Within a Dream

Ive always struggled with how to qualify (or excuse) dreams.

Lately Ive had one really bad one and a couple lesser-but-still-terrifying ones.
Am I responsible?
Why do I feel responsible?
Why can I excuse some and not others?
Why do I forget some and not others?
What about the ones that remain for weeks, or even years?
What about recurring ones?
What about dream interpretation?
What about symbolism?

A lot of questions and few answers that fully put the questions to rest for me.
But this morning, around 5:30 when I woke up from a dream about work and people buying salads (see, a dream that I can excuse and push off); I had a dream/memory about a circumstance that REALLY happened to me.  It was like re-living it, and it happens to me a lot.  Maybe thats why I have such a good memory.

Anyway, it was a time when the whole family was at a Square Dance with all the families in the area.  They happen every third month in the fall, winter, and spring; and are one of the ways that the young people get into the competition for the Farm Show.  I got into a square with my father (which I normally try to avoid) and he was across from me.  The teacher was teaching "Up to the Middle and Back" in which couples step forward two steps and ackowledge thier opposite couple and step back.
When doing this call, couples can simply nod, can bow, can clap across, or can do a variety of combinations of hand-movements.  I (for some forgotten reason) had not been clapping that night.  I have this thing about people touching me at times and I dont like it.
The previous square I had been in had merely acknowledged and stepped back.  I tried to do the same in this square, but my father wanted very much to clap.  I did not, and I did not put up my hands to clap.  About the second time the call was called, he realized I was not just forgetting and was not doing what he wanted, so he told me I had to clap.  I told him that I hadnt in the other square, and I didnt want to, and that it wasnt required.  He insisted on it, so he began trying to 'clap' my arm.  I tilted my shoulder back so that he could not touch me, so he stepped forward another step (out of the dance, as we were backing up, messing others up) and hit my shoulder very hard.  I realized that this would continue, so I stopped turing my shoulder away and he hit my shoulder another couple times until the dance was over (somewhat softer each time because he slowly realized that I wasnt pulling away).  Everyone in the square saw this and must have known.  No one said anything, and obviously they couldnt have known how hard he was hitting me any of those times.
I decided I didnt want to have to think about this, so I got up and stayed awake until about 8am when I felt safe after talking with someone on the phone.  I slept another 4 hours and woke up feeling better.

I told Mrs. G about this later and she said it was just a bad dream.  She misunderstood the break from salads and thought I was describing a dream.  When I told her it was real and it truly happened she nearly freaked on me.  She asked who else was in the square who would remember and I only know of one person, who I am not in contact with any more.  I dont know if he would remember, but I think he was my corner, and would have seen everything.
I still dont like people touching me, and touching my shoulder especially makes me go all PTSD.

I had an episode at work where someone was talking to me and kindly laid a hand on my shoulder.  I freaked and ordered them to never touch me.  The entire rest of the morning I battled a boiling rage towards them, when I had never had cause to dislike them before. By the end of my work-shift, I could block it out and later that week I couldnt remember what they did.  I just remember they did something.
In fact, it was only just as I was writing this that the memory came back.....