The DreamResearch.net Dream Library: Useful Articles on Dreams
This "library" contains published and unpublished papers in the research tradition established by psychologist Calvin S. Hall. They are meant for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and dream researchers, with the hope that the papers will be of use to them in formulating research projects or adopting a theoretical framework. The following paragraphs present a brief overview of the types of papers to be found here.
There are three "classic" papers by Hall (1947, 1953a, 1953b) that present his "thematic" method for studying a series of dreams, as well as his theoretical ideas about dreams and about "symbols" in dreams (i.e., they are really the same as waking metaphors).
There is also a "classic" paper by one of Hall's students, Walter J. Reis (1951), showing that free associations are not necessary to understand dreams if you have 20 or more dreams from a person. (There is a more recent study, not included in this library, that comes to the same conclusion. See Carol Popp, Lester Luborsky, and Paul Crits-Christoph, "The Parallels of the CCRT from Therapy Narratives with the CCRT from Dreams," in Lester Luborsky and Paul Crits-Christoph, Understanding Transference, Basic Books, New York, 1992.) These findings are important because they show that scientific work can be done with dreams outside a clinical situation and without information from the dreamer.
The library also has several recent (1998 and later) papers by either G. William Domhoff or by Domhoff's former students. Most of these papers present systematic empirical findings. They demonstrate the kind of studies that are possible with the method of quantitative content analysis explained on this Web site. Other papers in the library by Domhoff explain the method of content analysis in more detail or suggest the theoretical implications of findings based on this method.
Finally, there are several papers that critique writings by well-known dream theorists, such as Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, J. Allan Hobson, and Ernest Hartmann, or a popular dream writer, Patricia Garfield. They are meant as one point of view in an ongoing dialogue, and are not likely to be convincing to those who adhere strongly to the particular viewpoint that is being critiqued. These critiques will be of greatest interest to those who are in the process of comparing different approaches to dreams, or who are deciding what research approach to take in studying dreams.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2024). Measurement and Statistical Issues that Need to Be Addressed in the Study of Dream Content.
- Bulkeley, K. (2023, Spring). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming (review). DreamTime Magazine, 40.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2023). The relationship between dreaming and autonoetic consciousness: The neurocognitive theory of dreaming gains in explanatory power by drawing upon the multistate hierarchical model of consciousness. Dreaming, 33(1), 1-18.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2022). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming: The Where, How, When, What, and Why of Dreams. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2022). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming: The Where, How, When, What, and Why of Dreams. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2018). The Emergence of Dreaming: Mind-Wandering, Embodied Simulation, and the Default Network. Cambridge: Oxford University Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2003). The Scientific Study of Dreams: Neural Networks, Cognitive Development, and Content Analysis. Washington, DC: APA Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1996). Finding Meaning in Dreams: A Quantitative Approach. New York: Plenum.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1985). The Mystique of Dreams. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2024). Measurement and Statistical Issues that Need to Be Addressed in the Study of Dream Content.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2023). The relationship between dreaming and autonoetic consciousness: The neurocognitive theory of dreaming gains in explanatory power by drawing upon the multistate hierarchical model of consciousness. Dreaming, 33(1), 1-18.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2020). Dreaming Is Imagination Roaming Freely, Based on Embodied Simulation, and Subserved by an Unconstrained Default Network [PDF]. In A. Abraham (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Imagination (pp. 676-691). New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2020). New neuroimaging technologies and online methods for dream content analysis make it possible to study dreaming in non-disruptive and low-budget ways in sleep medicine clinics [PDF]. In J. Pagel (Ed.), Parasomnia Dreaming (pp. 293-319). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2020). From adolescence to young adulthood in two dream series: The consistency and continuity of characters and major personal interests [PDF]. Dreaming, 30(2), 140-161.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2019). The neurocognitive theory of dreams at age 20: An assessment and a comparison with four other theories of dreaming [PDF]. Dreaming, 29, 265-302.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2019). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming: Where, When, How, What, and Why [PDF]. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2018). Are dreams social simulations? Or are they enactments of conceptions and personal concerns? An empirical and theoretical comparison of two dream theories. Dreaming, 28, 1-23.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2017). The invasion of the concept snatchers: The origins, distortions, and future of the continuity hypothesis. Dreaming, 27, 14-39.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2016). We Need Bigger and Better Samples of Dream Reports. Presented to the IASD Online Dream Research Conference, November 13, 2016.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2015). Dreaming as embodied simulation: A widower's dreams of his deceased wife. Dreaming, 25, 232-256.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2015). Correcting for multiple comparisons in studies of dream content: A statistical addition to the Hall/Van de Castle coding system. Dreaming, 25, 59-69.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2015). Assessing autocorrelation in studies using the Hall and Van de Castle coding system to study individual dream series. Dreaming, 25, 70-79.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Fox, K. R. (2015). Dreaming and the default network: A review, synthesis, and counterintuitive research proposal. Consciousness and Cognition, 33, 342-353.
