Vault: The Dream That Won't Stop

Summary

The Bert Show: "Vault: The Dream That Won't Stop"

Date: March 9, 2026
Main Cast in Episode: Jeff, Jen, Kim, Ashley, Strickland, various co-hosts

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Bert Show dives into the mysterious and unsettling experience of recurring dreams—or perhaps “dream-like” states—that straddle the line between sleep and waking. The main story centers on Jeff, a cast member, who’s been repeatedly waking up convinced someone is standing over his bed. The segment sparks a broader group discussion on the universality of disturbing nighttime experiences, cultural interpretations, and possible explanations, with input from listeners and fellow show members.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Jeff’s Unsettling Experiences

• Jeff shares: Over the last month, he’s had several “freaky” incidents—waking up absolutely sure that “something” is hovering over him—so much so he’s physically swung his arm toward the presence to check if it’s real (01:00).
• The ambiguity: Jeff can’t decide if he’s dreaming or awake during these moments and notes he rarely remembers dreams, making this even more bizarre (01:45, 02:46).
• Connection to a dream: Sometimes the experience is preceded by “weird, bizarre dreams… filled with demons,” but he’s not always frightened (02:18).

Group Reactions & Humor

• Hosts and co-hosts react with their signature blend of alarm, skepticism, and humor, with jokes about Jeff’s wife Jessica “leaning over him” and playful banter about chick-lit novels and “Twilight” (01:52, 03:40).
• Producer Tracy’s story: Brief mention that Tracy believes Jeff’s house could be haunted, though Jeff asserts it’s happened in multiple places (02:31).

Cultural & Book References

• Jen brings in Eat, Pray, Love: In the book, a Balinese medicine man tells the protagonist that dreams about someone watching over you are actually a sign of protection—a “brother” keeping watch (03:34-04:16).
  • Quote (Jen, 04:10): “She specifically had the same dream as you... And in Bali, they would say that it's one of your four brothers that's protecting you, so not to be scared of it.”
• Jeff’s response: Disappointed by the comforting explanation, wishing for something with a bit more edge (04:25).

Listeners’ Calls & Further Experiences

• Strickland: Suggests acknowledging the presence and telling it to go away. Jeff quips, “Are you a Balinese medicine man by any chance?” (05:10, 05:20).
• Ashley: Calls in to share her virtually identical experience, but with more detail—a man in a black trench coat, visible while she’s awake, but unable to move or scream (05:28).
  • Quote (Ashley, 05:47): “I see something. I see it's a black… Or a man that has a black trench coat. And it's an older man.”
• Jen prods Jeff: What does “his man” wear? Jeff describes only colors and an ambiguous sense—“shadows and it’s red and black” (06:07).
• Kim: Also testifies to similar recurring presences, regardless of where she lives, though hers feels more unsettling (06:21).
  • She shares advice from a classmate: Focus on good things or faith-based thoughts, and the bad presence will eventually fade (06:54).

Possible Explanations, Reactions, and Coping

• Emotional tone: The group explores if the fear is truly fear, or just an unsettling feeling because unexpected presences in the bedroom are, by nature, alarming (07:14).
• Jeff clarifies: He doesn’t actually feel full-blown panic or terror, just creeped out (07:24).
• Jen jokes: Sometimes having another person in your bedroom might not be so bad—“If somebody's in your bedroom, it's a good thing” (07:26).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jeff, describing his confusion:
  “I wake up and I'm convinced someone is standing over the bed looking at me. … I actually swing my arm trying to find, touch whatever it is…” (01:00)

• Jen’s Balinese wisdom from “Eat, Pray, Love”:
  “In Bali, they would say that it's one of your four brothers that's protecting you, so not to be scared…” (04:10)

• Ashley's chilling call:
  “It's a man that stands over and watches us. Except for I'm awake, but I can't move and I can't scream…” (05:28)

• Kim’s advice via third party:
  “Just think about good things. … or whatever religion you believe and think about positive things… that things will not hurt you.” (06:54)

• Jeff on the usefulness of faith (tongue-in-cheek):
  “I only like to call on God or Jesus if I need money or help. I don't like to…” (07:35)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:00: Jeff introduces his sleep/dream problem
• 03:34: Jen relates it to “Eat, Pray, Love” and Balinese interpretation
• 05:28: Listener Ashley calls with a similar experience
• 06:21–07:14: Kim and Strickland offer perspectives and coping strategies

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Tone and Style

The conversation blends low-key creepiness with the show’s trademark warmth and comedy—poking fun at each other while still addressing real and relatable feelings about sleep, dreams, and unexplained nighttime phenomena. Listener input and “real talk” keep the topic grounded, while playful banter and laughter break the tension.

