I think you should get it out of your system by telling us all what happened in your dream, instead of just leaving us guessing as to what got you so riled up. Details, mister! :o) Besides, you could just choose to regard your dreams as just another fleeting moment of happiness in your life. Those fleeting moments is what makes it worth being here - at least that's my theory. I'm not convinced that nightmares would make you a happy camper, in any case.

Almost invariably they involve me meeting a really nice girl and not being a big dork and hitting it off really well and being happy.

Once, one of them involved that nice girl being Natalie Portman, but in hindsight I think that one was a little far-fetched.

Ah, the meeting women thing. Well, I could give you advice on that, but for all I know, you don't need any. If I'm wrong, however, I'd be happy to help the best I can. I'm not exactly an expert, by any standard, but I do know a little bit about what kinds of things, or modes of thinking, can make you attractive to the opposite sex. :o)

The problem here isn't one of repulsing women, it's one of never meeting any, period.

This might be a direct consequence of being inside all the time. You might want to get a hobby that will make you spend more time outside, or at least outside your home. Like kayaking, mountain climbing, bowling, Tai Chi, rally racing, health club, ski club, kite flying, whatever. As long as you meet people away from home - and no, it isn't necessary to already be a specialist, or in killer shape, in order to join a sports club. There are even singles clubs for people who want to meet other singles and have fun while trying out different activities. Sign up. Go. Don't think - just do it.

Agh. No.

I think the crux of it is that I really hate people and I'm never going to meet anyone unless the planets align and something unprecedented happens.

But... but... according to this, you don't hate all people...? Isn't it just possible that you hate most people, and hence need to meet a greater quantity of people, which would then statistically result in you meeting a few additional individuals whom you actually find agreeable?

Sure, sure. Like most generalizations I make, when I say I hate people, I don't mean I hate each individual person. I guess it might be more accurate to say that I usually hate being around any significant number of people I don't know. I don't so much hate the people themselves, I just don't enjoy their presence, so I say I hate them.

What it all boils down to is that I'm uncomfortable unless I'm either by myself or surrounded by people I know well. So that's where I tend to be.

Hee hee hee! Natalie Portman.

Her parents would never approve, Mr. Goyim!

That's where "don't think - just do it" comes in. Believe me, I was quite uncomfortable while I sat in the aircraft, waiting to make my first parachute jump, but once I got off the plane and found myself hanging in a good chute, it was a total rush and incredibly beautiful.

I'm painfully aware that we INTP's tend to feel like aliens among strangers and perhaps are even prone to unfair judgment and pessimism when dealing with our fear of the unknown - things that very much work against us when attempting to socialize with strangers. We do, however, also possess a remarkable ability to handle crisis and stay cool in the face of threatening disaster, retaining our composure and ability to take necessary action to protect ourselves and especially people we're responsible for in any ever so peripheral way. We perform well in the presence of danger, as long as we don't have time to prepare for it and brood upon it. You can make this quality work for you, if you force yourself to not think about what you're doing, but just do it and let your survival instincts guide you. I believe it's our fear of losing control and not having things go according to our expectations that makes us uneasy. The remedy is simple. Give up control entirely and work with your instincts to adapt in the moment.