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"A purplish-blue octopus approaching me, was my size and started dancing with me. Its arms intertwined with mine. Its eyes were kind and encouraging." This participant came to Guided Dreaming after their position was eliminated—a career transition that left them seeking clarity and reassurance. Am I on the right path? During their underwater waking dream, they began in white light. They felt overwhelmed. Then they grew roots—grounding themselves, drawing on their background a

"At one point, I felt that my wife and I were merging with the octopus so that we all became in one body, which is the body of the octopus, but our heads remained there, as if it were an octopus with three heads." This participant and his wife came to Guided Dreaming seeking to resolve stress and communication challenges in their relationship. Over the past few months, work and personal commitments had created distance between them. During his underwater waking dream, he foun

"Getting a shock from the jellyfish... reminded me of kind of like acupuncture in some forms and how it creates a sensation to release the area or release the emotions." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a new diagnosis of diverticulitis—a health challenge that brought fear, uncertainty, and a need for healing. During their underwater waking dream, they met a gentle octopus guide who transformed into a healing bubble. Inside that bubble, they experienced a series

"I felt peace and clarity inside the bubble around prioritizing putting my energy towards building the good, as opposed to just fighting the bad." This participant came to Guided Dreaming seeking a strategic path forward for their social enterprise. They were looking for clarity—and they found it. During their underwater waking dream, they encountered three avatars—aspects of themselves, each with a role to play. "The one who took the lead is the mother of peace, played with

"In the dream, I encounter a giant mauve/purple octopus in the outdoor community swimming pool I used to frequent as a child. The octopus and I are alone together at the pool." This participant came to Guided Dreaming feeling stressed about work—pressing deadlines, a lack of support from a teammate, and the weight of carrying it all alone. During their underwater waking dream, they returned to a place of childhood safety: the community pool they used to visit as a child. And

"Feeling the water flowing through me rather than against me. Being able to direct the flow of water to move freely." This participant came to Guided Dreaming feeling stuck and powerless—exhausted from fighting the "currents" in their work and relationships. During their underwater waking dream, they found ease. Instead of struggling against the water, they let it flow through them. They learned to direct it, to move with it, to trust it. The insight? "I think there is a conn

"My emotions were freedom and elation." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a playful but profound intention: to stay awake during the session, open their chakras, and open their "Claire's" (clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience—the intuitive senses). During their underwater waking dream, they found themselves back in a place of childhood joy—playing in the waves of the ocean they used to love when they were younger. "I used to love to swim in the waves when I

"When I was asked to look into its eye, it had yellow eyes and I could see anything that exists in this world. It felt very beautiful and mystical." This participant came to Guided Dreaming without a specific challenge. Instead, they asked a simple, open question: Show me anything I need to know right now. What came next was unexpected. First, they saw themselves on a beach they had visited on the Isle of Mull many years ago—a place that felt like "the end of the world." Then

"Visually, I see a lot of black, but it's a warm and cozy space. I feel weightless and calm." This participant came to Guided Dreaming seeking direction for their career. They asked to be shown possibilities—and received something unexpected. Not a path. Not an answer. A feeling. "The black space feels like endless possibilities. The feeling of warmth and coziness is encouraging me to look for opportunities that make me feel that way in real life." They didn't see a clear roa

“I dreamt joyfully of running without pain." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a simple yet profound challenge: bodily pains that limited their sense of freedom and well-being. During their underwater waking dream, they experienced something remarkable—they ran. Freely. Joyfully. Without pain. The dream didn't offer a complicated metaphor or elaborate symbolism. It offered something simpler: a direct experience of relief. A vision of what could be. A feeling of wh

"As soon as I was in the bubble, I heard a voice — this isn't a problem at all. And I knew that was true. My thinking is making it a problem." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a financial issue weighing heavily on their mind. During their underwater waking dream, their helper appeared—not a person, not a guide from mythology, but their own dog. A grounding, steady presence, the kind that brings you back to the present moment. Then the octopus appeared and guided

"I went underwater and sensed I stayed close to the surface with my shamanic ancestor. We held hands and crossed the veil together under the water." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a vulnerable challenge: pushing through her fears of being seen. During her underwater waking dream, she didn't go alone. Her shamanic ancestor, Dalia, was with her—wearing her headdress, bear claw necklace, sash, and moccasin slippers. Together, they crossed the veil under the water.

"In the dream I am faced with the prospect of using marijuana. I know it is not a good idea. I have sworn off the use of the drug, but in this dream I am faced with the prospect of using it. The dream presents the challenge that I have faced of 'self-medication.'" This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a challenge many know well: lack of productivity due to procrastination and indecision. What emerged was unexpected and deeply honest. During their waking dream, they re

"Suddenly a golden rain came from above and enveloped me. At that moment I felt very strong inside. It felt like I could rely 100% on myself and as if I had the power to manage everything on my own." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a challenge many of us know well: how to stop losing energy in stressful moments and stay centered instead of reactive. During their underwater waking dream, they found themselves swimming playfully. A small, metallic-looking seahorse

"A large friendly turtle was my guide, who showed up when I started diving deep into the water and was feeling afraid." This participant came to Guided Dreaming facing obstacles in their business. Uncertainty. Fear. The weight of responsibility. As they dove deeper into their underwater waking dream, the fear surfaced. And then—a large, friendly turtle appeared. Calm. Steady. Reassuring. The turtle didn't remove the obstacles. It offered something more valuable: a new way of

"I looked up and saw a Giant Octopus looking down at me. It had the colour of SuperNova." This participant came to Guided Dreaming to embody their own power and authority. During their underwater waking dream, a dolphin led them to a glowing moonstone. As they stepped onto it, they activated an old city—a landscape of familiar patterns, limiting beliefs, and societal expectations. They felt small. Overwhelmed. Then came the octopus. She collected their energy. Dissolved their

"It felt like no matter what decision I make, I'll be supported by others." This participant came to Guided Dreaming unsure about a job change. During their underwater waking dream, they floated safely in a protective bubble with a gentle octopus guide. The cliff was still there. But their view of it had changed. They interviewed for another job. They didn't get it. And they were grateful. "Me leaving my current employment felt more like running away instead of making changes

"I thought I had followed the rules and then I just floated in peace but I was looking for the answer to come in the same way I was looking for the octopus to appear. I trusted the process and returned reluctantly but at peace that the answer would find me if I just kept merging my mind with the field." This participant came to Guided Dreaming with a powerful question: How do I turn my creative endeavors into a profitable business with a consistent revenue stream? What emerge

"The emotions escaped my body and were in the form of a liquid like oil in the water with a rainbow-like colour to it. Slowly moving up to the surface of the ocean and dissipating into the air." This participant came to Guided Dreaming carrying the weight of trauma, abuse, and grief—particularly from the past five years. They had been slowly clearing negative emotions from their body, and this session was an extension of that healing. During their underwater waking dream, the

Waking dreams have been with humanity since the dawn of our time. While dreams occur during sleep, waking dreams are dream-like...