Facing the Fear of Death

Abstract

Berne (1947) wrote a chapter on “Dreams and the Unconscious” in his first book, preserved that chapter through two revisions spanning 20 years, and was still mentioning dreams in his final book, especially as a source of insight into script patterns. The author describes a memorable example of working with a 94-year-old man whose script apparently denied death and shows how the dreams and nightmares from his unconscious mind brought the underlying issues to attention and eventually provided resolution of the impasse.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Margaret M. Bowater

Margaret M. Bowater, M.A., Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (psychotherapy), is co-director of the Auckland TA Training Institute and past co-director of the Human Development and Training Institute of New Zealand. She is in the private practice of psychotherapy, counseling, and supervision and the author of Dreams: The Language of the Spirit (1997) and numerous articles on applied dreamwork. She can be reached at 109 Eban Avenue, Northcote, Auckland, New Zealand; e-mail: [email protected].