Introduction (article)

Most people associate the modern study of dreams with Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. What is less well known is that these two oneiric [dreamwork] pioneers were in fact quite knowledgeable historians of dreaming. Both Freud and Jung were intimately familiar with the long, rich history of Western dream theory and investigation, a history that stretches back through more than three millenia. Freud and Jung drew upon this history to develop their monumental psychological theories, which are not so much radical new statements about dreams as modern renderings of ancient teachings and insights.

In recent years psychohistorians have begun

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to push the study of dreams in new directions, beyond the confines of the sleep laboratory and the clinician’s office. These scholars, many of whom are represented in this issue of Clio’s Psyche, have shown that dreams do not simply reveal the intrapsychic dynamics of the individual dreamer, but actually express with stunning creativity the dreamer’s experiences as a historically situated being. Montague Ullman and Paul Elovitz deserve special credit for leading this movement toward a greater appreciation of how dreams weave the psychological and historical threads of our lives into marvelously complex tapestries of meaning. The 15-year-old Association for the Study of Dreams (ASD) has also promoted this cause by providing an important forum for researchers from various fields who are exploring the psychohistorical aspects of dream experience.

The articles gathered in this issue of Clio’s Psyche mark an exciting new advance in our awareness of the history of dreaming. Leading dream researcher Montague Ullman contributes his reflections on the sociological dimensions of dreaming, arguing that we need a “resocialization” of our understanding of dreams. Robert Rouselle provides a fascinating dream from ancient Athenian history. J. Donald Hughes offers a sweeping overview of medieval attitudes toward dreams and dream interpretation. David Bakan provides an exciting introduction to the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides and his highly sophisticated analysis of dreams, visions, and imagination. Ralph Colp, Jr., focuses on the haunting dream experience of Leon Trotsky, who years after his exile from the Russian Bolshevik state had one last encounter with his former comrade Lenin. And I offer some preliminary findings from my research into the connection between political imagery in our dreams and the social and political realities of our communities.

These articles show that a wealth of new historical information is waiting to be gathered about the various dream beliefs and practices that preceded the modern era. Perhaps the new historical investigations collected in this issue will provide the basis for new, post-Freudian and post-Jungian theories of dreaming that will lead us into a new era of understanding.

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