Night Visions - Page 5


So what should we take away from this book that makes so much of escaping from the prison of language? At times, for all Kamenetz's knowledge and writerly skills, he ends up only with routine, sentimental insights about his distant father and his wounded inner child. In these pragmatic times, many readers may feel that the inner wisdom and other treasures supposedly mined by exploring the deep psyche—so fascinating to Freud and Jung—may be a false promise.

Today, most mainstream clinicians don't use dreams at all. There are many other therapeutic means to get to the heart of feelings, the root of pathologies, the terrain of distorted "core beliefs" that litter the lives of the average, distressed client. But, clearly, in a time when many therapists are forced to do short-order work with their clients, a rich, experiential immersion in a "field of dreams" may be a salutary adjunct to the quick, cognitive instructions and brief, focused therapy managed care requires.

In the end, Kamenetz's pursuit isn't only therapeutic—it isn't just that he renews his relationship with his father, but that he renews his relationship with language and life. Kamenetz now teaches dream work himself, along with being a professor and writer. It's the sort of work he can keep doing all his life, and we can all learn to do—even though no insurance company will ever cover the costs of showing us how.

Richard Handler is a radio producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Toronto, Canada. Contact: rhandler@sympatico.ca.

Letters to the Editor about this department can be e-mailed to letters@psychnetworker.org.

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