- Fox, K. C. R., Nijeboer, S., Solomonova, E., Domhoff, G. W., & Christoff, K. (2013). Dreaming as mind wandering: Evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 412.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2011). The neural substrate for dreaming: Is it a subsystem of the default network? Consciousness and Cognition, 20, 1163-1174.
- Bulkeley, K., & Domhoff, G. W. (2010). Detecting meaning in dream reports: An extension of a word search approach. Dreaming, 20, 77-95.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2008). Similarities and differences in dream content at the cross-cultural, gender, and individual levels. Consciousness and Cognition, 17, 1257-1265.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2008). Studying dream content using the archive and search engine on DreamBank.net Consciousness and Cognition, 17, 1238-1247.
- Domhoff, G. W., Meyer-Gomes, K., & Schredl, M. (2006). Dreams as the expression of conceptions and concerns: A comparison of German and American college students. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 25(3), 269-282.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2006). Dream Research In The Mass Media: Where Journalists Go Wrong On Dreams. The Scientific Review of Mental Health Practice, 14. http://www.srmhp.org/.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2005). Refocusing the neurocognitive approach to dreams: A critique of the Hobson versus Solms debate. Dreaming, 15, 3-20.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2005a). The content of dreams: Methodologic and theoretical implications. In M. H. Kryger, T. Roth, & W. C. Dement (Eds.), Principles and Practies of Sleep Medicine (4th Ed., pp. 522-534). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (2004). Studying Dream Content Using the Search Engine and Dream Archive on Dreambank.net. Paper presented to the meetings of the American Psychological Society, Chicago, May 29, 2004.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2004). Why did empirical dream researchers reject Freud? A critique of historical claims by Mark Solms. Dreaming, 14, 3-17.
- Kerr, N., & Domhoff, G. W. (2004). Do the blind literally "see" in their dreams? A critique of a recent claim that they do. Dreaming, 14, 230-233.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2002). Using content analysis to study dreams: applications and implications for the humanities. In K. Bulkeley (Ed.), Dreams: A Reader on the Religious, Cultural, and Psychological Dimensions of Dreaming (pp. 307-319). New York: Palgrave.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2001). A new neurocognitive theory of dreams. Dreaming, 11, 13-33.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2000). Methods and measures for the study of dream content. In M. Kryger, T. Roth, & W. Dement (Eds.), Principles and Practies of Sleep Medicine: Vol. 3 (pp. 463-471). Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders.
- Avila-White, D., Schneider, A., & Domhoff, G. W. (1999). The most recent dreams of 12-13 year-old boys and girls: A methodological contribution to the study of dream content in teenagers. Dreaming, 9, 163-171.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (1999). Much ado about very little: The small effect sizes when home and laboratory collected dreams are compared. Dreaming, 9, 139-151.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1999). Drawing theoretical implications from descriptive empirical findings on dream content. Dreaming, 9, 201-210.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1999). New directions in the study of dream content using the Hall/Van de Castle coding system. Dreaming, 9, 115-137.
- Hurovitz, C., Dunn, S., Domhoff, G. W., & Fiss, H. (1999). The dreams of blind men and women: A replication and extension of previous findings. Dreaming, 9, 183-193.
