Fact and Fiction

I’ve been particularly intrigued by two articles in the news this week.

The first article referred to the controversy surrounding the recent release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The DSM is used to categorize mental illness based on signs and symptoms. Critics argue that the latest revisions contained within the DSM-5 go too far in attempting to diagnose every human experience without sufficient empirical evidence.

Given that I have worked in the mental health field for close to twenty years, I am decidedly biased when it comes to my support for the DSM when it comes to its utility in helping people who are acutely psychotic. But I also cringe at contemporary society’s tendency to define, diagnose and treat almost every human experience when sometimes a cough is just a cough – no need for further analysis.

The second article that caught my attention was the release of a psychology study which suggested that our nighttime dreams are linked to our daytime relationship behaviour. The study found, for example, that after a dream involving jealousy of a partner, the dreamer was more likely to report conflict with their partner the following day. I found this interesting because I tend to believe in the power of the mind when the body is sleeping – within reason. Again, sometimes a dream about a deer is just that, a dream – no need for further analysis. Or is it?

Which brings me to a scene in my novel, The Killer Trail. The villain Ray Owens wakes from a dream in which an eagle hovered over an unprotected fawn. Ray scoffs at the prospect of mental health professionals attempting to analyze his dream in search of its deeper meaning. He resented the suggestion that the baby deer represented himself, and that he had unresolved early childhood trauma. Instead, he decided to reframe the dream so that he was represented by the eagle going after its prey, Chris Ryder.

Sometimes the facts come down to personal interpretation to some degree and sometimes people see what they want to see.

But if you’re interested in whether Ray Owens succeeds in his planned attack on Chris Ryder, the fact of that matter is you’ll need to read my book when it’s released in Spring 2014!