New twist on an old nightmare

[Qs Laptop]

Too good to pass up since I found out that you can ask ChatGPT to take on a role as a therapist/dream analyst. So I asked it, and this is what it came up with:

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This dream sequence appears to reflect a complex interplay of emotions and concerns related to your past career in semiconductor research and the subsequent stages of your life. Let's explore the symbolism and possible meanings behind the various phases of the dream:

[snip]


If I were to interpret it I would say that my subconscious is trying to tell me that compared to the stress of running a business my work life at my previous job was a cakewalk.

 

[pacergal]

I hated "blue books" with a passion. My penmanship - on a good day - was barely legible. Trying to write a test in one gave me true anxiety. I'm so glad those days are long gone - never to return.

omg--Blue Books! buying those stupid little things. Why not just write on regular lined paper? We had those both in HS and college, going to the student store, if I recall maybe $0.10-0.15 each?
I usually answered with the least amount of writing possible, while others wrote pages.

 

[Gremlin]

[snip]


If I were to interpret it I would say that my subconscious is trying to tell me that compared to the stress of running a business my work life at my previous job was a cakewalk.

It certainly was in your dreams! Your version of this dream (and the clip) is hilarious.

I had a weird progression of OP's dream over the years. Started out, like most, unable to open my locker in high school and then progressed to having to show up for a final exam of a course in college I did not know I'd signed up for, like many here. But about 15-20 years ago it started manifesting itself in a weird way where, instead of academic related, it's performing arts related. I am backstage, behind a curtain, and someone is shoving me out onto the stage to play the piano and sing a song as scheduled. Except I can't sing and have no clue how to play the piano - or any instrument, for that matter. So I stumble out on stage and proceed to try and fake it, and fail miserably. Except the one time I remember where I pulled it off beautifully (must have been full of self-confidence that night)

I've always felt it was a manifestation of imposter syndrome, which I am well aware I suffer from.

 

[Qs Laptop]

But about 15-20 years ago it started manifesting itself in a weird way where, instead of academic related, it's performing arts related. I am backstage, behind a curtain, and someone is shoving me out onto the stage to play the piano and sing a song as scheduled. Except I can't sing and have no clue how to play the piano - or any instrument, for that matter. So I stumble out on stage and proceed to try and fake it, and fail miserably. Except the one time I remember where I pulled it off beautifully (must have been full of self-confidence that night)

Whew, getting thrown on stage to perform would be a nightmare, for sure. Glad to hear you overcame it at least that one time!

 

[JoeWras]

Asked CHATGPT about The Dream.

"Why do so many people have a dream where they are in college and suddenly realize they had a class which they missed all semester, and now the final exam is tomorrow."

The dream you described, commonly known as the "missed class" or "unprepared for exam" dream, is a recurring theme among many people, particularly those who have been through the college or university experience. Several factors contribute to why this dream is so prevalent:

Stress and Anxiety: College life can be demanding and stressful, with multiple assignments, exams, and responsibilities. The dream may be a manifestation of the anxiety and pressure students face during their academic journey.

Fear of Failure: The dream may stem from the fear of failure or not meeting expectations in real-life academic situations. It reflects the concern about not being adequately prepared for a crucial event, such as an exam, that could significantly impact one's academic progress.

Time Management Concerns: College life often requires effective time management to juggle various activities. The dream might be triggered by worries about not allocating enough time to study, leading to a fear of missing important academic deadlines.

Perfectionism: Some individuals have perfectionistic tendencies and set extremely high standards for themselves. The dream might be an expression of their fear of falling short of these unrealistic expectations.

Past Experiences: For people who have actually experienced similar situations, the dream can be a way for the subconscious mind to process and replay those memories or emotions.

Transition Periods: The dream may occur during significant life transitions, such as starting a new job, moving to a new place, or facing major changes. College is a period of significant transition, and dreams often reflect our concerns during these times.

Sleep Environment: Environmental factors, such as room temperature, noise, or sleeping position, can influence dreams. People in certain positions might experience dreams related to feeling trapped or unprepared.

It's important to remember that dreams are highly subjective and can vary from person to person. The "missed class" dream is just one of many recurring themes that people experience. While these dreams can be unsettling, they are a normal part of the dreaming process and often reflect underlying emotions and stressors in our lives. If these dreams become frequent and severely impact sleep quality or daily life, it might be helpful to discuss them with a mental health professional for further understanding and coping strategies.

