G. William Domhoff
The Mystique of Dreams
A Search for Utopia Through Senoi Dream Theory
$22.95, £13.50 paperback
978-0-520-06021-0
Available Now
"Domhoff's volume is a readable, intriguing, detectivelike story that conveys an object lesson in how this fantasy [the belief that 'human nature is malleable and perfectible'] can lead one to a significant distortion or misrepresentation of reality. . . . Fascinating."—David L. Wolitzky, Contemporary Psychology
"If Domhoff's book convinces dreamworkers of the arbitrariness of all theories and methods, it will have done the whole dream world a service."—Ann Faraday, Association for the Study of Dreams Newsletter
"If Domhoff's book convinces dreamworkers of the arbitrariness of all theories and methods, it will have done the whole dream world a service."—Ann Faraday, Association for the Study of Dreams Newsletter
"I read this charming book with great interest and admiration. It is lively, clear and wise."—J. Allen Hobson, Harvard Medical School
A fascinating strand of the human potential movement of the 1960s involved the dream mystique of a previously unknown Malaysian tribe, the Senoi, first brought to the attention of the Western world by adventurer-anthropologist-psychologist Kilton Stewart. Exploring the origin, attraction, and efficacy of the Senoi ideas, G. William Domhoff also investigates current research on dreams and concludes that the story of Senoi dream theory tells us more about certain aspects of American culture than it does about this distant tribe. In analyzing its mystical appeal, he comes to some unexpected conclusions about American spirituality and practicality.