Dream for a time of war

Gillian Straker

doi:10.9791/ajpanz.2003.04

Gillian Straker

DOI: https://doi.org/10.9791/ajpanz.2003.04

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most profound relationships we have is to war and peace. Yet until war is upon us we give it little thought. Once it is upon us we often slip into feelings of impotence and lethargy. Yet our capacity to sustain peace in the external world is crucially dependent on the ebb and flow of our capacities, both as individuals and as a collective, to sustain a particular mind state.

Through case material, this paper explores the difficulties in sustaining a peace mentality in a time of war. It looks at the importance of connection to 'the music, not the words', when therapist and client may speak different languages (not only metaphorically but literally). Within this, the paper stresses the importance of dreams as expressed in the analyst's reverie and the analysand's visions.

Author Biography

Gillian Straker

As recorded in 2003.

Gillian Straker, M.A. (Clin. Psych.) Ph.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychology, University of Sydney. She teaches Psychotherapy (Psychoanalytic Integrations) at Metanoia and Sherwood Institutes, London, and is an organisational consultant to Encompass, Australasia. She maintains a private practice in Sydney.