My only reoccurring dream.

I have this dream once or twice a year:

I'm back in college. The semester is ending and as I'm prepping for finals, I remember one class that I barely attended all semester. I attended a few classes at the beginning of the term but did not return for some unknown reason. I don't know why I didn't attend this class, I just didn't. I attended my other classes and feel prepared for their respective finals.

The neglected class is always a math class and I realize I will be completely lost and unprepared for the exam. I panic. I question my future and I wonder what my parents will think of me. I never take the exam. I never even reach the exam date and time before I wake up.

Mind you I'm 53 years old and haven't attended a class in over 30 years! I am a civil engineer and love and excelled in math.

What does this dream mean?

Carl Jung would say you are hiding your hatred and fear of your professors. Sigmund Freud would say you are in love with your mother. My own shrink would say you are afraid of yourself and the burdens of success.

I would say you have some anxiety associated with tests you face in life.

H&K-Guy

It means the same as my recurrent nights "on call" in a hospital where I'm supposed to be having rounds with residents, but don't know where they are or how to reach them....or some other medical situation where I am screwing up, and I know it and can't do anything about it.
I retired in 2015, and I'm still on night call!!

I don't know, but it's a common dream. I used to have dreams where my degree was voided due to a technicality and I had to go back to school. Yuch! I've heard several people have similar dreams. No idea what it all means.

You need to drink more whiskey right before bed?

You never get off call. I still have auditory hallucinations where I hear my pager and/or cell phone.

RMD

quote:

What does this dream mean?

performance anxiety of course.....

at least that's what they always told me in various classes; and no, I'm not making an interpretation, just reporting

I guess I’m the only guy, with a dream where you see yourself standing in sort of sun-god robes on a pyramid with a thousand naked women screaming and throwing little pickles at you?

Need more gas-x?

A serious answer -- We all have anxiety dreams at one time or another. Mine was a doozie, had it for several years, until the situation in the dream actually became real one day. I laughed to myself, handled the situation, and everything was fine.

Better than fine, actually, since the reality occurred in a job interview, I got the job, and began the best five years of my professional life.

As I said, we all have them. Don't make it worse by obsessing about it.

I get the same dream but it's not necessarily math. Fwiw I'm 52.

It depends. In the dream, what are you doing with your slide rule?

Something like that happened to me in real life. Organic Chemistry II final exam was at 10 am. I got the time mixed up with some other exam and showed up at the end to an empty hall. Fortunately the prof let me take the exam in his office. It was a real fright.

For your dream, I think that you are procrastinating some task and the residual guilt is manifest.

For some interesting books on dreams read Theodor Reik.

quote:

love and excelled in math

You should be able to add this up and come up with an answer.

Funny, I've had the same dream a number of times.

No joke, I had that exact same dream last night and I didn’t open this thread or see it ‘til now. I’m 48 with 3 college diplomas so I’ve seen my fair share of classes.

I've never had a recurring dream, but I used to have dreams about going into libraries and browsing through books, or going to news stands and perusing magazines. It was never the same place twice. The location didn't matter. The theme was about getting to the books and magazines.

There's no great mystery to this. I like to read. Simple. Nighty-night.

Try this:
"Hypotheses and Interpretations (from the literature and anecdotal):

The dream often occurs in approximation with having forgotten or being concerned about forgetting to do something important in waking life
The dream may reflect a sense of responsibility, duty, or choice where the dreamer knows what he/she should do, but is hesitant/reluctant to do the act
A change involving the end of something is imminent and there is low confidence about the future
It is a time when regrets of past actions or inactions have been in mind—a possible prompt to not "put off until tomorrow what can be done today"
The dream, when it comes in approximation with a significant date, such as a birthday, anniversary, school reunion year, date of the death of someone significant, offers the doorway to the classroom as a metaphor to paths not taken, the recognition that a "long" time has passed without goals achieved
The dream is a reminder not to miss an opportunity or take a more active role in one's destiny"

https://www.psychologytoday.co...ing-final-exam-dream

I've had a similar dream a few times. Only in mine, I can't even find the building the final is in. I've awakened in a panic wondering why the hell I didn't drop the class when I had the chance.