On Dreaming, Parasomnia, Dream Enactment and Murder


Publication Announcement by Brent Willock (Canada)

(2022). Psychoanalytic Psychology, 39(2): 97–110,

PEP-Web’s vast archive of psychoanalytic literature contains no articles on parasomnia or dream enactment. There is no mention of violent parasomnias. Enriching dialogue is desirable and possible between the study of these simultaneous sleep/wake states and the psychoanalytic investigation of dreams. This article illustrates how these fields of inquiry can be brought together to increase comprehension of very significant phenomena. A potential relationship between dreams of convenience and parasomnia is considered. These matters are insufficiently understood in mental health, legal disciplines and public discourse. Psychoanalytic perspectives on dreaming and dream enactment in relation to sleep disorders have much to contribute to psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, sleep medicine and the law. Two important cases are explored in detail.

doi.org/10.1037/pap0000382

Brent Willock, Ph.D.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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