Dreamtime as a Pathway to Self-Discovery and Healing

“In Dreamtime, there is no deception, only truths of the subconscious and spirit.” — Pamela Cummins

The wisdom I have gained from dreamtime has empowered me to understand and heal myself by bringing to light and addressing the unconscious aspects of my mind. These aspects, if neglected, can lead to triggers and behaviors that do not serve me well.

Three years ago, during my inner work journey, I recognized my struggle with expressing my ‘truth’ openly, advocating for myself, and setting boundaries.

These patterns resulted in bottled-up anger, resentment, and unnecessary suffering. They also hindered my transition to a new writing career and sharing my spiritual experiences with others.

Over a year had passed since my son was diagnosed with severe autism spectrum disorder, yet I had only confided in my siblings about it.

I found it challenging to manage others' reactions to my son’s diagnosis, filled with inquiries about his future, or facing the scrutiny of their judgments.

As I delved deeper into my inner work, I realized that understanding the origins of these behavior patterns could facilitate healing.

However, since I couldn't uncover their root cause through conscious thought, I opted to seek assistance from my subconscious.

Connecting with My Subconscious Through Dreamtime — My Journey

One night, just before sleep, I set my intention: "Divine Mind, please reveal to me through my dreams what I need to learn about these behavior patterns."

And that night, a vivid dream unfolded…

I found myself in an office adorned with soft colors, a mixture of cubicles and an open space filled with desks. As I exited a colleague's cubicle, I encountered a cousin who made an unkind remark about me.

Instantly, my face flushed with embarrassment, and I was left speechless, unable to respond to her cutting words.

Feeling overwhelmed, I moved toward a gathering of people within the office.

Among them were two women I recognized: Amelia, a former coworker from a past project, and Gaby, a young IT professional I hadn’t seen in years.

Everyone seemed eager to know why I was upset, but I found myself at a loss for words.

A tight knot formed in my throat as I felt the weight of my cousin's words pressing on my chest. Just when I struggled to articulate my feelings, Gaby stepped in and recited my cousin's remark verbatim.

I mentally echoed, “That’s right! But why couldn't I express that?”

I then found myself sneaking into an unfamiliar closet, searching frantically but unable to locate what I sought.

In a hurry to escape detection, I intensified my search but left empty-handed.

As I exited, I crossed paths with a tall, athletic young man who caught my attention.

Wait! Who is he?

A rush of adrenaline surged through me, and I sensed an air of mystery. We dashed back into the closet together.

He began rummaging through the drawers and, to my astonishment, uncovered a box I had overlooked, revealing the object of our quest: my diamond!

With a rounded shape and blue hues, it resembled a grape in size.

Ecstatic, I realized I was swiftly moving out of that place… but I wasn't running.

The young man was carrying me piggyback style, and a wave of relief washed over me as I reclaimed my diamond.

I suddenly found myself in an unfamiliar location. Everything seemed blurred until I saw my elderly mother approaching me, holding a rough diamond the size of her palm.

Looking into my eyes, she smiled and said, “This is the stone I gave you since you were born.”

As I examined the diamond closely, I realized that the smaller stone I had retrieved earlier was a fragment of this larger diamond, somehow separated from its core.

A surge of excitement filled my heart.

Documenting My Dream for Interpretation

Upon waking the next day, I made it a priority to jot down every detail of my dream that I could remember. I meticulously categorized everything:

• Locations: ambiance, decor, and energy;
• Emotions/Thoughts: my feelings and those of others;
• Characters: identifying who they were and their actions;
• Connections between the various scenes of my dream.

Identifying Symbols and Making Connections

“Dreams are the hidden doorways to the deepest sanctum of the soul.” — Carl G. Jung

Carl Jung believed that everything in a dream reflects our inner state. Therefore, each character or event in a dream symbolizes aspects of ourselves, unacknowledged traits, or metaphors for our waking life.

After breaking down the dream's details into symbols, I drew connections between those symbols and my real-life experiences.

First Scene The office's style and color scheme suggested a conservative, structured work environment, mirroring my family dynamics. My cousin's appearance in the dream indicated that my behavioral patterns were likely influenced by family interactions.

Amelia and Gaby, both colleagues from my waking life, have played roles in helping me become more assertive in real-life situations.

Suddenly, a childhood memory surfaced.

I was four years old, playing in my parents' room when my father shouted at me, striking me with the force of his voice.

Although I couldn't recall the specifics of his anger, I remember the fear that froze me in place.

A knot formed in my throat, rendering me speechless. The hurt from that moment weighed heavily on my heart.

In that instant, I grasped the significance of my dream.

Whenever my brain recalled that traumatic experience, it triggered a similar ‘freeze response.’

Second Scene In this segment, I was attempting to retrieve a stone hidden from me in a closet.

But why was I so cautious if the stone rightfully belonged to me?

Given the context of the previous scene, I intuitively recognized that the diamond represented my voice, associated with the throat chakra, which governs communication and self-expression.

The fact that the stone was concealed suggested I was hiding my truth from others, reflecting my current struggles.

Later, I encountered the athletic young man, who helped me recover my voice without detection.

What did he symbolize within me?

Third Scene In this segment, my wise self—represented by my elderly mother—uncovered the truth that my voice had been fragmented due to childhood trauma.

Integrating the Message from Dreamtime for Healing

After connecting the symbols to my waking life, I also linked the different scenes in my dream to form a cohesive message that illuminated my path.

The first scene clearly revealed that childhood trauma was the origin of my 'freeze' response.

Linking the first and second scenes, I recognized that this trauma hindered my ability to assert myself and set boundaries, as evidenced by my reaction to my cousin's comment and my cautious attempt to reclaim my voice.

Furthermore, the second scene indicated that my childhood experiences fostered a fear of sharing my truth, as reflected in the hidden diamond.

Despite realizing that my father's actions contributed to the patterns I sought to heal, I held no resentment towards him.

He was a loving father, doing the best he could with the knowledge he had.

In that moment of anger, I understood that it stemmed from his own stress, not from a lack of love.

The third scene underscored the importance of reintegrating the fragmented aspects of my voice with its core—the rough diamond.

Beyond these insights, connecting the scenes illuminated a profound breakthrough.

Buried deep within me were feelings of denial, grief, and resistance related to my son's diagnosis.

I finally understood why I had to navigate such complexities to reclaim my voice in the dream.

I needed to embrace and share my story as a mother of a special needs child to heal and reclaim my voice.

In Lak’ech. © 06.29.2023, Carolina Smith. All Rights Reserved.

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