ethical issues

• risk of harm - point

  there is a risk of stress, anxiety, humiliation or pain to the participants during dream analysis.
• risk of harm - explain

  the therapist may guide the client towards an interpretation of the dream that could lead to emotionally distressing insights into past trauma - although the event may have occurred, it could also be a false memory.
• risk of harm - example

  • patients could be experiencing FMS.
  • false memories could come to light during psychoanalysis when a therapist claims to have uncovered past traumatic events
  • Toon (1996) even suggests that therapists may induce false memories for financial gain.
• risk of harm - link

  this ethical issue could be avoided in dream analysis by ensuring that the participant is protected during and after the therapy, and be informed of their right to withdraw if the therapy becomes too distressing.
• valid consent - point

  another ethical issue in dream analysis is valid consent.
• valid consent - explain

  dream analysis will potentially uncover emotionally distressing memories, so the client should understand what is involved in the therapy before committing.
• valid consent - example

  • a lack of valid consent could lead to a problematic power imbalance between the therapist and the client, where the client can become over-reliant on the therapist in making progress
  • Grunbaum (1993) argues that dream therapy is a placebo - it only 'works' because the patient is under pressure to conform to the therapist's expectations.
• valid consent - link

  • dream analysis could be considered quite unethical as it may not be possible to gain proper informed consent because explaining the details of the treatment could be complex and difficult.
  • the patient needs to experience psychoanalysis in order to fully understand it.