By Claire Schild
Dear Claire,
Lately, I have had this recurring dream that starts out very calm and beautiful, but then becomes very disturbing and chaotic. I am at the beach, standing by the shoreline. The waves are coming in very peacefully. I can hear the soothing whoosh of the waves as they roll in and the splashing sounds that my feet make as I walk through the water. Suddenly, I hear loud crashing sounds. I look up and see this huge tidal wave roaring towards me. As it moves closer, it becomes bigger and bigger until it looks like a tsunami. Then, it becomes so loud that it is deafening. Finally, it looks like this huge wall of water, ready to hit me, but there is no place where I can run to escape it. Then, I wake up with my heart pounding. The recurring part in my dreams is that I am always standing in the ocean and thinking that everything is fine. Then, I look up and a tsunami wave is coming to crash down on me.
Waves and the ocean are extremely common and powerful dream symbols because they are composed of water, the ultimate symbol for life. Water symbolizes life not only because it is the source of all life, but also because it sustains life. In addition, like life, water is fluid and ever-changing. As a result, water, waves, and the ocean not only symbolize the change and fluidity of life, but can also represent our emotions, which can be calm and serene or turbulent and out of control. As a result, relentless or overpowering waves in dreams can symbolize overwhelming situations, emotions, and issues in life, like a “tidal wave of responsibility” or a “tsunami of emotion” crashing down upon us. In addition, bodies of water and waves can also serve as a symbol for our subconscious world, an ever-changing, swirling, and uncharted place where many emotions and truths go to hide and takes courage to explore.
As it turns out, the person who submitted this dream is a nurse, and the wave which turned into the tsunami was, indeed a symbol for the overwhelming responsibilities and emotions which she has been experiencing as of late due to the current pandemic. The fact that she felt that there was nowhere she could run to escape, and that in every dream there is a tsunami crashing down on her is a reflection of the crushing amount of responsibility which she has been experiencing in her current, waking world.
It would not be surprising whatsoever to hear that many health care workers, first responders, and caregivers are currently having dreams of this nature. It is an extremely overwhelming and difficult time for them, and they must often feel like they are facing a tsunami when they face the challenges of this pandemic. If these individuals are too busy during their waking hours to process and deal with how they are feeling, the suppressed emotions and unresolved issues from troubling and difficult situations in their conscious world can often spill over into their dream world. It is the subconscious mind’s way of forcing them to confront, work through, and come to terms with difficult issues and feelings in order to keep them as mentally and emotionally resilient and angst-free as possible. The fact that these dream themes are recurring illustrates the brain’s method of prodding the dreamer who has suppressed emotions or unresolved issues until these emotions and issues are acknowledged or dealt with. Unfortunately, this takes time and mental and emotional energy which many do not have to expend right now—which is even more reasons why we owe great appreciation and gratitude to these individuals who are working on the front lines during this pandemic.
