DREAM, PLAY AND NARRATIVE IN PERSONAL IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AND IN PSYCHOTHERAPY. NEW SUGGESTIONS FROM INDIVIDUALPSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

This paper is built on two basic principles: that the authentic richness of the human being is his ability to dream and that the patient’s dreams enrich our way to practice psychotherapy. However, we believe that the interpretation of dreams still depends excessively on psychological theories suggested by various “Schools” and we consider that, from a scientific point of view, this dependency creates confusion, as well as the risk of devaluing the very meaning of psychotherapy. In order to avoid this impasse, in the article we consider the interlacement between dream, play and narrative, and we call for the chance to build a view of the oneiric world, shared in its theoretical basis by various models. For this purpose, we urge that neurosciences become the “Galilean telescope” for a new Copernican revolution. Together with other fields of research, such as evolutionism, epigenetics and the theory of play, neurosciences could be the drive for a conception of dreaming capable of harmonizing science and imagination, verifiable discoveries and creative openness