Stairs / Staircase Dream Interpretation: Insights from 1 Unique Sources

According to Jung, stairs are a clear symbol of psychological growth, whereas Freud attributed phallic symbolism to the image. In general, dreams stairs are thought to represent feelings in connection with achievement, failure, climbing and falling. To dream that you are walking up a flight of stairs indicates that you are achieving a higher level of understanding. You are making progress in your journey, whether it is a spiritual, emotional or material one. To dream that you are walking down a flight of stairs suggests that you are descending into your unconscious. It also refers to setbacks that you will experience in your life. To see spiral or winding stairs signify growth and / or rebirth.

If you are running up a staircase in your dream home, this suggests an attempt to escape from an unconscious urge by taking refuge in the abstract or intellectual.

If you are running up the stairs in fear, this suggests a lack of confidence, a fear of failing or not being capable in some way.

If you are running up the stairs with pleasure, then it suggests exuberance, and a possible change in your feelings and situation.

If you are going down the stairs in fear, a loss of belief in your own ability is implied.

If you trip on the stairs, this may suggest problems you have brought upon yourself by meddling in the affairs of other people

A dream often experienced by children is that of skimming down stairs; this dream feels almost like flying down the stairs, the feet just touching the edge of the stairs every so often, creating an exhilarating sense of pleasure. The reason for the dream is that it represents a task—the climbing of stairs—that once seemed daunting to a toddler, but which now has been mastered, giving rise to the sense of effortless achievement symbolized by ‘skimming’. Finally, using an escalator instead of stairs in your home, or anywhere else, may express a certain lack of emotional commitment to a person or project in waking life. A dream of walking against the direction of the escalator suggests frustration at a lack of personal progress.