality and unmet relational needs. Vulnerability, isolation and inadequacy.
Conclusion: Dream narratives may provide clinically relevant qualitative material concerning emotional concerns that are not always readily expressed during waking interviews. Their potential value appears to lie in contextual thematic analysis rather than fixed symbolic interpretation. Larger prospective studies using systematic coding and independent validation are warranted.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Other as a Nightmare: The Israeli-Arab Encounter as Reflected in Children's Dreams in Israel and the West Bank Jewish and Arab fifth to seventh graders living in various settings in Israel and the... | 1989 | Qualitative content analysis | n = 212 |
| Nonwaking Responses to Waking Stressors: Dreams and Nightmares1 Men from the cohort eligible for military duty during the Vietnam Conflict, varying in... | 1990 | Survey interview study | n = 442 |
| Communing with the Gods: The Dreaming Brain in Cross-cultural Perspective | 2011 | Phenomenological study | |
| Partial memory reinstatement while (lucid) dreaming to change the dream environment. Lucid dreamers | 2020 | Qualitative study | |
| Strange themes in pandemic dreams: Insomnia was associated with more negative, anxious and death‐related dreams during the COVID‐19 pandemic Global survey participants | 2022 | Longitudinal mixed-methods study | n = 2,240 |