Spatial Translation and Regression in Dreams: The Nicholas Young Phenomenon

Abstract

The Nicholas Young phenomenon involves an immediate shift in dreams to more regressive mental functioning whenever, in the manifest ideational content, the dreamer or protagonist crosses a topographical boundary or threshold (spatial translation). This phenomenon thus furthers the regression typical in dreams. Eight examples of the Young phenomenon are presented. An attempt to explain this highly specialized phenomenon addresses dreams in series, or dream sections in series, and refers to Scherner’s Law, which covers their sequential trend toward regression. Referring to the mind’s self-observing capacity, Silberer’s “symbolism of the threshold” is invoked to explain the spatial translation of the Young phenomenon.