Elevators

[Brightshores]

I've been having dreams lately that feature elevators. Generally, I'll get into the elevator, and it will take me to a different floor than the one I want. Usually, there's something scary about the elevator - it will bring me to a floor where there's something frightening, or it will bring me somewhere I don't want to go.

Now in the interests of full disclosure, I have to admit to having a slight fear of elevators in general. Not claustrophobia at all, though. I lived in this dorm in college where one elevator used to occasionally take you to the sub-basement, where it would open into a completely dark space, where you couldn't see anything.

This is getting a bit disturbing... does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[Shaman7]

Dreams often reflect something from the waking world that you are troubled by, but have yet to recognize. Or you may have avoided it, knowing that you will be troubled by it. Dreams may help you to recognize the situation before it gets out of hand, or help you to ease into facing it.

Here's my running thought process that may help you to think about these dreams in a broader sense...

You have some anxiety of elevators... You dream may have nothing to do with elevators, as strange as this may sound. The elevator is a way for your mind to demonstrate something to you. In your life you may be facing something that makes you anxious, though you may be downplaying or partially unaware of it. The fear of ending up somewhere other than where you intended to go (i.e. the wrong floor) could apply to many things that are out of your control. Is it possible that you're afraid of losing control of some aspect of your life?

Think about the people or situations that cause you some regular stress. For a lot of people it may be their boss at work, finances, relationships, habits/addictions... the list goes on. Think about what causes you stress and contemplate if you are in control of it. Try to notice, throughout your day, as stress arises, what thoughts are causing it? Is the situation out of your hands or do you have some influence on it? If you have control over it, make whatever changes are necessary to reduce the stress. If you want to have control over it, this gives you a starting point for a deeper insight into yourself. You can make changes in order to bring you into a responsible control, or you can practice letting go.

Whether or not my ramble makes sense to you, take from it what you will. Most importantly: Don't rush yourself, Rome wasn't built in a day, and nightmares aren't cured in a night. Be thankful that your dreams can guide you into new understandings of yourself.

Blessed be!

[Brightshores]

This makes a lot of sense actually... I've been in a place in my life lately where I've had to be a control freak to survive. Maybe it's time to stop trying to micromanage absolutely everything and let others take the reins...

thank you so much for sharing your insight.

[Shaman7]

My pleasure! I'm glad it was helpful to you.

Best of wishes moving onward!

[staticonthewire]

Elevators in my dreams (stairs too) are sometimes conveying me to childhood memories or trauma associated with different ages. Sometimes it's as simple as floor numbers corresponding to a certain age but lots of times it's fuzzier; down is usually younger, and up is usually older.

I've also experienced the whole down/up thing as what I can only describe as a journey through cortical evolution - higher functions on higher levels, and the deeper you go, the farther down the brainstem you're traveling. I've found myself stepping off somewhere in the limbic system, just utterly primitive lizard-brain sort of stuff...

Possibly your difficulties with elevators in the external world have to do with how they are represented in your dreams, rather than the other way around. Avoiding a lift in your college dorm or workplace may be your way of coping with internal stress you're not prepared to face directly.

That the elevator is taking you to a floor other than the one you want would tend to reinforce this idea.

Some aspect of your mind wants you to deal with something, and it's something you don't feel you're ready to handle. Until you do, or until the situation resolves itself, there's a really insistent part of your personality that keeps bringing it (o I'm not really going to say this am I yes I am) 'up'...

[Brightshores]

Wow, that's really deep - but you're probably right, there are undoubtedly things I am suppressing right now because I don't have the time or energy to confront them. I am going to have to take some time to think about this. Thank you very much...