Sara Fabjan’s study, “Experience of Emotions in Dreams: An Empirical Phenomenological Study,” published in the journal ‘Dreaming’ in June 2023, represents a significant contribution to the field of dream research through its phenomenological examination of emotional experiences within dreams. This study highlights phenomenology—an approach that emphasizes the detailed exploration of subjective experiences . By focusing on the lived experience of emotions in dreams, Fabjan moves beyond the constraints of quantitative analysis to show the rich, complex, and individualized nature of these experiences. The study’s reliance on empirical phenomenological research methods and interviews is a methodological strength that allows for a capture of the multifaceted nature of dream emotions. This approach is particularly effective in illustrating how emotions in dreams do not conform to a single, uniform pattern but instead manifest in diverse and often unpredictable ways. This finding is crucial, as it challenges conventional models of emotion that tend to oversimplify the range and depth of emotional experiences. A particularly intriguing aspect of Fabjan’s findings is the interconnection between physical sensations and emotions in dreams. The report of participants experiencing emotions through both realistic and exaggerated physical sensations underscores the embodied nature of these dream experiences. This insight is valuable as it suggests that emotions in dreams are not merely psychological phenomena but are intimately linked with bodily sensations, thereby enriching our understanding of the embodied aspect of emotional experiences. Moreover, Fabjan’s work sheds light on the complex dynamics of emotions in dreams, where emotions are not isolated phenomena but can be mixed, blended, or even contradictory. The study also prompts further reflection on the continuity between waking and dreaming emotional experiences, suggesting that the phenomenological exploration of emotions in dreams can offer broader insights into the nature of emotions themselves. It raises intriguing questions about the role of dreams in emotional processing and the potential implications for emotional theories that have historically neglected the phenomenological dimension. In enhancing our understanding of dream emotions through a phenomenological lens, Fabjan’s research contributes valuable insights to the field of dream studies. It underscores the importance of considering the subjective, lived experience as a critical component in the study of emotions. This study serves as a call to more deeply integrate phenomenological methods into psychological research, highlighting their potential to reveal the depth and complexity of human experience in ways that traditional methodologies may not.
Some relevant Reference:
Barrett, D., & McNamara, P. (Eds.). (2007). The New Science of Dreaming: Vol 3. Cultural and Theoretical Perspectives. Praeger Publishers. This collection provides a multidisciplinary perspective on dreaming, with a particular emphasis on the cultural and theoretical frameworks that shape our understanding of dreams and their emotional content.
Heavey, C. L., & Hurlburt, R. T. (2012). “Exploring the phenomenology of waking and dreaming: Reflections on Husserl and descriptive experience sampling.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 11(1), 57-78. This article delves into the methodological approach of Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to explore the conscious experience of waking and dreaming states, offering valuable insights into the phenomenology of emotions within these states.
Lambie, J. A., & Marcel, A. J. (2002). “Consciousness and the varieties of emotion experience: A theoretical framework.” Psychological Review, 109(2), 219-259. This foundational paper presents a theoretical framework for understanding the diversity of emotional experiences, including those in dreams, emphasizing the role of consciousness in modulating these experiences.
Nir, Y., & Tononi, G. (2010). “Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(2), 88-100. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the neurophysiological correlates of dreaming, particularly focusing on the emotional aspects of dream content and their implications for understanding the functions of dreams.
Petitmengin, C. (2006). “Describing one’s subjective experience in the second person: An interview method for the science of consciousness.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 5(3-4), 229-269. Petitmengin’s work on the microphenomenological interview method offers a rigorous approach for capturing the intricacies of subjective experiences, including the emotional dimensions of dreams, from a phenomenological perspective.