![]() Such a demonstration can only take place under experimental conditions which include control of the field of the day residues” (p. In “Dreams and Perception: The Role of Preconscious and Primary Modes of Perception in Dream Formation,” Fisher (1954) advocates expanding key Freudian ideas concerning utility of the “day residue”: “Freud’s formulation that an unconscious idea cannot enter consciousness unless it is ‘covered’ or ‘screened’ by a preconscious day residue to include the notion that the memory pictures connected with the unconscious idea cannot attain consciousness unless they are covered or screened by preconscious sensory percepts associated with the day residue….Even, for example, when a figure from the past does appear in the dream, it can be demonstrated that fusion or condensation with a figure in the tachistoscopically exposed picture or with a visual percept from the scenes surrounding the experiment has taken place. The perceptual representation system involves visual communication, and the semantic representation system concerns itself with meaning, but with meanings that are literal, concrete, and very specific, rather than the kind of abstract or logical reasoning that we would include as part of secondary process thinking (Helm, 2004, p. This idea of apperception is very interesting and it fits well with Schacter’s (1992, 1995, 1996) study of priming in which he distinguishes between a perceptual representation system and a semantic representation system. Shevrin also states: “Occasionally, Fisher cites a transformation that affects the meaning of a stimulus rather than its perceptual character, and this he will refer to as apperception rather than perception” (p. In her paper, Brakel argues for changing psychoanalytic technique to include the investigation of drawings of dreams. Shevrin also notes that Brakel (1993), a colleague in his laboratory, has shown that drawings of dreams are much richer than verbal accounts (p. Shevrin also points out: “Fisher’s reliance on drawings is particularly noteworthy, because drawings not only allow for convenient identification of visual forms, but often what appears in the drawings cannot at all be inferred from the verbal account of the image” (p. They were, in a sense, ready-made dream contents primed to be taken advantage of during the night when another current of unconscious influence would play upon them, and stitch them into the developing dream fabric. These day residues had already been influenced by unconscious wishes and revealed primary process transformations. ![]() provided the main source of day residues. Shevrin emphasizes that Fisher proposed that the mind registered many stimuli preconsciously during the day: Although the subject was an artist, she complained that she had to draw the animals that way almost compulsively despite her intention to do otherwise” (p. ![]() ![]() However, when she attempted to draw the dogs or pigs, the animals turned out to look like peculiar combinations of mammal-like bodies and bird-like heads and tails. Following the 1/100 sec exposure, the subject reported seeing two animals resembling dogs or pigs. The stimulus was a colored photograph of two Siamese cats and a parakeet perched between them. Shevrin gives an example: “he subject’s initial impression of the subliminal stimulus already manifested the influence of unconscious forces. These images appeared to contain evidence for the activation of powerful unconscious wishes and dreamlike primary process condensations. And yet these images were obtained only minutes after the exposure of the subliminal stimulus. Fisher discovered that his subjects’ images were in many respects as dreamlike in nature as their dreams. ![]() Perhaps Fisher’s finest contribution to psychoanalytic theory is his proposed revision of the theory of dream formation…. In addition to the original papers of Fisher and his collaborators, the book also contains Shevrin’s insightful introduction and thoughtful summary of Fisher’s ideas that he integrates with more recent work from his laboratory. I will focus primarily on the papers that study the subliminal perceptions and dreams of individuals in detail, because I believe these papers will be most interesting for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. The second part of the book comprises papers using a research methodology to test hypotheses in a reasonably rigorous manner. The first part of the book comprises papers that study very carefully the subliminal perceptions and dreams of individuals, and present drawings and conclusions in great detail. Howard Shevrin’s book of reprints of Charles Fisher’s experiments in subliminal perception provides a fascinating experience for all clinicians, especially those with a strong interest in dreaming and perception. Reviewed By: Fonya Helm, Summer 2004, pp. Publisher: Madison: CT International Universities Press 2001 ![]()
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