 

[JoeWras]

I didn't ask it about the twist that OP mentioned, i.e. dementia.

I did ask ChatGPT why it always says "It's important to remember" and it had a stodgy answer that's not any fun. I was hoping it would give a smart ass answer.

 

[maestro]

I've had the "I registered for a college class and forgot to attend all classes and didn't do any homework" dream multiple times over the years...

Dreams are interesting stuff. I'm sure there are others I'm not remembering.

+1 Same dream to the letter. Friends asking me, "Why haven't you gone to class?!?". I typically wake myself up, so I don't have to take the finals.

 

[aja8888]

Do you talk in your sleep.

Good question,.....my DW that recently passed away used to tell me I occasionally talked in my sleep, but it was in Lithuanian, my first language. And she didn't understand a word of it!

 

[eytonxav]

LOL, I had not seen this thread, but a couple of days ago, dreamt about a new course I had to attend. I was living in a dorm that was many miles from the classroom. First day of class came and I wanted to be on time. Went out to parking lot and could not remember where I parked my car. Went through several different parking lots 2X and could not find it, so figured car was stolen. By this time the class already started and I was upset that the Prof would have a poor opinion of me for missing the first day of class.

 

[Jenna]

Ice cream before bed along with adequate vitamin D and B vitamins helps me with good sleep. (Neurologist Dr Stasha Gominak on you tube)

 

[Jim in PA]

Real life - NOT a dream

Doctors tell me that EVERYONE has dreams. Perhaps I'm one of the lucky ones who just doesn’t remember them.

But this happened to me in real life at the end of my junior year. I had scheduled early morning classes anticipating that I would find a job working afternoons. However, the job I found was generally 5pm to midnight. AND my living arrangement required me to commute 30 minutes each way after work and before my 8am class. I missed more than a few of those classes.

Anyway, we were coming into finals week. I THOUGHT that the final was on Friday, but when I showed up (late) for the Wednesday class, everyone was heads down working on the exam. So I sat and completed the exam within the remaining time. My thought was, ‘well, at least that’s over without stress or worry.’ So I was done.

Later that day, I happened to see one of my acquaintances from that class. He said, “What did you think of the first part of the exam?” I did a double-take and casually verified with him that the ‘second part’ of the exam would be on Friday - the next time that the class met.

And I still wonder at my luck that I didn’t end up ‘skipping’ half of the exam.

PS Despite missing a lot of those classes, I got an OK grade in the class. Don’t remember the grade, but the course was Accounting which always made sense to me and ended up being my major.

 

[ARW44]

For me the dreams have to do with term papers that are due next Monday and I haven't started working. The dreams include dreading what the weekend will be like trying to do all of the necessary research and writing in two days. I would continue to worry about the coming weekend after I woke up, until I trained myself to remind myself that my academic career ended over 50 years ago, and my working career ended over 20 years ago.

 

[arch57]

FIRE triggered work dreams

I had those same recurring college final exam dreams, not knowing where the classroom is, etc. for years until I retired in 2015.

They were replaced by recurring work dreams from my first career as a research engineer at a major aerospace company. I still have them I would say monthly. Latest one was they stuck me in a cubicle with an IBM 286 PC and I was panicking on how to get any work done

 

[JoeWras]

This thread induced a dream for me, darn it!

I dreamed that I signed up to be a consultant for my city, but I blew off the assignment!

I woke up laughing. Instead of a class, I signed up for w*rk that I forgot about.

 

[O2Bfree]

For decades after I'd quit smoking, I'd dream that I smoked a cigarette and enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought a pack. Had another, then thought, "Damn it! I'm hooked again! Why did I blow so many years of being off cigarettes, aaarrrgh!"

 

[jazz4cash]

I've had #2 many times, but not lately.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

My college career started with flunking out in one semester, because I didn't want to be there. Later, I did just enough part time classes to get hired by a major airline, my career goal. Never had any nightmares about it.

