USE OF DREAMS IN THERAPY - A SURVEY OF CLINICIAN IN PRIVATE-PRACTICE

A literature review indicated a dearth of research on how dreams are u sed in therapeutic settings so a questionnaire was sent to a random sa mple of 500 members of the Florida Psychological Association to assess (a) the extent of dream use in therapy, (b) theoretical approaches ap plied to dream interpretation, and (c) basis for experience and expert ise in dream work. Of the 500 potential clinicians, 228 returned surve y forms for a response rate of 46%. Analysis indicated that 83% of the respondents used dream material at least occasionally in their practi ce and that Freudian and Gesralt approaches were most often used in dr eam interpretation. Interestingly, most respondents gained their 'expe rience' in dream work through self-study and continuing education work shops and seminars.