On functions of dreams and dream-telling in the context of group dynamics

This article narrates how the views on the function, the role and the use of dreams in therapy have developed in psychoanalysis . The article makes the assumption that dreams are brought to the group not from the beginning, but that the retelling of dreams is related to the particular phase of group development. It is assumed that the retelling of dreams and their processing in a group helps to restore the integrity of the "inner image of the group", that participants have, when it is under destruction in connection with the open or concealed conflicts in the group. It is also assumed that retelling of the dreams and their processing in the group may fulfill several other functions (relieving of separation anxiety for participants, associated with interruptions in the work of the group; a "leveling, regulating" effect on the activity level of the participants and on the degree of their involvement in what is going on in the group; aligning the positions of those who are "slightly behind" and those who are "slightly ahead" in meeting the challenges of group development).

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