Referential processes in dreams: A brief report from a COVID-19 dreams analysis.

Psychoanalytic Psychology, Vol 40(2), Apr 2023, 109-114; doi:10.1037/pap0000420The COVID-19 pandemic has been a collective trauma for the world population. Psychoanalytic literature has long proposed that dreams are a key point of access for understanding the deepest functioning of the mind. Using the multiple code theory (Bucci, 1993) as a framework, this study aims to explore the emotional and cognitive responses of the general population to COVID-19 through their dreams. A total of 613 dreams were collected in an online survey. Linguistic measures of referential process and a cluster analysis were performed, then one-way analyses of variance explored the differences in content among dreams’ clusters according to the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Analysis suggested three dream clusters: Cluster A (N = 255) defines an arousal activation; Cluster B (N = 121) defines a phase of symbolization; Cluster C (N = 237) defines a phase of reflection/reorganization. The content analysis of LIWC presents significant differences among the three clusters (p
Source: Psychoanalytic Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research