The dreams are mainly
visual, tactual elements coming second, and the _dramatis
persona_ is either an unknown woman (27 per cent, cases), or only
known by sight (56 per cent.), and in the majority is, at all
events in the beginning, an ugly or fantastic figure, becoming
more attractive later in life, but never identical with the woman
loved during waking life. This, as Gualino points out, accords
with the general tendency for the emotions of the day to be
latent in sleep. Masturbation only formed the subject of the
dream in four cases. The emotional state in the pubertal stage,
apart from pleasure, was anxiety (37 per cent.), desire (17 per
cent.), fear (14 per cent.). In the adult stage, anxiety and fear
receded to 7 per cent, and 6 per cent., respectively.
Thirty-three of the subjects, as a result of sexual or general
disturbances, had had nocturnal emissions without dreams; these
were always found exhausting. Normally (in more than 90 per
cent.) erotic dreams are the most vivid of all dreams. In no case
was there knowledge of any monthly or other cyclic periodicity in
the occurrence of the manifestations. In 34 per cent, of cases,
they tended to occur very soon after sexual intercourse. In
numerous cases they were peculiarly frequent (even three in one
night) during courtship, when the young man was in the habit of
kissing and caressing his betrothed, but ceased after marriage.
Pages:
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345