ABSTRACT
“Don’t tell this to admissions committees, they will think you are a kook and they won’t want ya.” There does not exist a more relational piece of advice. Such is the disposition of J. Allan Hobson. A renowned dream researcher with accomplishments beyond compare, Hobson has vitalized the field of dream research. What he has also vitalized, inconspicuously, is the interconnection between dreams and relationships. In this chapter, an interview between the author and Hobson is described, followed by an analysis of the relational psychoanalytic phenomenon unfolding within the interaction. A relational psychoanalytic perspective is also provided on the various connections Hobson has made throughout his life, and how those relations inherently influenced the lives of many others. This chapter illuminates the essentiality of recognition processes (Benjamin, 2010) and working through potential space (Winnicott, 1971/1991) to the something more (Stern, Sander, & Tronick, 1998) of interpersonal relating for truly seeing an individual – for forming a relationship. Most importantly, this chapter highlights the ways in which dreams are essential to the foundation of each of the aforementioned relational events, and how the indissoluble nature of dreams and relationships has proven crucial in Hobson’s ability to see the humanity behind scientific research.
