Dreaming of Elevators: My Emotions Are Out Of Control

I don’t really like taking naps during the day. I’ve always slept much more soundly during the day than during the night, so when I feel a nap coming on, I know I’m going to be out for at least three hours.

Which, I think, is way longer than a “nap” is supposed to last, yes? And that’s why I don’t really like taking naps during the day.

Despite this dislike, I gave in last weekend and took a nap. Right in the middle of the day. Around 2:30 p.m., I believe. I’d just had a fairly intense “conversation” with someone, about a variety of intense situations that’ve all been brewing inside my mind for a while, and I figured I’d be better off hitting the sheets than hitting than sitting around brewing some more.

During that nap, I had a seriously strange and vivid dream.

In my dream, I was incarcerated in a prison in Texas. Apparently, I had some kind of special clearance as a prisoner, because I was able to leave my cell whenever I wanted and unaccompanied. And, instead of wearing prison garb, I was dressed in a suit and heels. It seems like I was getting ready to be released, but for some reason had to hang around for a bit longer.

I took full advantage of my freedom to leave my cell, and I kept getting on an elevator to travel to the different floors of the prison (there were 15, and Michael Scofield wasn’t on a single freaking one of them). During one elevator ride, I pushed the button for the 15th floor. A prison guard appeared out of no where and told me I should never go to that floor, so I scrambled to push the button for the 14th floor, feeling as if a serious disaster had been averted.

On the 14th floor, I discovered room after room of…football stadiums. Huge football stadiums, where apparently very important football games were going on. I joined the spectators for two of the games, always sitting in a section of the stands that was deserted and never really feeling like I was part of the crowd. People were jumping and cheering, but I just continued to sit there, trying to avoid their eyes and feeling very awkward.

Finally, I realized I needed to go to the restroom, so I left the last game and headed for the elevator. Once inside, rather than pushing the button for my floor (which was one of the bottom floors – the 3rd, I think), I pushed the button for the 15th floor. I didn’t immediately realize my mistake, and unfortunately no prison guard appeared to warn me. Once I did realize it, however, it was too late. I couldn’t reach any of the buttons anymore, no matter how high I jumped (and you know, you can always jump really high in dreams for some reason), and the elevator was already well on its way to the 15th floor.

As the elevator reached the 15th floor, it started slowing down. I could feel it slowing down, as if I could actually feel its weight. Then I heard grinding noises. Unbelievable panic set in, and I started screaming, “No! No! Please, God, no!” Suddenly, all the buttons were within reach again, but it was still too late. No matter how many I pushed, and no matter how hard I pushed them, only the button for the 15th floor would light up. The air began to leave the elevator, I couldn’t breathe anymore, and the last thoughts I had were about my life coming to an end in a freaking elevator.

I woke up and immediately thanked God that it was just a dream. Then I made a mental note not to ride in any elevator that was headed to – or would pass – the 15th floor of any building.

However, after a couple of days passed, I started thinking that maybe the dream meant more. Maybe it wasn’t just a warning sign about elevators headed to the 15th floor. So, I went to DreamMoods.com and looked up “elevators,” “prison,” “convict,” and “football.”

I’ve quote the parts of the definitions that apply to my dream, and my life, below:

Elevator – To dream that you are ascending in an elevator, signifies that you will quickly rise to status and wealth. You may have risen to a higher level of consciousness and are looking at the world from an elevated viewpoint [...] To dream that the elevator is out of order or that it is not letting you off, symbolizes that your emotions have gotten out of control.

Prison – To dream that you are in prison, signifies that you are being censored and not allowed to express yourself [...] To dream that you or someone is released from prison, denotes that you need to make major changes to your waking life. Eventually, you will overcome your misfortune.

Convict – To dream that you are a convict, suggests that some situation or relationship is making you feel restricted. You may be experiencing a loss of freedom in some area of your life.

Football – To dream that you are watching or playing football, signifies that you will have great satisfaction in your work and your goals will be achieved as you progress through your life.

So, my emotions are completely out of control (yes), I feel restricted, censored, and without freedom (yes, yes, and yes), but eventually I will make some changes and have some success and satisfaction (I hope so).

Each explanation was spot on, but the one about the elevator signifying out-of-control emotions was eerily true. Especially given the “intense conversation” I’d just had before taking the nap.

It’s so interesting how our brains communicate with us.

So, have you had any meaningful dreams lately?

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