The elevator in dreams is a “modern” symbol that has a relevant space in civilized man’s dreams and embodies the various passages in the psychic dynamics of the dreamer.
If the house in dreams and other buildings in dreams can be considered a photograph of the dreamer’s personality or the crystallization of a lived situation, the elevator in dreams with its upward movement flows between the tendencies or the automatisms that turn towards the high: the territories of the spirit, of thought and of logos; or down: the matter and the needs of the physical body.
To understand the meaning of the elevator in dreams it is necessary to start from its function which that of “elevating”, that is bringing it upwards and then bringing it back to the place of departure.
The first elevators, in fact, were hoists destined to elevator heavy materials from wells, mines, precipices.
Elevators Symbolism in Cultures
Does it rise or fall? This is the first aspect you need to notice. If you are climbing – in the workplace – it can be a sort of recommendation or help to facilitate your career advancement; or it indicates that you are beginning to become aware of something. Goes down? It means that you cannot separate yourself from your past and “fall” continually into the nostalgia of old memories.
According to Freud’s interpretation, the elevator is connected to the intimate sphere.
If it rises there is an increase in excitement, if it falls there is a decline in desire. Aren’t you the only one inside, but are there other people?
Indicates that you feel a strong desire to form an emotional relationship. Is it super busy and the space can’t hold everyone? It means that more people aspire to the same thing you want.
However, know that there is not a single means to reach a certain goal. Look inside yourself and discover the path to follow.
Dreams about Elevators – Meaning
This first rudimentary image of an elevator: the elevator in dreams, can be read as a metaphor for the need to feel “relieved,” lightened by one’s own loads and problems.
Dreaming of a freight elevator will have to lead the dreamer to wonder in which area of his reality this “weight” has accumulated and need to be lightened (let go of excessive responsibilities, share them etc.)
The industrial revolution and the spread of the elevator as an urban complement have integrated it into the collective imagination of the man of the twentieth century: the elevator in dreams has become one of the many modern symbols that bring to the surface ancient tensions and needs like man.
And to get closer to its meaning it will be important to record the sensations related to going up or down and the aspect of the elevator: sturdy, new, shimmering with mirrors, or old, shaky and uncertain in its movement, blocked and unable to carry the dreamer where you want.
The elevator in dreams that rises from the darkness and from the depths of the lower floors, underground or cellars representing the unconscious, renegade selves and shapeless matter, comes into contact with the intermediate levels equivalent to the physical body and the concreteness of its needs, up to the upper levels of the top floors or attics, which are connected to rationality, to the activities of the mind, but also to spirituality.
Dreams about Elevators – Symbolism
Dreaming of going to the elevator, going up, down – On a work and professional level, dreaming of getting on the elevator can be a more or less legal “help” (for example, a recommendation, favoritism, knowledge, etc.) for a career advancement or to obtain a job that wishes.
Dreaming of taking the elevator with other people – People who come up with us in the elevator are important to better interpret the dream: going up with a man, or a woman, can indicate a strong desire to establish an emotional relationship.
Many people feel a strong need to find a partner or a partner to share their life with; nevertheless one must not be in too much hurry, because haste is the enemy of relationships: be more natural and serene, do not rush the times; love comes when you do not expect it.
Dreaming of a falling elevator – Dreaming of an elevator that falls or crushes, can indicate that your social or work position is at risk, not for your fault, but because probably the place you occupy does not stand on solid foundations. Perhaps you have climbed too fast and now you risk falling more easily than you did.
Dreaming of an elevator that doesn’t stop, elevator out of control, gone mad – Dreaming of an elevator that never stops, that continues to rise, or that rises and falls, without there being any way to stop it in any way; or again, an elevator that wobbles, that wobbles, is unstable, gone crazy, out of control, etc. …
This dream probably means that you are in an emotionally unstable situation: your emotions are taking over and you can’t control them with your will.
Dreaming stuck elevator, broken elevator – Dreaming of being closed in the elevator, blocked because it is still, does not move and does not open … Maybe it’s broken, or there’s a fault.
