Dear Lauri,

I dreamed I was in a house and was trying to find a way out. Each time I opened a door, it led to a closet or a wall. I became upset and had had enough, so I grabbed a floor lamp and was about to slam it into the back of the closet when the wall opened. I walked into a room and felt a heavy, unsettling feeling, as if I didn’t belong. I noticed that there was someone outside the window, so I yelled to the person to help me.

— Sandra, 46, Muskegon, MI

Lauri: Being trapped in this house suggests that you are trapped in some way in waking life. It could be a relationship, a job, or a difficult situation that you want out of, but it is most likely a state of mind that has you trapped.

The closets that seem to block you suggest there are secrets or, at the very least, something you are keeping to yourself. I think the lamp tells us that you are ready to open up and shed light on something that you have been keeping locked up; in doing so, you will be freed. Let me know whether this makes sense.