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involvement with psychedelic drugs, brought to the incubation ceremony an epic
seafaring dream portraying
the plight of some pitifully adrift, water-logged
creatures who longed desperately for dry land. The
young incubant empathized with these creatures, and
recognized in their desire for dry land his own longing
for a sure-footed alternative to his psychedelic voyages.
Yet he resented the pressures of socialization he
encountered in the "straight" environment of home and
school. His incubated dream gave him the needed
experience of navigating satisfactorily on dry land: He
was walking down a hot, dry road, the dust choking him,
when he came to a dead end. He climbed up a tree to
survey the surrounding forest, and spotted an axe a short
distance away. He climbed down, picked up the axe, and
began making his own trail through the forest. In
contrast to the dry, dusty road, the path he cut for
himself was cool and refreshing. Encouraged by this
image of blazing his own trail, when he returned to
school he successfully initiated his own study projects.
His use of drugs declined significantly, and his
subsequent dreams provided him with additional images
of special implements, such as a jewel-studded sword,
which he could add to the resources needed to pursue
his individual path.
Sometimes the apparent value of the incubated dream has been primarily in providing just such inspiring symbols. For example, one young woman (22 years) with asthma wished to improve her overly restricting relationship with her mother, a situation which she felt contributed to her asthmatic condition. The dream she brought to the ceremony portrayed a little girl held captive within a suffocating house belonging to an old woman who had recently died. When she enacted this dream, engaging in dialogue between the little girl and the house, she not only experienced the guilt feelings aroused by her inclination to leave her mother, but she also contacted her feelings of self-doubt about being independent, feelings echoed by her mother. In her incubated dream, an inspiring elderly lady presented her with a fantastically beautiful dress, and sent her away on an important mission. The incubant did sew dresses, and dresses were frequent dream images, but were usually either too sexy and revealing for her taste, or were shabby or overly modest. She said that the dress presented to her in her dream was perfect beyond her imagination. I encouraged her to paint a picture of this dress, and perhaps to sew a facsimile. Some time later I encountered her, working away from home, and she said she was taking less medication for her asthma. She showed me some beautiful paintings of her dream dress. She was hesitant 21
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