When Dreams Burn Down: Finding Freedom in the Ashes

Back in 1990, Ride released “Dreams Burn Down” - a swirling anthem drenched in distortion, heartbreak, and the bittersweet ache of disillusionment.

On the surface, it’s a song about loss. But listen closely, and you hear something deeper: the breaking down of illusions we once clung to, and the possibility of rising lighter, freer, on the other side.

That moment when the noise crescendos and collapses into silence feels a lot like life’s turning points. The times when the old dreams no longer fit. When the stories we’ve been told - about who we are, what’s possible, how the world works - suddenly fall apart. It’s painful. It feels like destruction. And yet, within that destruction lies the seed of transformation.

The Silent Hitchhikers

I often talk about silent hitchhikers - those heavy passengers we carry without even realising: unprocessed trauma, old beliefs, inherited fears. They whisper in the background, shaping how we move through the world.

When “dreams burn down,” those hitchhikers come into focus. The illusions we built around them crumble, leaving us face-to-face with what we’ve been carrying. It can be raw and confronting. But it’s also the exact place where freedom begins.

Fire as Alchemy

In many traditions, fire isn’t just destruction - it’s purification. It strips away what no longer serves, leaving behind the essence of what’s real. That’s what transformation feels like. Not comfortable. Not always gentle. But necessary.

Through travel, through inner work, through creating space for new stories, we let those flames do their work. We release the silent hitchhikers. We walk forward lighter, clearer, more alive.

The Journey Beyond Disillusionment

Ride’s song might sound bleak, but it’s also cathartic. It reminds us that disillusionment is not the end of the story. It’s the beginning of a new one.

When the old dream burns down, we’re free to dream again - this time from truth, not illusion. From magnetism, not fear. From pure desire, not limitation.

That’s what I hold space for at Pharmacy for the Mind Sanctuary. A place where you can step into that fire - through travel, reflection, and healing practices - and emerge with new stories that actually belong to you.

Because sometimes, the ashes of what we lose become the soil for who we’re meant to become.

Prescribing Peace & Power, Paula ✨