It is possible that this memory process closely resembles the way the dreams which all of us have are used to visually consolidate memories at night. Given this mode of consolidation, then it is possible that this work will be done on the peremptory ideational train when this train is in full operation. Perhaps, items are stored on train seats or at least in specific cars of the train. Seatmates on the train might influence the content and form of the retrieved memory. We might even find that dream-based memory-consolidation taking place in this manner might operate alongside or in conjunction with creative reconstructions and resynthesizing of these consolidated memories intertwined with the other ideas, thoughts, feelings and experiences that are to be found as seatmates or at least carmates on the ideational train.
Regression in the service of the ego [RITSE]: As I have noted in previous essays in this series, RITSE is a concept engaged by ego psychologists to describe a controlled, temporary, and partial relaxation of the mature ego’s critical and realistic functions. It is prominently displayed in our dreams. This ego-based process allows for access when we are asleep as well as when we are awake to primitive, unstructured, and often highly symbolic unconscious material. Unlike pathological regression—where an individual reverts to immature coping mechanisms under stress—RITSE is adaptive. It provides the “play space” and sanctuaries that I mentioned previously in this essay. The mature ego deliberately deploys this mechanism to retrieve preconscious or unconscious content, typically for constructive purposes such as problem-solving, insight generation, or creative expression. The “service” aspect means the ego initiates the process not as a defense against anxiety, but as an active strategy to overcome intellectual or emotional impasses.
During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ernst Kris (1953) formalized the concept of RITSE, describing it as the way preconscious and unconscious material appears in the creator’s consciousness. Kris’ formulation helped shift ego psychology toward a more positive view of regression, linking it to creativity and innovation. In art and music, RITSE can manifest as a return to a childlike perspective—simple, fresh, and unencumbered by adult logic—yet skillfully integrated into the final product. For example, Picasso’s remark about drawing “like a child” reflects this process. A spiritual leader, such as Burgh Joy (1979), can similarly talk about the process of becoming child-like when moving into a state of spiritual revelation.
In the description of RITSE as a key form of support in our production of dreams, it is important to note that regression occurs in at least three ways. We regress in time, revisiting our childhood and the collective history of our society and culture, possibly through our social unconscious (Hopper and Weinberg, 2019) or our collective unconscious (Jung, 1978). We also regress in our use of form and structure. This is where Ernst Kris’s perspective on RITSE in art comes into play. Third, there is regression in defensive structure. We deploy increasingly primitive defenses, such as repression and displacement (A. Freud, 2018), once again, not on behalf of coping with stress, but rather on behalf of some adaptive purpose.
