Dreams- does this signify powerlessness?

[gypsylady]

Hey there,

Okay, so I had quite a vivid dream last night about getting into an elevator in my apartment building with my best friend. As we got in, I noticed the outlets looked a bit old, and I remember thinking they were from the 70s or something. Anyways, we had a little white dog with us and as the elevator doors closed, we hit "down". Nothing would happen, then suddenly the elevator would drop really fast to the next level down and stop, then when we didn't expect it, it dropped down again. Finally, the third time, we were waiting for the elevator to drop, but nothing happened. The lights started flickering and I felt like we were running out of air. Then I woke up.

I take this to mean that I feel trapped in a certain situation in my personal life...? I am kind of running away from a potentially amazing relationship and feel really stuck with it...My best friend remained completely calm throughout this elevator crisis, which is how he is with me. He uses logic to get me to calm down when I freak out about situations in my life... Anyone else have suggestions?

So here's where it gets interesting. I am kind of involved with someone, but I am really pulling away from him. I don't know what I want from him and he treats me so well (which I am not used to), so I am terrified! Anyways, this same guy had a vivid dream last night about me:

He dreamt that I was driving a Chrysler 300 (which is the next car I plan to buy, he knows this).l I was the one driving and we were heading to the movie store and I kept almost crashing because the car had too much power for me. I hit a car at the movie store and freaked out. While we were driving, he says he specifically remembers not being able to get his seat down. In the movie store, I was making fun of video games and what-not.

So I feel like this almost ties in to my dream, because there is also a sense of powerlessness. He sees me as controlling whatever direction we're going in and it's completely out of his hands. I am scared of the connection that we could have, so he sees me as getting so scared and that I can't handle it, instead opting to take everything down with me....

Any thoughts on either of these dreams? I would really love to know more!

[queen_of_wands]

Did you expect to get so involved with this person? The reason why I asked is because that what the elevator dream is to me, not nescessarily about control, but the element of surpise, and fright. I think you are surprised you may have "fell" for this person like you did and it scares you.

His dream may mean what you say about control. You feel out of control with your emotions, so you are trying to "put on the breaks" so to speak. You want to end it before you get into an "accident" and really get hurt, maybe the realtionship is going to FAST for you, just slow down and you will "laugh and joke and make fun of how you feel now" later after everything is okay.

I say don't pull away completely, but just slow things down. I think it's the quickness that scares you, and then everything will work out fine. Just some thoughts.

[gypsylady]

Originally Posted by queen_of_wands

Did you expect to get so involved with this person? The reason why I asked is because that what the elevator dream is to me, not nescessarily about control, but the element of surpise, and fright. I think you are surprised you may have "fell" for this person like you did and it scares you.

I did not expect to get so involved with this person. We tried to label our relationship and I nearly ran across the country, haha. I have been quite hurt in the past, most recently 6 months ago, and I just feel that I am not ready to fall for someone else yet. But I think I haven't admitted to myself yet just how deeply I feel for him. He treats me like gold and then some. There is a fear in that, and I feel like I am always looking for the next best thing, so maybe admitting that I care for him is too constricting. My best friend is constantly talking to me about keeping communication open with this guy and making sure that I always tell him where I am emotionally out of respect. Everyone I know is rooting for him, which is so strange for me, because I find myself usually justifying my choice in men. He is opposite of everything I usually go for.

His dream may mean what you say about control. You feel out of control with your emotions, so you are trying to "put on the breaks" so to speak. You want to end it before you get into an "accident" and really get hurt, maybe the realtionship is going to FAST for you, just slow down and you will "laugh and joke and make fun of how you feel now" later after everything is okay.

I think he sees me feeling out of control with my emotions, because I always tell him where I stand. You're right though, I do want to end it before one of us gets hurt. It is not quite a relationship yet, just an exclusive, complicated situation. He said that at the end when I hit the other car (it was just a dent), I half-parked it, said "f*** it" and grabbed his hand and went into the movie store... so I think that partially shows his hope? He says that it was me leaving my old self and fears behind.

I say don't pull away completely, but just slow things down. I think it's the quickness that scares you, and then everything will work out fine. Just some thoughts.

It's partially the quickness that scares me and the way I feel he has already fallen. I also think it's the amazing way he treats me and being so far out of my comfort zone!

