Vol. 27 of Prof. Kawai’s Essay Series in Minerva Correspondence: Kiwameru was Published
A new installment in Prof. Toshio Kawai’s essay series, “Kokoro’s Forefront and the Layers of History” was published in the November 2018 issue of Minerva Correspondence: Kiwameru.
The theme of this month’s essay is “Modern dreams and their interpretation”.
The previous essay discussed historical changes in the way people relate to dreams. The theme of this month’s essay is how dreams are understood in the modern era.
The author points out that Western rationalism has affected how many people view the importance of dreams, leading them to think dream interpretation is preposterous. In contrast, Freud and Jung said that dream interpretation is effective and meaningful in psychotherapy. Prof. Kawai concurs with this opinion, stating that in his clinical experience, dreams have opened up a dimension in clients that words alone can not.
However, the modern psychotherapy needs dream interpretation, and Jung and Freud both recognized that “dreams are not directly used in psychotherapy”.
Whereas in ancient times, dreams were directly connected to external reality, our modern consciousness has been cut off from the world of dreams, which is why dream interpretation is necessary in modern times. This change coincided with the emergence of psychology, which was due to the loss of kokoro and direct connection with dreams.
（Commentary：Hisae Konakawa Research Fellow）
“Kokoro’s Forefront and the Layers of History”(Vol. 27)
“Modern dreams and their interpretation”, Toshio Kawai
The previous essays discussed historical changes in the way people relate to dreams and how dreams were dealt with during the Japan’s medieval era. At that time, dreams had a strong impact on the lives of people, just as they did in the ancient times. However, especially in the medieval times, how people shared their interpretations of dreams with each other became important. In that way, dreams became something that can reflect waking consciousness, not merely one-way communication. In contrast, how are dreams viewed with regard to these issues in modern times?
The website page
https://www.minervashobo.co.jp/book/b378552.html
2018/12/12