There are cases where people see dreams and unable to recollect later so is there any way to recover those dreams? For example we can recollect data from a pen drive or from a memory card after formatting by using some software tools similarly can we recollect the dreams from a person by using medical tools?
Morton Prince, in his early work on dissociation, was able to recover dreams in hypnotic states that were not remembered in the waking state. See The mechanism and interpretation of dreams. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0070883
By Prince, Morton The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 5(4), Oct-Nov 1910, 139-195. [Free online version available]
Discusses dreams as a method of psycho-analysis. It has been observed that in dream analysis, data obtained in the hypnotic state were precise and vivid, unlike those obtained in the waking state. However, not all Ss can be hypnotized and there is a possibility of fabrication of dream material. The contents of dreams were often associated with thoughts in the pre-sleeping state, particularly the disconnected ideas which are passive in nature. Mental experiences and recurring dominant ideas also account for these contents. Understanding the motive and meaning of the whole dream is important in dream analysis, since they may express an important idea in a symbolic form. The mechanism of the dream process is explained by the principle of conservation of mental experiences. Some dreams persist even after waking, but they are subconscious. This is identified as the underlying feature of hysterical stigmata. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Waterman reports more work with the same patient: Dreams as a cause of symptoms. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0073013
By Waterman, G. A.
The Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 5(4), Oct-Nov 1910, 196-210.
Discusses the mechanism and interpretation of dreams. Dreams are examined as the causal factors of symptoms. They may be the source of depression in some individuals and these symptoms may persist. The manifest content of dreams is a distortion of a repressed wish of the dreamer. M. Prince (see Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Vol 5, 139-195, PA: 52638) has referred to this as the motive of the dream. Some cases are presented which show that following an emotional disturbance in dreams, the Ss experienced physical discomfort, depression, nausea, and headaches. Further, the symptoms were associated with the content of the dreams and were a conversion of the experienced emotional disturbance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
It's a clever idea, but remember that the human brain isn't simply a storage unit. All recollection is partly reconstruction (that is, we reshape memories as we remember; the stories change over time), and that will be especially true of "lost" memories that weren't well encoded in the first place (such as dreams). It's the same problem as in hypnosis: you can retrieve more memories, but only some are veridical, and there's no way to tell which are "true" and which "false." So if you try something along lines of hypnosis, be careful not to claim that your subjects have "recovered" "lost" dreams. Rather, they have recreated them - or in some instances, created "dreams" out of their current state of mind.
It's an idea, but don't forget that mind is so complex-ed than a simple pen drive or hard disk. recovering the thoughts is not possible yet. but few researchers had done a great work on it, you should look after that.
Thank you Hendrika Vande Kemp, Stephen Joy and Sudhanshu Verma for your valuable Answers.
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