As the thread title suggests, this is a place for discussing how the music of Dream Theater has effected your life.
I first discovered the band in the fall of 2004, when a friend of mine showed me the Metropolis 2000 DVD. Until that point in my life, I'd been searching for something musically, but I had no idea what. By the end of Overture 1928 / Strange Deja Vu, I knew that I had found what I had been looking for. Music has always had a very deep significance for me, so to find such an incredible band was an amazing, almost spiritual moment for me. To this day, they're still my favorite band, and I have their music to thank for really introducing me to the progressive genre. It helped me realize that there is music (and later, film) beyond the mainstream, that is truly incredible. It sent me on a journey of self discovery, which has allowed me to be more artistically fulfilled than would ever have been possible otherwise. I already had a pretty good life before discovering DT, but their music ultimately led me in a very positive direction, and to some degree, shaped who I am today. Perhaps one of the most important things it showed me; it let me know that it's still possible for a genuine artist to realize their vision.
Aside from SFAM, an album of theirs that holds a lot of importance to me, interestingly enough, is Systematic Chaos. There are many DT albums I prefer to SC, but it came along at a time when I was experiencing many lows in my life. It, in part, helped me get past some difficult times. Sure, my favorite album now is Awake, which always puts me in an incredible mindset, but SC came along at just the right time.
This may seem sappy and overly sentimental, and it probably is, but I've always felt that music is an absolutely incredible force.