Ullman’s experiential dreamwork group approach versus Islamic dream interpretation: the dream of a psychologist Muslim women

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to draw attention to, and exemplify, how a dialogue between the Islamic vision of dreams could be compared with those premises proposed by Montague Ullman. Specifically, we are interested in unveiling the application of the Ullman’s Experiential Dreamwork Group Approach and intertwining it with the Islamic understanding of dreams in Muslim women. To do so, we first review the premises of psychodynamic theory and relate them to the Ullman method. Second, we deploy ideas of dream interpretation in Islam. Thirdly, the mental health of Muslim women in Middle Eastern culture is discussed. We then present an in-depth autoethnographic documentation of the dream of a Muslim woman who is in the final phase of her academic training as a clinical psychologist in a Middle Eastern country, and who received intensive training in the Ullman’s approach. We intend to show the overlaps, and some-times conflicts, of the two epistemologies, Western (Ullman) and Eastern (Islamic), in understanding and treating dreams. At the end of the article, conclusions are derived and implications for future research are discussed.