- Kirschner, N. (1999). Changes in dream content after drug treatment. Dreaming, 9, 195-200.
- Domhoff, G. W., & Schneider, A. (1998). New rationales and methods for quantitative dream research outside the laboratory. Sleep, 21, 398-404.
- Hall, C. S. (1953). A cognitive theory of dreams. The Journal of General Psychology, 49, 273-282. Abridged version in M. F. DeMartino (Ed.). (1959). Dreams and Personality Dynamics (pp. 123-134). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
- Hall, C. S. (1953). A cognitive theory of dream symbols. The Journal of General Psychology, 48, 169-186.
- Reis, W. (1951). A Comparison of the Interpretation of Dream Series With and Without Free Associations. Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University. Abridged version in M. F. DeMartino (Ed.). (1959). Dreams and Personality Dynamics (pp. 211-225). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
- Hall, C. S. (1947). Diagnosing personality by the analysis of dreams. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 42, 68-79.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2024). Measurement and Statistical Issues that Need to Be Addressed in the Study of Dream Content.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2010). The Case for a Cognitive Theory of Dreams. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2010a.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2005). The Dreams of Men and Women: Patterns of Gender Similarity and Difference. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2005c.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2004). The Case Against the Problem-Solving Theory of Dreaming. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2004b.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2004). Fast Content Analysis Using the Internet. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2004a.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2003). Senoi Dream Theory: Myth, Scientific Method, and the Dreamwork Movement. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/senoi.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2000). The Problems with Activation-Synthesis Theory. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2000e.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2000). Moving Dream Theory Beyond Freud and Jung. Paper presented to the symposium "Beyond Freud and Jung?", Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, 9/23/2000.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2000). Dreams and Parapsychology. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2000c.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (2000). The Repetition Principle in Dreams: Is It a Possible Clue to a Function of Dreams? Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2000b.html
- Domhoff, G. W. (1999). Using Hall/Van De Castle Dream Content Analysis to Test New Theories: An Example Using a Theory Proposed by Ernest Hartmann. Paper presented to the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Dreams, Santa Cruz, CA.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1999). Garfield's Universal Dreams or Hall/Van de Castle Coding: Which System Is the Most Comprehensive and Useful? Paper presented to the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Dreams, Santa Cruz, CA.
- Domhoff, G. W. (1999). The "Purpose" of Dreams. Retrieved November 9, 2024 from the World Wide Web: http://dreamresearch.net/Library/domhoff_2000c.html
- Bulkeley, K. (2023, Spring). The Neurocognitive Theory of Dreaming (review). DreamTime Magazine, 40.
- Levy, M. (2018). Other Dreams. Telegraphos Press.
- Levy, M. (2017). Dreams, Vietnam. Salem, MA: Winter Street Press.
- Corcoran, D. (2007, July 3). Big Dreams: Interview with Bill Domhoff. Science Times [Podcast]. Retrieved July 3, 2007, from http://podcasts.nytimes.com/podcasts/2007/07/02/03scienceupdate.mp3.
[Click the link to download an MP3 file (1.6 MB) of the interview.]
- Wamsley, E. J., & Antrobus, J. (2005). A new beginning for empirical dream research [Review of the book The Scientific Study of Dreams]. American Journal of Psychology, 119(1), 129-135.
- Szymanska, E. (2004). Dream on: A new cognitive framework might awaken dream research. APS Observer, 17(8).
- Jha, A. (2004, June 10). Field of dreams. The Guardian.
- Domhoff, G. W. (2003, March 28). Making sense of dreaming [Review of the book Dreaming: An Introduction to the Science of Sleep, by J. A. Hobson]. Science, 299, 1987-1988.
- Nebbe, C. (2002, June 3). Interview with Bill Domhoff. The Todd Mundt Show [Radio Program]. Ann Arbor, MI: WUOM.
[Click the link to download an MP3 file (2.7 MB) of the interview.]
- Svitil, K. (2002, March). Freud-debunker Bill Domhoff: Dream un-weaver. Discover, 23(3), 16.
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