The extended unconscious group field and metabolization of pandemic experience: dreaming together to keep cohesion alive

Abstract

Introduction: Working with dreams in groups allows understanding of unconscious phenomena that characterize it as unity and totality. The dreamer becomes the vehicle of emotions, fantasies,and anxieties that dominate the group at a given moment, allowing them to be understood and processed (Friedman et al., 2002). Recognizing a projected theme in the group generates a change of perspective for the group, which becomes a specific psychic space (Kaës, 2001), a shared psychic field. The analysis of the shared dreams helps the understanding of the emotional concerns related to the Covid 19 and its psychological repercussions. Methods: Six matrices of social dreaming of different groups for analytical purposes were conducted during the Covid pandemic period. The sessions were transcribed and the texts were analyzed by performing a thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) with the support of Atlas.ti software. Results: From the analysis of the results, three main themes were identified: a) “Lately I have more nightmares when I am awake than when I am asleep": Nightmares during the Covid-19 pandemic; b) “Losing one’s senses and losing the sense”: Helplessness and environmental mastery across time and space; c) Do play like a child: Recalling the child-past in the uncertain present. Discussion and conclusions: Through dreams and dream narratives we witness the evolution of group thinking through a progressive growth of the links between individuals and the common and shared field. The members of the group are thus able to identify within dreams the meanings that are useful for the entire group to process the painful experience that unites them.

Eudaimonic Well-Being of Italian Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Psychological Inflexibility and Fear of Death

“…This can be a crucial setback in young adulthood, a phase of personal development that represents the long transition from adolescence to adulthood. Young adults have been facing psychologically challenging transitions characterizing this developmental life phase [13] while the pandemic was undermining labor and socialization opportunities [6,14] with an overall detrimental impact on people's trustworthiness in the world [52,53].…”

“…The Covid-19 pandemic has represented a collective trauma that undermined people's expectation of a known and trustworthy world [52,53].…”

Eudaimonic Well-Being of Italian Young Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Predictive and Mediating Roles of Fear of Death and Psychological Inflexibility

“…This can be a crucial setback in young adulthood, a phase of personal development that represents the long transition from adolescence to adulthood. Young adults have been facing psychologically challenging transitions characterizing this developmental life phase [13] while the pandemic was undermining labor and socialization opportunities [6,14] with an overall detrimental impact on people's trust in the world [56,57].…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a collective trauma that undermined people's expectation of a known and trustworthy world [56,57].…”

The Significance of Psychoanalysis on Remitting the Effect of COVID-19 on Peoples Mental Health

“…The dream, as a psychic phenomenon, interconnects the various psychic areas of dreamers, forming a cohesive and interconnected matrix within the group. By engaging in social dreaming, the group taps into the collective experience of the unconscious, providing a platform for the emergence of social thinking and promoting the evolution of the group as a unit [9]. The dream narrative within the group matrix captures the essence of resonance, polyphony, and a balanced mix of symmetrical and asymmetrical logic.…”