Author: Suzanne Katanic
Read time: 3-5 minutes
When we work with dreams and imagery, we are engaging with the deepest complexes of the mind—patterns that were laid down before language existed. These patterns emerge so we can address them at the most fundamental level: the level of feeling, or the felt sense.
The felt sense is a place where you are fully present, and time seems suspended. For example, imagine a child creating an playful imaginary world that feels peaceful and spacious, even while the outer world of the family system feels chaotic, distrusting, cruel, and cold. This inner world becomes a felt sense we return to repeatedly, hoping to find a better version of it.
Yet, the challenge is that the felt sense of this inner world also carries the shadow of the harsh world it seeks to protect us from. As a result, the shadow often gets recreated too. We may find ourselves in the same difficult relationships, jobs, or situations, wondering, How did I end up here when it felt so different this time? The shadow travels with the outer presentation. The entire complex moves forward with us, like an unfinished chapter in a book—looping around, echoing a similar outcome.
But there is hope. With careful inner work, subtle shifts occur each time. The knots loosen, and the grip of the past becomes less tight, creating a more spacious inner world. The only way through is to face the shadow figure—the one menacing and cold, the one with the power to create these difficult worlds. By walking through it, we can recover our unaffected self: an inner child or essence hidden deep within the symbolism of our psyche, a jewel untouched by cruelty.
Symbolism is a safe place for truth to reside, shielded from those who might exploit it. Journey and guide work exist in a world rich with symbolism, protected from external forces that cannot speak this language. In this sacred space, transformation is possible.
An Invitation for Reflection
Can you recall a felt sense from childhood that you still seek today?
How does this felt sense show up in your dreams?
What shadow might be woven into that felt sense?
Where have you noticed even the smallest shift in a repeating pattern?
Every time you return to these questions, the knots loosen a little more. The grip softens. And more space opens for the truth that has always been waiting inside you.