ABSTRACT
Psychoanalytical dream research is concerned with three main aspects of dreaming: How a dream is generated, whether the dream contents are meaningful and whether a dream works for psychological or biological needs. The theory introduced by Sigmund Freud at the beginning of the twentieth century can be seen as a turning point in the scientific investigation of dreams. The psychoanalytic dream theory has deeply influenced most of the clinical theories on dreaming and, to some extent, modern experimental investigation of dream states as well. In the 1950s, the discovery of REM sleep and of the profile of typical different sleeping states during the night provided the starting point for modern sleep and dream research. This laboratory research has revealed overwhelming new knowledge about the dreaming mind and about the features of the dream state. According to Freud, unconscious drive wishes are the most important creator for a dream. They are the psycho-energetic source of a dream.
