The Dream Drawing Technique: First Data on Differential Effects of Drawn and Written Reporting of Dream Content
Stanley L. Brodsky, Nancy L. Ryba
Imagination, Cognition and Personality March 1, 2002 DOI: 10.2190/70r8-b7cg-gj5y-x8bw (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 69 |
| Population | Participants who were asked to record a recent dream |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | No significant or meaningful difference in dream content was found among the write, write-then-draw, and draw-then-write conditions. Individual variation exceeded group differences, and artistic ability and personal understanding appeared influential. The authors argue that empirical support for dream drawings to enhance interpretation is lacking. |
Abstract
It has often been asserted that the drawing of one's dreams will aid in producing more vivid, more interpretable, and clearer dream content. However, the literature on using dream drawings to enhance interpretation and meaningfulness has been limited to descriptive and narrative accounts. This study compared the recorded dreams of 69 participants who were asked to either write, write then draw, or draw then write an account of a recent dream. Quantitative results revealed no significant and meaningful difference between these three conditions. In the qualitative results, variation between individual subjects was much greater than between groups. Factors such as artistic ability and personal understanding of one's dream appeared to be important factors when using drawings of dreams. This first report of empirical results failed to provide systematic, research-based support for the use of dream drawings to enhance understanding and interpretation of dreams. The many proponents of dream drawings should reconsider their routine advocacy of this subjective methodology.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficacy of a Cognitive‐Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia and Nightmares in Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans With PTSD Combat veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom (mean age... | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Lucid Dreaming Treatment for Nightmares: A Pilot Study Chronic nightmare sufferers | 2006 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 23 |
| Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: A tDCS study Participants spending three consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory | 2013 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 19 |
| Pre-sleep treatment with galantamine stimulates lucid dreaming: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study Adults with high dream recall and an interest in lucid dreaming | 2018 | Randomized crossover trial | n = 121 |
| Studies with lucid dreaming as add-on therapy to Gestalt therapy Adults with nightmares (ICD-10: F51.5) at least twice a week | 2015 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 32 |