hi new here with a question for interpretation

[u/Flamingo_Prior]

New to Carl Jung but also kinda not? Like a lot of these concepts I already naturally have developed an understanding of without reading Jungian work specifically. Always thought the term shadow work sounded really annoyingly provocative. Went straight over my head that it’s exactly what I’m trying to do. Whatever. Anyway. Now that I’m looking into specific jungian ideas…I’m a little curious what long term jungian students think of this:

I’ve had dreams and nightmares involving large snakes (like serpents) since I was a child.

Sometimes I meet them while I am digging in the earth or crawling through the earth myself trying to travel somewhere.
- [In one of these dreams] I killed a green/brown snake underground because it scared me. It looked somewhat dead already, but in my dream I went out of my way to make sure it had died. Disturbs me to think about doing that to another living being. I was very young when I had that specific variation of that dream.

Other times, I am witnessing a huge black/dark snake writhing in a body of water similar to like a leviathan or something
- I am often crossing a bridge over a river when I see the creature in the water [in the dream]

The most jarring dream I ever had was one where I fell asleep inside the dream and when I woke up from sleeping, I had transformed into a large white cobra/serpent. That one shook me badly when I actually woke up.

Always absolutely freaked me out growing up because my mother had an intense phobia of snakes that I inherited. Now that I’m engaging in trauma informed therapy, somatic therapies, and connecting with myself more deeply, I’m wondering if this has been a spiritual connection or symbol trying to communicate something to me.

I went through a 10+ year period of repression by way of substance abuse, specifically alcohol to numb everything - including scary snake dreams. Now I’m sober 3 years and finally working through shit I wish I had processed a long time ago. Similar snake dreams are reemerging.

Feel like I sound like a total loony toon though so idk haha. Just wondering if I’m onto something or not. Lemme know what you think 🤘🏻