Random Dreaming – Elevators

When I’m writing regularly, my dreams tend to have plotlines with basic story elements – something I’m trying to reach or achieve and conflict that keeps me from getting there. I tend to have the same sorts of images and situations pop up in my dreams, so I thought I’d start writing about them to explore them and see what my mind is trying to tell me. I don’t necessarily believe in universal dream images – something in my dream might mean something completely different to me than to someone else. I also don’t do formal dream analysis in spite of being a sleep doctor. It’s a little too far out there for me generally, and I don’t have any training. That said, interpretations of my own dreams are not to be in any way construed as a guide for anyone else, and if you have suggestions as to what these things mean, please comment below – I’d love to know what you think!

This morning I had a very strange dream about being in a hotel in an Asian country with my husband. I’ve never been to an Asian country, although he’s been on a work trip to Japan, and I didn’t leave the hotel during the dream. The main conflict was that we were trying to make it upstairs to our room in order to meet two massage therapists for a couples’ massage. I had my phone and was getting texts from the concierge who had lined it up, a man named Helgi (a name that had come up several times in conversation with a colleague on Friday, who works with two Helgis). I often have stress dreams set in hotels, but today I’d like to explore another recurring image or situation that comes up – elevators.

Yes, elevators. The office I work in for my day job has had elevator issues, and I was stuck in one of them for about twenty minutes one time a few years ago. They’ve since modernized the elevators, but I still approach them with caution, and if the one I’m riding in makes a strange bump or noise, I push the button for the next floor and get the heck off. It’s also been the case that patients have been late waiting for elevators in the lobby because something is out of synch. So, it’s not a surprise that elevators are a stressful symbol in my dreams.

In this morning’s dream, Hubby and I were on the third floor, but the floors were out of order, so it was actually more like the fourth or fifth. We were downstairs in the lobby bar (not a rare situation for us), although we were both in robes as though we were ready for massages. Every elevator we tried had a problem. One had two sets of numbers on the panel, and we didn’t know which one to push. Another one took us up past the floor and sideways to another bar, but not where we wanted to go. Another one was very small, so we had to stretch it and then jump out at the floor we needed. Although we did make it to our floor, we didn’t find our room in time for the massages.

So what does the elevator symbolize in the dream? A quick internet search of the meanings of elevators in dreams indicate unsurprisingly perceptions of ascending or descending in consciousness, wealth, or career. Due to the association with my work building, I can see how elevators would indicate my feelings about my career. My husband being there may mean that I feel he’s with me to support me and share my frustrations. The two sets of buttons in the one could represent my two careers and my confusion as to how much energy to put into each. Elevators moving sideways, as they tend to do in my dreams, mean perceptions of being stuck, and I do feel that my publishing situation is pushing me to a place I don’t want to go. Okay, I can see that. An elevator with an out of control ascent means being put in a position of power the person isn’t ready for. I’m feeling very stuck in my writing career right now, and there are major changes coming in my day job career, hopefully positive, but unpredictable at this point.

Okay, internet, you win this one. Readers, I’m curious what y’all think and if you have any other interpretations. Please comment below. Thanks for reading!