Anxiety Dreams
Last month we printed a short item about a Harvard alumnus who has been victimized by a recurring dream: he is back at Harvard and faces an examination for which he is totally unprepared. We wondered if this dream might be more widespread and asked for communications from our readers “who are likewise afflicted.” Since then we have received more than 50 letters describing similar recurring “exam anxiety” dreams, many of which are astonishingly alike in the details. A selection of the dream letters follows here. We’ll print more letters next week, along with some learned psychological analysis. —ED.
DEAR SIR:
I used to dream that it was the last semester of my senior year and that I had not attended any lectures or done any reading in two of my courses. Like the Harvard man, I had a sense of panic, which was relieved only when I awoke.
JAMES S. WOLF ’10
Lemon Grove, Calif.
DEAR SIR:
I can testify that I have been having this dream for over 30 years. Indeed, sometimes the matter arises in my mind even while walking down the street.
In discussing this phenomenon with friends, I have found that more than 50 percent of them experience the same dream.
HUBERT A. SCHNEIDER ’30
Washington, D.C.