But during my 36 year flying career, and for several years after, I occasionally had a bad dream that is similar- I was due to fly a flight but couldn't find the gate, couldn't find the dispatch office for flight planning, etc. It seemed like I wandered around the airport for hours.
Can't remember how they ended. And never had any dreams about crashing, which is nice.

 

[candidman]

I haven't quite had the dementia dream, but I do have this dream sometimes about my last few weeks in high school, and I'm about to walk the stage, knowing that I haven't attended this particular class during the whole final semester, and the class was one of the prerequisites for graduation. Meanwhile, I'm not sure if they're going to let me walk the stage anyway, or instead call me to the office at the last minute, and tell me I have to go to summer school, and get my GED, knowing how embarrassing this would all be. Mind you that in real life, I have both a high school diploma, and a bachelors degree in IT, plus I retired early from that IT job 17 years ago this month. I thought I would have stopped having this dream by now. I'm not saying I have it every week, or month, or year, but it seems to pop up out of nowhere sometimes.

I don't have these kind of dreams about college, probably because I dropped out two times, and it took me 13 years to finish...lol. Sometimes I think "dropped out" is the wrong term, since 40% withdrawal from undergraduate school every year. So is it nice to say almost half of college students are drop outs? A little off topic, but something to think about.

 

[Koolau]

LOL, I had not seen this thread, but a couple of days ago, dreamt about a new course I had to attend. I was living in a dorm that was many miles from the classroom. First day of class came and I wanted to be on time. Went out to parking lot and could not remember where I parked my car. Went through several different parking lots 2X and could not find it, so figured car was stolen. By this time the class already started and I was upset that the Prof would have a poor opinion of me for missing the first day of class.

Car? CAR?? CAR?? What school did you go to? My school didn't let students have cars in the county! Now, there are NO cars on campus.

 

[hotwired]

Incredible

Since graduating from college 40ish years ago, I've had a recurring nightmare where I can't remember my class schedule.
Derivatives have been:
1) I can't find the class room
2) forgot I was taking the class and its now finals week... see #1 above
Well last night I had a new twist.
I dreampt I couldn't remember which class I was supposed to be in, what time, or where it was... similar theme.
The twist was the person next to me said: "that's ok. you have dementia".

That's incredible! I too have that similar dream occasionally. I mean I basically flunked out of college after one year in 1985. I just couldn't get into it and often skipped class and found myself not having any idea what the professor was talking about, so why have these dreams where I'm nearing finals time and I feel like it's my first class. I think I have had a couple where I didn't know where the class was either. It must mean something thought provoking in conversation worthy!

 

[Marita40]

I still have the school nightmare occasionally. It is often that I am about to graduate only to find out that I still need a course no one told me about, or that I knew about and just couldn't get myself to go to it for unknown reasons.



Also, a teacher nightmare about facing the class completely unprepared--not even knowing what class it is or what I'm supposed to be teaching (I was a teacher btw).

 

[eytonxav]

Car? CAR?? CAR?? What school did you go to? My school didn't let students have cars in the county! Now, there are NO cars on campus.

I went to RPI and had my car just outside my dorm during my junior and senior years, but the dream was not at my alma mater.

 

[indiajust]

I have dozens of old familiar dreamscapes. My college one is forgetting about the final exam and having credits expiring as I discover I'm not done yet. Trying to beat through the bureaucracy, complete/remember/locate the final task and beat the clock.

My ex always dreamed about a french existentialist poetry class she never took, yet was stuck in the final exam with no preparation at all.

 

[Winemaker]

My dream is that I receive a call from my Alma Mater stating that I did not graduate due to missing a class I forgot about.

Mine is similar but I'm only 21 in the dream. One more class to graduate and it won't be offered again for 4 more years.

Another is that I'm w*rking in a low coal mine or in a low spot in one of the mines I w*rked over the years. While it never bothered me before, I'm 6"5", I get extremely claustrophobic in my dream and get up, covered in sweat.

 

[Winemaker]

Car? CAR?? CAR?? What school did you go to? My school didn't let students have cars in the county! Now, there are NO cars on campus.

At our school one was allowed to drive a car but had to get a permit. Several of us would go deer or turkey hunting in morning/afternoon and have our hunting instruments in the car. And several times, the teachers knew who we were and let us bring them in to the class for all to see and examine. Today, we'd still be locked up in the slammer after 45 years.