Thank you so much- this really helped

[Milfoil]

Originally Posted by gypsylady

Okay, so I had quite a vivid dream last night about getting into an elevator in my apartment building with my best friend. As we got in, I noticed the outlets looked a bit old, and I remember thinking they were from the 70s or something. Anyways, we had a little white dog with us and as the elevator doors closed, we hit "down". Nothing would happen, then suddenly the elevator would drop really fast to the next level down and stop, then when we didn't expect it, it dropped down again. Finally, the third time, we were waiting for the elevator to drop, but nothing happened. The lights started flickering and I felt like we were running out of air. Then I woke up.

Elevators are great metaphors for how we access internal information. Going up suggests contacting the higher self, spiritual side etc and going down, the subconscious, ego and mundane (daily material world) side of life. The Elevator is in your home building, where you live which suggests that this is about your sense of self and how you see yourself. A good friend is with you suggesting that there is some security felt, you have different aspects of yourself to draw upon in order to work through this. Not sure what 'outlets' are but if you noticed something in your dream which seemed old fashioned then this suggests and old way of thinking or feeling which, depending on whether you liked the 70's outlets in your dream or not, would indicate whether you feel that there is something to change or nurture.

The little white dog suggests a pure and loyal aspect of yourself, always supportive and eager to be with you which fits in with your descriptions of the latest man in your life. Perhaps in your subconscious you see traits such as loyalty, attentiveness and obedience as somehow sappy and not very masculine yet this is the flip side of the true warrior, the one who knows when to stand and fight and when to be tender and loving.

What happens next is interesting, hitting the down button suggests a willingness to look at one's own subconscious desires and traits but nothing happens. The unpredictable aspect of the descent suggests quite rapid mood swings of alternating calm and then lack of control (swift descent) which, the further down you go, seem to create panic. It is scary to face aspects of ourselves which we feel at this present time we are unable to change or control so when the air starts to run out, the panic of not being able to get out or return to 'normal' suggests that there is not so much a lack of power but perhaps a fear of not being able to control these parts of yourself.

Originally Posted by gypsylady

He dreamt that I was driving a Chrysler 300 (which is the next car I plan to buy, he knows this).l I was the one driving and we were heading to the movie store and I kept almost crashing because the car had too much power for me. I hit a car at the movie store and freaked out. While we were driving, he says he specifically remembers not being able to get his seat down. In the movie store, I was making fun of video games and what-not.

The important thing here to remember is that it is HIS dream, not yours. This is how he sees you or the aspect of himself that mirrors you. He sees you as holding all the cards so to speak. You are in the driving seat of your car and he is merely a passenger which suggests that his life is being lead, right now, by the direction that you take, everything depends on the decisions you make because you are in control. He sees you as having the power to direct your own life and his but he also recognises the same issues of control and erratic emotions and that such power can be overwhelming to you. A movie store suggests distraction, trying to loose oneself in fantasy and seeing life as a mirror of the Hollywood fantasies portrayed in movies. Heros, Heroines and indeed, life are not like they are in the movies. Hitting the car at the movie store suggests that he already knows there have been hurts in the past and that this relationship has the power to cause damage. Not being able to get his seat down suggests that he also has concerns about his ability to effect change or find comfort right now and in the movie store you are making fun of things which could suggest that he feels that right now, you are both seeing things in a light hearted fashion, nothing serious etc but it could also suggest a concern on his part that he is being swept along by a 'who cares about anyone else' kind of attitude.

Certainly with your dream, you can, if you wish to try it, re-enter the dream in a kind of guided meditation. Get yourself into a comfortable position either seated or laying down and spend several minutes relaxing every part of your body starting with the top of your head and working down to your feet. When you feel really relaxed and calm, go back to the elevator in your dream. This time you have a tool kit with you in your bag. What happens when you push a button down? Does it do the same thing? If it doesn't work as an elevator should, take off the control panel and using one of your magic tools, fix the problem. The problem (break in a wire, loose connection or broken part for example) will also give insight into how you 'fix' things in your life. Now the elevator is working again, where do you want to go? When the doors open, what can you see?

I use this technique a lot to go work out stuff in my own life and it is quite an amazing inner window into the workings of the psyche!

