there was some kind of illness or phenomenon that spread in ways nobody understood, and when someone caught it, they go unconscious for some time, and wake up as if nothing beyond a point in 2021 occurred. They weren’t confused; they just woke up continuing that point in 2021 in their mind. I was the designated recovery therapist for ones in my family that caught it, as well as other members and friends who were not affected, but understandably devastated because the other person doesn't have that history of 5 years with them anymore. I was trying to explain that You can narrate to someone what happened to their life in the missing years, but that does not recreate the feeling of having lived them, and full recovery is impossible. I was creating a recovery program that focused on helping people acclimate with the situation, and trying to quarantine the condition.
My dreams are often highly specific and cohesive. I wish I was that creative in waking life!