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode gives an empathetic, often funny window into the weirdness of nighttime mind games—whether dream, sleep paralysis, or something “else.” The cast and listeners alike reveal that these unsettling experiences are more common than you might think, and while explanations (from science to superstition) abound, sometimes the best remedy is community, humor, and a little perspective.

Transcript

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[Jeff]

The bird show so the pat well, not the past few nights, but a few nights over the past, like 30 days, I've had a really kind of freaky dream experience. And I don't even in the dream part, I don't know if this makes any sense, but I had a freaky nighttime experience. I don't think it's a dream, but I wake up and I'm convinced someone is standing over the bed looking at me. And it's to the point where like three out of the four times it's happened, I've actually leaned up or two, like, and I actually swing my arm trying to find touch whatever it is that's looking at me, like, to see if it's Jessica or.

[Host]

And you're unclear if you're dreaming this or if your eyes are actually open.

[Jeff]

I'm 99% sure I'm up.

[Host]

And there's something just hovering over you.

[Jeff]

There's something looking at me like, is it Jessica?

[Host]

Maybe. Like, oh God, I can't believe I married this guy.

[Jeff]

She does that when I'm awake.

[Jen]

She leans over him going, stop snoring.

[Jeff]

But like, I. It's. I can't recognize what it is. And then scary and then couple that. Like, I had a really freaky night the night before I told you guys about. It was really weird because as I was falling asleep. You know when you're in that really fun stage where you're half awake and

[Host]

half asleep and you're having all sorts of weird, bizarre dreams?

[Jeff]

Yeah. Like, I had a weird little thing that was filled with, like, demons.

[Jen]

Ew.

[Jeff]

It was freaky, but I didn't wake myself up. Like, I was cool with it, but it was freaky.

[Host]

Didn't producer Tracy stay at your house one weekend and she swears that your house is haunted?

[Jeff]

Yeah, but it didn't all happen in my house, okay? It's happened at different places.

[Host]

So the ghost is following you?

[Jeff]

If it's a ghost, I don't know what it is.

[Jen]

Did you have this dream as a kid?

[Jeff]

Think so.

[Jen]

So you've had this.

[Jeff]

I never remember my dreams. That's why I don't think it's a dream. Ever. Never. If I remember a dream, it's a rare occasion.

[Jen]

Does it feel familiar enough that you think that you could have had this dream, like, more than over just the last month, or you think it's a new phenomenon?

[Jeff]

I would have to say it's new only because I. Yeah, I don't ever remember remembering my dreams.

[Host]

Why do you ask, Jen?

[Jen]

Because I was just talking to a friend yesterday or day before yesterday about recurring childhood dreams. Like. And how they're just recurring dreams that you have from the time that you're a little kid. And we were talking about the ones that freak us out and that sort of thing. And then I was telling him about this book, Eat, Pray, Love. You know, the one I've read 400 times.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And there's this part when she's in Indonesia. You know the parts of the book where she goes to Italy? Anyway, she goes to Italy.

[Host]

Just because he watched that Traveling Pants movie doesn't mean that he's not reading all the chick fil A.

[Jen]

That's right.

[Co-host]

He's on Twilight right now, so he doesn't exactly.

[Jen]

I'm like, he skipped over Elizabeth Gilbert. Well, anyway, so there's three sections of the book. One, she goes to Italy, then she goes to India, and then she goes to Indonesia. And in Indonesia, she seeks out this medicine man. And the medicine man tells her a sort of a Balinese tradition about what those bad dreams are about. And she specifically had the same dream as you as somebody looking over her. And in Bali, they would say that it's one of your four brothers that's protecting you, so not to be scared of it.

[Co-host]

So there you go.

[Host]

I'll tell you what. I'll go to Bali searching for that dude for you and bring him back for you. If that's what I got. I'll write off the whole trip for four months.