[gypsylady]

Originally Posted by Milfoil

Elevators are great metaphors for how we access internal information. Going up suggests contacting the higher self, spiritual side etc and going down, the subconscious, ego and mundane (daily material world) side of life. The Elevator is in your home building, where you live which suggests that this is about your sense of self and how you see yourself. A good friend is with you suggesting that there is some security felt, you have different aspects of yourself to draw upon in order to work through this. Not sure what 'outlets' are but if you noticed something in your dream which seemed old fashioned then this suggests and old way of thinking or feeling which, depending on whether you liked the 70's outlets in your dream or not, would indicate whether you feel that there is something to change or nurture.

Wow, your take on this was amazing. When I said outlets, I meant electrical outlets I remember pointing them out to my friend as a "Huh.. those don't quite look right" and again when the elevator was going down then nothing happened, I pointed at them again and said "I knew something wasn't right".

The little white dog suggests a pure and loyal aspect of yourself, always supportive and eager to be with you which fits in with your descriptions of the latest man in your life. Perhaps in your subconscious you see traits such as loyalty, attentiveness and obedience as somehow sappy and not very masculine yet this is the flip side of the true warrior, the one who knows when to stand and fight and when to be tender and loving.

The dog- that makes so much sense. He is supportive of everything that I do and is just wanting to be with me. I barely paid attention to the dog in the dream too, outside of noticing him at my feet. I do see traits such as loyalty, attentiveness and obedience as not very masculine, but I think that comes with having dated "bad boys" the whole time, so my perception of a healthy man isn't quite right.

What happens next is interesting, hitting the down button suggests a willingness to look at one's own subconscious desires and traits but nothing happens. The unpredictable aspect of the descent suggests quite rapid mood swings of alternating calm and then lack of control (swift descent) which, the further down you go, seem to create panic. It is scary to face aspects of ourselves which we feel at this present time we are unable to change or control so when the air starts to run out, the panic of not being able to get out or return to 'normal' suggests that there is not so much a lack of power but perhaps a fear of not being able to control these parts of yourself.

Wow, dead on. I have been really looking at myself in a different light and trying to cope with past hurts and delve deeper into myself to find out why I ever accepted the treatment I did, and it is terrifying for me to be doing this, because I was always happy with the status quo. I am changing for the better, but I am scared that the normalcy I once felt is gone and I am growing and changing into something I will not recognize.

The important thing here to remember is that it is HIS dream, not yours. This is how he sees you or the aspect of himself that mirrors you. He sees you as holding all the cards so to speak. You are in the driving seat of your car and he is merely a passenger which suggests that his life is being lead, right now, by the direction that you take, everything depends on the decisions you make because you are in control. He sees you as having the power to direct your own life and his but he also recognises the same issues of control and erratic emotions and that such power can be overwhelming to you. A movie store suggests distraction, trying to loose oneself in fantasy and seeing life as a mirror of the Hollywood fantasies portrayed in movies. Heros, Heroines and indeed, life are not like they are in the movies. Hitting the car at the movie store suggests that he already knows there have been hurts in the past and that this relationship has the power to cause damage. Not being able to get his seat down suggests that he also has concerns about his ability to effect change or find comfort right now and in the movie store you are making fun of things which could suggest that he feels that right now, you are both seeing things in a light hearted fashion, nothing serious etc but it could also suggest a concern on his part that he is being swept along by a 'who cares about anyone else' kind of attitude.

Yes, he does see me as holding all the cards, and I feel like he is waiting for me to decide where to go so that he may have a sense of direction as well. Funny you should mention the movie store and Hollywood fantasies, as he often refers to the way we met as a "romantic comedy". I think he is afraid that he is being swept along by a "who cares about anyone else" kind of attitude. I do show that face to him a lot. As I say to him, "it is what it is".

Certainly with your dream, you can, if you wish to try it, re-enter the dream in a kind of guided meditation. Get yourself into a comfortable position either seated or laying down and spend several minutes relaxing every part of your body starting with the top of your head and working down to your feet. When you feel really relaxed and calm, go back to the elevator in your dream. This time you have a tool kit with you in your bag. What happens when you push a button down? Does it do the same thing? If it doesn't work as an elevator should, take off the control panel and using one of your magic tools, fix the problem. The problem (break in a wire, loose connection or broken part for example) will also give insight into how you 'fix' things in your life. Now the elevator is working again, where do you want to go? When the doors open, what can you see?

I use this technique a lot to go work out stuff in my own life and it is quite an amazing inner window into the workings of the psyche!

Wow, thank you so much for this tip! I will have to attempt this one of these days after work. Thank you for the long reply and interpretation. It all clicked for me