The Psychoanalytic Quarterly

ISSN: 0033-2828 (Print) 2167-4086 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/upaq20

On the Possible Occurrence of a Dream in an

Eight-Month-Old Infant

Milton H. Erickson

To cite this article: Milton H. Erickson (1941) On the Possible Occurrence of a Dream
in an Eight-Month-Old Infant, The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 10:3, 382-384, DOI:
10.1080/21674086.1941.11925465

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/21674086.1941.11925465

Published online: 11 Dec 2017.

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ON THE POSSIBLE OCCURRENCE OF A
DREAM IN AN EIGHT-MONTH-OLD INFANT
BY MILTON H. ERICKSON (ELOISE, MICHIGAN)

The age at which dreams first play a part in the psychic life
of the individual is unknown. Various careful studies have
reported that dreams may occur even before the development
of speech, but the weight of evidence has been inferential in
character and based upon sleep disturbances for which purely
physiological, as distinct from psychic, activity might as readily
be postulated. With the development of speech, however, defi­
nite evidence of dreaming by very young children is obtained,
their utterances while asleep disclosing their sleep disturbances
to have an unmistakable psychic content, as is shown so clearly
in Grotjahn's recent observations of dreaming in a two-year­
four-month-old baby. 1
Pertinent to these considerations is the following brief note
reporting an instance in detail which suggests strongly that a
dream with definite psychic and affective content may occur
even at the early age of eight months. The attendant circum­
stances are given in full since they suggest a possible back­
ground for the development of affective desires which might
in tum give rise to dream activity.
For a period of months a father was in the habit of playing
with his infant daughter regularly just previous to her
six p. m. feeding and much pleasure was taken in inducing
her to laugh and in watching her extend her legs, flex her
arms over her chest and turn her head from side to side as she
laughed. The infant had developed a definite attitude of
expectation for this specific play activity.
When she was exactly eight months old, external circum­
stances caused the father to be absent from home one evening
and the next: Returning at midnight the second evening, he
paused at her bedroom door. He could see her clearly out-
1 Grotjahn, Martin: Dream Observations in a Two-Year-Four-Month-Old
Baby. This QUARTERLY, VII, 1938, pp. 507-513.
382
 OCCURRENCE OF A DREAM IN AN EIGHT-MONTH-OLD INFANT 383

lined in the moonlight, lying quietly in her crib, breathing

deeply and sleeping soundly. As he was about to turn away,
she moved restlessly, extended her legs, flexed her arms over
her chest, turned her head from side to side, laughed merrily,
took another breath and laughed again. This was followed
by general relaxation and a continuance of the deep, quiet
breathing, nor did she arouse when her father entered, but
continued to sleep as he tucked her more securely under the
covers.
To say that an infant of eight months could have a dream
of definite psychic content and with affective components seems
questionable, but even more questionable would be any
attempt to postulate a physical discomfort which would dis­
turb sleep and result, at that age, in an expression by laughter.
Likewise questionable would be any attempt to draw conclu­
sions about so young a child experiencing affective deprivation
· so strongly that resort would be had to a dream satisfaction.
Yet, in this instance such an inference seems plausible. In any
event, the observation is noteworthy in relationship to the
problem of dream life and it is hoped that other observers
may report similar instances.
Since making this original observation, another of similar
character has been made.
As they were returning late one night, the parents heard
the baby, then thirteen months old, laughing merrily. Enter­
ing her bedroom immediately, they found the child apparently
sound asleep. Before they had an opportunity to touch her,
however, the child again laughed merrily and this laughter was
immediately succeeded by a third peal, following which the
infant continued to sleep so soundly that even the changing
of her diaper did not arouse her.
That this type of behavior occurred in relation to a pleasing
psychic content or experience on the order of a dream seems
to be a reasonably plausible and legitimate inference.
At the age of twenty-three months, this same child became
much concerned over a rather extensive abrasion of the knee
suffered by her older sister as a result of a fall on the pave-
 MILTON H. ERICKSON

ment-an accident discussed by all of the children in the family

and their playmates. Several nights later, after she had been
sleeping about three hours, she suddenly began to cry. Upon
being picked up, still crying, she sobbed, 'Po' Kaka (Carol).
Kaka bad bump. Kaka hurt. Kaka cry.' Efforts to reassure
her verbally failed, as did an attempt to show her that Carol
was sleeping quietly. She continued crying, adding, 'Kaka fall
down. Kaka hurt knee.' She seemed still to be asleep and
unresponsive to all reassurances. Accordingly she was aroused
completely. Thereupon she repeated her remarks, but with
much less grief in her voice and she seemed to be very greatly
bewildered and puzzled by the sight of Carol sleeping quietly
in bed, as if she could not reconcile a dream content with the
actual sight of her sleeping sister. She then proceeded to dis­
cuss the matter and the impression derived from her frag­
mentary remarks was that she was trying hard to explain the
situation to her parents. Following this, she returned readily
to bed and slept comfortably the rest of the night. In this
instance there can be no doubt of the occurrence of an actual
dream based upon a previous experience.