A reader wrote, "I used to have a recurring dream that I would be climbing a staircase and right as I got near the top, the staircase would be disconnected and I would have to go through a maze of difficulty to get to the top. I have a habit of saying 'This should not be this difficult.' I guess the statement is manifested in the dream. I wonder what your take is on it."
Thanks for e-mailing me. First, I'd like to help you look at the dream archetypically, or from a larger perspective. Staircase dreams are common. A lot depends on if the dreamer is going up the stairs (to consciousness) or down the stairs (to the subconscious).
On a personal level however, the dream could mean something very different. For example, you may get only so far in a project or towards a goal and something happens to thwart you. The question you need to ask yourself is if that something, the thing that prevents you from reaching the top of the staircase, is from within?
Often an inner critic sabotages ones goals. A little voice speaks up and says, "Ah, you'll never cut it." Or, perhaps there's an earlier family injunction again succeeding past a parent. Maybe you had to stay on the sidelines so another sib could grab the spotlight. It's hard to say. Everyone is so incredibly unique. Here's what I suggest.
Draw the staircase, including the gap, and then fill the gap in with whatever words pop into your head. Keep going until you've exhausted all the connections. Then look for themes to the words (could one of them be "No"?) and journal about the theme. Next draw the complete staircase and finger-walk up it to the top. Do that at least seven times. The answer is there. You can find it.
Sweet dreams,
Dream Momma
This article appears in Feb 18-24, 2009.