Location: Home :: Mental Health Books :: General AAS :: Our Dreaming Mind

Need a quick gift? Try Amazon gift certificates.

Don't Forget To Visit:

The New Social Worker Online

SocialWorkJobBank

Online Continuing Education for Social Workers

Amazon.com Widgets

Related Categories

•	General AAS

New Used Textbooks

Custom Stores

Specialty Stores

•	General AAS

•

Our Dreaming Mind

enlarge

Author: Robert Van De Castle
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$27.00~~
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $26.99 (100%)

New (61) Used (302) from $0.01

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.9
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.4

ISBN: 0345396669
Dewey Decimal Number: 154.63
EAN: 9780345396662
ASIN: 0345396669

Publication Date: October 17, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.

Similar Items:

•	The Dream Workbook: Discover the Knowledge and Power Hidden in Your Dreams
•	The Mind at Night: The New Science of How and Why We Dream
•	Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth
•	Memories, Dreams, Reflections
•	The Interpretation of Dreams (Oxford World's Classics)

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
"A MASTERPIECE ON DREAMS...This book is a singular resource.... If it inspires you to remember your dreams, this book will change your life. If it inspires you to act on your dreams, this book will change the world."br--Henry Reedbr Author of Getting Help from Your Dreamsbr and Dream SolutionsbrIn this brilliantly researched and thorough study, internationally recognized dream authority Robert L. Van de Castle examines the vital role that dreams have played throughout history, from the dreams of ancient Sumerian kings to the pioneering dream research of nineteenth-century psychologists. Our Dreaming Mind delves into the most provocative experiments that scientists are conducting on the dreaming mind in this century and surveys ongoing dream experiments: dreams and sexual arousal, the impact of pregnancy on dreams, the connection between dreams and creativity, and the possibility of paranormal dreams. br"In Our Dreaming Mind, Robert Van de Castle pulls decades of accumulated wisdom together in a sweeping panorama unsurpassed in the literature for its scope, its insight, and its ability to captivate its readers.br--Stanley Krippnerbr Director of The Saybrook Institutebr Editor of Dream Time and Dream Workbr"IMMENSELY READABLE...A monumental history of dreams."br--Publishers Weeklybr"Our Dreaming Mind is really a dream come true--the most comprehensive, authoritative, and inspiring book on dreams I know about. At heart, this book is about human consciousness and our place in the universe. A magnificent contribution."br--Larry Dossey, M.D.br Author of Meaning Medicine: br A Doctor's Tales of Breakthrough and HealingbrbrAN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB

Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

My Dream Text Book! December 25, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Of all the books I have about dreams Our Dreaming Mind has the most comprehensive research. Unlike other dream books that are use to promote the author point of view; Dr. Van de Castle uses facts and research to promote his claim. ***I believe most people don't remember their dreams, some or all, because they can't handle how far their dreams take them.*** Anyone that can easily remember their dreams and has a bit of a scientific mind will be overjoyed that some scientist is taking dreams seriously. I use this book as the core text for my dream study. Thank you Dr. Van de Castle!!!

5 out of 5 stars

Perfect Library Resource January 1, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

As other reviewers have stated, this book reads like a dissertation given all of the works cited. The author has definitely done his research and is comprehensive in covering all aspects of dreaming. The information presented is interesting and fascinating, but the book is not for those who would rather read a novel than a textbook or term paper. I, alas, am one of those people and donated my copy to our Women's Circle library. This book is a valuable resource and is recommended for those who are taking on serious study.

4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating May 12, 2004
20 out of 21 found this review helpful

This book is a compendium of information about dreams, ranging from folklore and ancient beliefs through current scientific research. The book is organized into 6 parts: anecdotes and famous dreams, early dream research from the dawn of history up until Freud, modern dream theorists including Freud and Jung, experimental dream research, scientific dream analysis, and paranormal and lucid dreams. There are also two appendixes that provide contact information for dream networks and organizations, and how to keep a dream diary. The book is extensively documented with endnotes, and there is a 20 page bibliography as well as an index. There is a phenomenal amount of material crammed into this volume- -the pages are extra wide to accommodate two columns of text on each page. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs and dream-influenced artwork.pThe early part of the book seemed almost like an extended literature review for a dissertation or an encyclopedia. The thoughts of dozens, perhaps even hundreds of philosophers, researchers, and other dreamers are briefly summarized in chronological order, from Plato to Artemidorus, from Erik Erikson to Calvin Hall. I found the sections on Freud and Jung particularly illuminating. As someone who has heard a lot about Freud, but never read his works, I found the overview of Freud's work on dreams and his school of psychoanalysis quite informative, especially when it was directly contrasted with Jung's work. The contributions of each of these men to the topic of dream research were presented in great depth, and supplemented with example analyses in their corresponding schools. pI also found the section of the book covering contemporary dream research to be quite fascinating. It would have been better, however, if this section were expanded and brought up to date with the latest laboratory findings. One annoying habit that Van de Castle has is using this book to defend criticisms of his research methodology. In several places in the text, he reports that other researchers disagreed with his findings, and then he launches into in-depth justification of his conclusions. While he is certainly within his rights to defend his views, it makes no sense to do so in a popular work such as this one- -all he needed to do in this text was mention the disagreements (perhaps in an endnote) and briefly explain that he had answered the questions in print elsewhere. By discussing the points in detail here, it makes it appear as if he is defending his research by appealing not to his scientific peers, but to the general public. In contrast, it might have been good to explain the experimental design of his research in a little more detail in this book. From his descriptions here, he makes it sound as if he does dream research by positing that certain elements of dreams are common or absent in a particular group of people, and then checking their dreams to see if this is indeed the case. He never mentions whether this research is conducted using double-blind methods or control populations. If he had mentioned here that he consistently used such methods, his research would sound a lot more credible. (If he actually didn't use such methods, then his research would be dreamy, indeed.) pIn any case, I found much of what Van de Castle reports to be consistent with my own experiences. After reading this book, I am even more certain that following one's nightly dreams can be a very illuminating and worthwhile practice. I plan to use the book's extensive bibliography to follow up on the ideas presented here.

4 out of 5 stars

Interesting read May 14, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

VdC gives a pretty good gloss-over history of dreaming and what certain people thought of them; how certain philosophers and psychologists thought of them. He also recounts several studies and the statistics that were drawn from them - which are quite interesting. brOne of the studies on lucid dreaming describes the participants methods for inducing lucid dreams, and the method happens to be almost identical to a method I've successfully used before, which I originally got from a book called Control Your Dreams.

4 out of 5 stars

The best book on dreming so far, if not the best imaginable August 24, 2002
5 out of 9 found this review helpful

Robert Van De Castle has a sense of vocation for his subject that conveys beautifully. He speaks very plainly and directly, without talking down to the reader. He's as objective as you can be with a subject that's so completely subjective (yet universal.)pThe one negative review of Van De castle's book is from a Freudian. There is not "disenchantment" with Freud, he has been largely discredited. Dreams are not intentionally disguised infantile sexual wishes. The 'sub'conscious does not consist entirely of repressed desires. Freud's idea of the ego as basically the entire mind reminds me of the idea of the Earth being the center of the universe. They are just products of a different era.pWhile sometimes a little simplistic in its prose style and speculative in nature, Our Dreaming Mind is on a much higher plane than the new age junk that largely consumes shelf space devoted to the subject in book stores. Well worth the investment.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
Disclaimer: The products referenced on this site are manufactured and sold by parties other than The New Social Worker/White Hat Communications. We make no representations regarding either the products or any information vendors offer about their products.

Visit our poster store for unique social issues posters.

Amazon.com Widgets