A Conscious Journey to Self-Awareness
Sacred Dream is a non-profit 501(c)(3) which is supported by a diverse group of individuals. We have been mentored, taught, and brought to awareness of our own need for healing. Thus, we decided to create an institute to encourage the growth and guidance of the Spirit within the Sacred Space of who we are.
The hummingbird represents joy, agility, and connection to the spiritual realm. The tree with its roots symbolizes grounding, wisdom, and ancestral heritage.
“We first must be well to do the work of the people”
Laura Castañeda
Founder and Teacher
Laura Castañeda is an indigenous woman of Mexico and Master of Social Work. For over 25 years, she has worked in community development with Native American, Alaska Native, and First Nations communities.
Drawing on indigenous knowledge systems passed down through her grandmothers—a curandera and midwife on her father's side, and an herbalist on her mother's side—Laura developed the Sacred Dream Healing Process following her own profound spiritual awakening in 2005. This 14-week intervention integrates guided meditation within a relational worldview framework that honors mind, body, environment and Spirit.
Since 2009, Laura has guided over 115 participants through Sacred Dream, serving as a Spiritual Guide and Teacher who works as a conduit for Spirit to help individuals reconnect with their authentic selves and achieve greater balance and self-awareness. She holds each participant's journey in sacred space with love and without judgment, honoring the principle that true healing must address all dimensions of being.
Skipper Russell-Shimek
Founder, Sage Teacher and Mentor
Skipper is a peony farmer and tribal healer. She is from Northwest Alaska, and we at Sacred Dream refer to her as a “sage”, an individual within a tribal community who possesses deep wisdom, knowledge, and experience in traditional healing practices. She works both locally and internationally. Sages are often highly respected and revered for their ability to provide guidance, spiritual healing, and remedies based on traditional indigenous wisdom.
She is considered to be a wise elder who holds a profound understanding of their tribe’s cultural and spiritual traditions, and she plays a vital role in promoting the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of all those whom she is connected to.
Marisol W. Wolf
Founder and Student Teacher
Marisol is a 5th doctoral student at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, pursuing her Doctorate in Psychology (Psy.D.). She completed the Sacred Dream Healing Process as a participant in 2018 and is now a student teacher. Her dissertation research focuses on documenting and examining the efficacy of the Sacred Dream Healing Process using a mixed-methods approach.
Marisol is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship at the Berkeley Therapy Institute in California, where she integrates her understanding of culturally-informed, spiritually-grounded approaches into her clinical work. Her research aims to bridge Western psychology with holistic healing practices, contributing to the understanding of psychotherapeutic interventions rooted in relational worldview models and indigenous knowledge foundations.
Through her personal experience with Sacred Dream and her academic research, Marisol is committed to expanding recognition of spiritually-integrated approaches that honor the interconnectedness of mind, body, environment and Spirit.
OUR MISSION
We transform personal and collective trauma into healing pathways for individuals and communities using ancient knowledge, traditional wisdom practices, and customized leadership formation and training.
OUR VISION
To joyfully connect with the timeless wisdom of our Ancestors, embracing their teachings to illuminate our path and enrich our lives with purpose, harmony, and fulfillment.
OUR PRACTICE
By listening to and embracing Ancestral knowledge and wisdom, we tap into the wisdom that resides within us. Our intention is to create a joyful life.
By applying Ancestral wisdom, we gain clarity and new perspectives.
We feel forgiveness is a powerful tool that frees us to release unwanted energy.
OUR VALUES
Honesty is a central value. To be honest is to be present in all that you do, speaking with words that have strength and hope.
Heart-centered we feel is to be open, receptive and willing to do God’s work. To be in a heart-centered environment is one that is open, honest, giving and receiving of love.
Unity of mind, body, heart and spirit is central to us. When we come from this place all things can be accomplished. Together we can do what we cannot do alone.
Integrity comes from the Spirit. To be a person of integrity is to be a person who lives within the light of God’s healing Love.
Authenticity embraces truth that aligns with positivity. To be authentic is to be true and unwavering. Authenticity is the connection between your words and actions, turning truth into deeds.
Joyfulness is the act of being in balance with all things. Joy is reflected and how the world sees us. To be in a state of joyfulness is to be in a state of true balance and acceptance of self.
Gratitude stems from the state of awareness that you are not alone in the journey of life. Within the spiritual realm, expressing gratitude strengthens the connections that guide, protect, and nurture your being to grow significantly.
Forgiveness comes from a state of surrendering your pain, hurt, and grief. It comes from trusting that you are being guided to a place of healing.
