Have any of you used (or considered using) game design as a way to explore your fears or memories?

When I dream, my brain likes certain settings. Maybe you're the same way.

There's a place I dream about often, based on some woods near where I grew up. I intentionally created an area in Flare that looked like this place. I get a wave of deja-vu everytime I play that area.

I've been out of university for 10 years, yet I still always have stress dreams that I'm back in school and I've forgotten to attend class. I'm starting to wonder if I can use game design to explore or deal with these memories.

Have you ever been so bored in class that you'd fantasize about emergency situations? What if a fire broke out, or a ninja came in through the window, or a bear broke down the door.

How many people dream about forgetting to wear clothes? Or losing their teeth? Or falling and waking up? Can we make games out of those shared experiences?

Any of you make games that were really about your personal memories, fears, etc?

Now I kinda want to make a School tile set. Could be therapeutic.