all the time when I was a kid, it was terrifying. Constantly thought I was being abducted or eaten by either robot/aliens or shadowy monsters. Later found out this was Sleep Paralysis.
Also, much like that story in the new Stranger Things, or Nightmare on Elm St, I eventually made this (mostly) go away by going into my dream and standing up to/fighting the beast
I have a lot of recurring dreams because I just dream a lot of weird shit in general. Some of the unpleasant ones disappear once I figure out what they mean, others just keep coming back for years.
My version of the back to school thing that several people have already mentioned is that I have to go back to high school because some technicality from way back in the day had gone wrong and it means that no-one really graduated. And in the dream I aleays keep thinking to myself “I have an MA and everything, this is bullshit and I shouldn’t be here” but seem unable to do anything about it. I still refuse to attend maths and PE, though, even though it could jeopardise the whole thing.
I’ve run all your dreams through a psychoanalytic Sleepalizer™ Freud3000® Model and it has scientifically concluded that you’re all getting far too much sex, or not enough.
Another vote for Davidov Cool Dreams about not revising for exams/ doing coursework
When I was married I had a recurring dream where I had been sleeping around, and was trying to cover up the infidelity (I was never unfaithful in reality)
More recently I seem to get dreams where I’m being excluded from things by friends and loved ones, which is entirely consistent with my current no 1 hang up
Also get the back in school one. Usually involves me stressing out about timetables or finding the right classroom, but not being able to explain why I’m back there in the first place. I had it during the week where I went to buy something in the canteen but they’d started using contactless cards and I was getting really angry because I wanted to pay with cash and complaining that I was going to starve.
Another one I get is that I’m really late for a plane journey or something, but I’m really relaxed about it, like I’m in my parents house and I’m supposed to be getting on a flight to America or something in an hour but I’m just pissing about
I was having ones for a while where i was trying to drive while sat in the back seat of my car. Literally back seat driving.
In the most recent one, i crashed into the back of someone because i couldn’t reach the brake and remember asking myself why i kept doing this and giving myself a stern talking to