This dream probably indicates the awareness that the ascent to which you aspire (professional, or affective) does not have very concrete bases; better not to insist in the search for convenient and fast means, but to prepare and commit oneself seriously to tackle everything with more certainty.
This dream may also mean that you experience a sort of impasse, a stall, from which you find it difficult to get out: stay trapped there, you can’t go up or down.
Dreaming of an elevator moving horizontally – This dream indicates that, despite your efforts, things are not going as you had imagined, but instead they have taken an unexpected course.
The elevator that moves horizontally is not taking you wherever you want; perhaps because of too much haste to arrive, you have chosen a wrong path; try to change method.
Dream of an elevator with the door open- appears as an invitation to ascend. How do you feel about this image? Do you feel the desire to go up or not? The open elevator can indicate that you are ready to rise from the situation you are living (get out of it, turn it to your advantage), or that you need to rise from your status, to awaken your knowledge, to reflect or to access a higher spiritual level.
Dreaming of getting into the elevator – feeling tranquility and trust is an answer to the previous image: the dreamer is following the inclinations that he feels natural and that are guiding him, inclinations that can be of a material nature linked to an advancement in the social scale, to the achievement of objectives, or linked to the its evolutionary process or to an initiatory or religious path.
Dreaming of getting off the elevator – quickly feeling the accelerated movement accompanied by unpleasant sensations, from fear or irritation, can be the symbol of a metaphorical descent into the social scale.
Perhaps you have been disappointed, not understood, not appreciated, or you feel the need to recover simpler and pragmatic aspects or, still, need to deepen, to go down inside yourself, to get to know each other better.
Dreaming of an elevator that is wobbling and threatening to fall – highlights a sense of insecurity, doubts about what you are doing or thinking, lack of self-esteem or real waiting situations, in which you must submit to other people’s decisions, in which you fear losing your power or your role.
Dreaming of a locked elevator – it can indicate a stagnant situation that one is unable to resolve, a painful condition from which one would like to escape, but which one cannot manage to remove, lack of elasticity, resistance to change.
Dreaming of an elevator that does not lead to the chosen floor and does not follow the directions of the dreamer – highlights a feeling of inadequacy, a real difficulty in dealing with circumstances and occasions, not feeling capable of giving the desired direction to their projects and their lives.
This image can be the consequence of some frustration at work, of misdirected efforts or that did not give the desired result.
Dreaming of an elevator that breaks through the building’s ceiling and it rises up to the sky – can be a symbol of an exhilarating experience, of alteration of conscience, of intoxication and happiness to the stars that lead to fantasize and bask in images and thoughts, but it can also show the need to go beyond appearances, of ” to rise “with thought, to come into contact with aspects of oneself more spiritual, to find a way to express one’s spirituality.
Dreaming of a dark elevator – it can be connected to its own allowing itself to be carried away by things from situations without being able to give a direction, without seeing ourselves clearly (when the elevator moves).
If, on the other hand, the dark elevator is still and blocked, the dreamer will have to think carefully about what he is doing and the reasons that lead him to act or not to act, perhaps for a part of himself he feels the need to stop and reflect rather than push forward.
Dreaming of an elevator where one feels suffocated – as above, it can be considered a stop sign, perhaps you are experiencing some equally stifling and destructive situation, or you feel trapped in some relationship or in a difficult moment from which you do not know how to get out.
All dreams in which one feels a sense of suffocation can be linked to real sleep apnea, so they should not be underestimated and should be considered as signals of the body.
Conclusion
The elevator in dreams generally indicates an “ascent” that can be of a professional, social, or emotional nature, but which has the characteristics of speed and ease.
Dreaming of the elevator, therefore, indicates the need to go quickly upwards, towards the goal we desire; the elevator is a “push” that helps us get everything easier and more comfortable.
For interpretation, it is useful to take into account the environment in which you find yourself in the dream (work, or other place), and even if in real life taking the elevator is a cause for distress for you (for example, because you suffer from claustrophobia).
For many people, the elevator is a recurring dream, and often takes the form of a nightmare (a falling elevator, out of control, blocked, etc.)