For years, I’ve had a recurring dream that leaves me feeling deeply unsettled. It always starts the same way: I’m in a public place, surrounded by people, when I feel a thick, sticky piece of gum lodged in my mouth. I try to pull it out, sometimes cutting pieces, but no matter what I do, it keeps coming back. Whether in small or long strands, I can never fully get rid of it. The only time the struggle ends is when I wake up.

In the earlier versions of the dream, the gum was light-colored and somewhat easier to deal with, though still impossible to fully remove. Over time, the gum has darkened, becoming tougher and more resistant, resembling a thick fishing line. At one point, the gum even appeared to take on a life of its own, retreating back into my mouth whenever I touched it, resembling a disgusting, creamy blue entity, reminiscent of something out of a sci-fi movie. Despite the changes, the core frustration remains: I’m stuck endlessly pulling at the gum, never able to clear it from my mouth.

The setting of the dream is always important. I’m never alone—people are always around, and I feel embarrassed as I try to hide the struggle. I look for a private place to deal with it, but I can never find one. The only way out is to wake up.

Emotional Weight and Unresolved Issues

I’ve come to think that this dream may reflect unresolved emotional issues. The gum might symbolize feelings or experiences I’ve tried to deal with but never fully processed. It could be connected to lingering emotional trauma from childhood, particularly growing up in a household filled with conflict and a lack of emotional warmth. Like the gum, these unresolved feelings seem to resurface, no matter how much I try to cut them away.

Shame and Struggle to Hide

Another key element is the presence of other people. The embarrassment of being seen struggling with the gum might reflect my tendency to hide emotional struggles in real life. Outwardly, I appear composed, but inside I’ve often battled with insecurity or unresolved emotions. The dream could symbolize the tension between wanting to hide these struggles and the pressure of not being able to escape them.

Darkening Gum: The Weight of Time

As the dream has evolved, the gum has darkened and become harder to deal with, possibly symbolizing how unresolved issues grow more complex over time. What started as something lighter has become heavier, much like the emotional burdens we carry through life.

Searching for Escape

The dream leaves me feeling trapped—unable to escape the endless cycle of trying to fix something but never fully succeeding. Waking up feels like the only relief, which could symbolize my approach to emotional challenges in real life—avoiding them rather than confronting them head-on. But like the gum, these feelings always find a way to reappear.

If anyone reading this has experienced similar dreams or has positive suggestions on how to interpret or move forward from such recurring dreams, I would love to hear from you. Perhaps by sharing, we can uncover ways to break free from the things that keep pulling us back.

By Luis de Andrade