[Jeff]

I gotta be honest with you. I was so excited when you said it was in a book. I'm like, I can't wait to hear what it is. And now I'm disappointed. That was dumb. Come up and make something else up.

[Jen]

I was trying to really paraphrase it and make it small because I know you guys would make fun of me, but it's a much longer real tradition of these people. So what else do you need to hear?

[Host]

She's telling you to go to Bali, man, and work for the chick in the book. Yeah.

[Co-host]

He's an only kid, though. He didn't want siblings.

[Host]

He's brothers.

[Co-host]

What?

[Kim]

Brothers?

[Jeff]

You mean I have to share? I'm not sharing friends.

[Jen]

Funny that came up.

[Host]

Strickland, you have some advice for Jeff?

[Strickland]

Hello.

[Host]

Yes, sir.

[Kim]

Yes,

[Strickland]

I've heard that if you acknowledge it and while you're awake there and tell it to go away.

[Jeff]

Are you a Balinese medicine man by any chance?

[Host]

Just tell it to go away, sis.

[Jeff]

Do I know it?

[Host]

To go away? Tell us to go away.

[Jeff]

I love that phrase.

[Jen]

What?

[Jeff]

Do what now, you Balinese medicine man? Do what now?

[Host]

Ashley, go ahead. You're on Q100.

[Ashley]

Yeah, Jeff, I just wanted to tell you that I have the same exact thing, and my mother actually has it, too. It's a man that stands over and watches us. Except for I'm awake, but I can't move and I can't scream. And it's just the weirdest, most bizarre thing.

[Host]

Do you see something or you just like feeling an energy?

[Ashley]

I see something. I see it's a black. Or a man that has a black trench coat. And it's an older man.

[Jeff]

Could it be just a neighbor?

[Ashley]

I don't think so, no.

[Jen]

Jeff, what's your man wearing?

[Jeff]

Yeah, it's not like it's just the trench coat.

[Co-host]

You sense it, but you don't see anything.

[Jeff]

Yeah, it's shadows and it's red and black.

[Jen]

Really?

[Jeff]

Like, I can see colors.

[Co-host]

It says Georgia face paint on.

[Jeff]

Yeah, still tarana.

[Ashley]

Get rid of it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Get rid of it.

[Host]

Hey, Kim. You're part of the bird show.

[Kim]

Good morning.

[Strickland]

Hi. Good morning, you all.

[Host]

Hi.

[Strickland]

Hi, Jeff. I know exactly what you're talking about. I used to live in Virginia. No matter where I was at, I've had that. No matter where I lived at, I've had that same exact feeling. There's a presence there. And a lot of times it feels like it's a bad presence. I don't know if you've. Do you feel like it's a bad. Like a bad sign that that person should not be there?

[Jeff]

Nah, it just feels, like, creepy. Like, really Just like, I don't feel scared really.

[Host]

Well, you're throwing punches at it though.

[Jeff]

Didn't you say no? I'm just reaching for it to find out if it's like, there's really a person there.

[Kim]

Mm. Well, what?

[Strickland]

One of my classmates actually told me. She was an older lady. She was like, you know, whenever that happens, Kim, just think about. Just think about good things. Think if you believe in Jesus or, you know, or whatever religion you believe and think about positive things that. That things will not hurt you. And eventually, like, after a while, they would just kind of. I would just focus my mind on good things that would kind of go away.

[Co-host]

Do you think that you feel like it's a bad thing only because it's like something. I guess you're trained to think if somebody's in my bedroom is a bad thing. You know what I'm saying? Like, it may not be that way. I've never thought that thing.

[Kim]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeff]

I don't feel like any panic or fear.

[Jen]

If somebody's in your bedroom, it's a good thing. Somebody signing up to be there is a good thing.

[Co-host]

Even if he's a man in a black trench coat.

[Host]

Embrace it.

[Jeff]

You know what that lady said? I only like to call on God or Jesus if I need money or help. I don't like to.

[Host]

Or if my team's about to kick a field goal with a second.

[Jeff]

Yeah, I don't save the Oscar when

[Host]

I think about it.

[Jen]

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[Host]

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[Jen]

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[Kim]

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