What is Precognitive Dreaming?
What is Precognitive Dreaming?
You are talking with a friend when they say, "Hey, remember that dream I told you about? It came true! It was a precognitive dream!" Every detail, your friend shares sounds just like their dream. As the fantastic conversation continues your thoughts drift. Is this even possible? What is a precognitive dream?
Precognition means before understanding, or before knowing. A precognitive dream is a premonition of future events. Most precognitive dreams are only realized as being such after the actual event begins to unfold.
Have you ever had a dream that later came true? Maybe you dreamed of a new person only to meet them later. If you have experienced a precognitive dream you might wonder how such a thing is possible, or if it is even real. Let's explore what experts have to say about precognitive dreaming.
What is a Precognitive Dream?
A precognitive dream is something experienced by a sleeping individual. When the dreamer awakens they remember the dream in great detail. At a later time, they find themselves reliving the dream in physical reality. To be considered a true precognitive dream, certain criteria must be met.
You awaken from a dream that was so clear, so real, that it consumes your thoughts. Every detail can be recalled with great clarity. Later, you find yourself hit with the realization; "This was my dream!"
Precognitive dreams are also called premonition dreams. While you are dreaming you may not realize it is a dream. It will feel quite real. When you awaken, you will not recognize the dream as anything but a very clear one.
In other words, you are unlikely to wake from a precognitive dream and say, "Oh! I just saw a future event!" That is not how it works. However, the clarity of the dream may stay with you throughout the day. You may feel compelled to share your dream with others as it nags at you.
What Are The Criteria of a Precognitive Dream?
To prove a dream was a premonition one must document and share, in great detail, the events of the dream, before the live event happens.
You learn that your dream was a true premonition dream. However, proving this to others will be challenging. So, how does one prove they experienced a premonition dream?
Steps to prove a dream is from the future:
- Keep a dream journal.
- Tell others about your dreams in great detail.
- Circumstances must be unique in the dream setting and the actual event.
- An event must take place after the dream that is uncannily similar to the dream, or exactly as described.
Upon waking from a dream, write everything you can remember in your dream journal. Make sure to date the entry, as this shows when your dream occurred. You must write in this journal every time you have a dream, every day if possible.
Share your dreams with others. Include everything and anything you can remember. Did someone say something? What colors are around you? Pay attention to the details big and small. If someone close to you was in the dream, tell them about it when you wake up! If the dream is precognitive, you can both share the surprise.
When I have very vivid dreams I am compelled to share them. Those closest to me have been able to corroborate the premonition dreams I experienced because I shared dream details with them. Most of the premonition dreams I experienced included family members I told the dreams to. Thus they were present when those words, "This was my dream!" were spoken.
Are Premonition Dreams Common?
It may surprise you to learn that premonition dreams are relatively common. According to this psychological finding, up to one-third of people report having a precognitive dream at some point in their lives.
The study of dreams that predict the future is still in its infancy. There is much we have to learn about the human brain and its abilities.
While many scientific fields denounce the occurrence, several studies in parapsychology continue to study the theory of precognition.
Why the Skepticism?
It is difficult to actually study precognitive dreaming due to its abstractness. If premonition dreams do happen, certain laws of science will need re-evaluating.
It is nearly impossible for science to prove or disprove the occurrence of prophetic dreams. For most individuals, a premonition dream happens at random. Even though many people may report a dream that foretold a future event, a scientific mind will attempt to disprove it.
There is a law in Thermodynamics that contradicts the occurrence of precognition. This is Entropy, the law of disorder. In the law of disorder, time goes one way, in a straight line. We remember the past, as we experience the present. Since the future has yet to happen, it is considered impossible to see it or experience it in the present.
This suggests that time is linear, and there is no way to return to the past or jump forward into the future without mechanical aid.
Therefore, most sciences chalk precognition of dreams up to
- coincidence.
- a desired manifestation.
- the person is faking the scenario.
Who Believes in Precognitive Dreams
People from all walks of life believe in precognitive dreams. This includes individuals who have directly experienced the phenomenon, parapsychologists, and some psychologists.
Dreams that foretell the future have been recognized and recorded for more than 4,000 years. Precognitive dreams are part of the human experience. This type of dreaming is recognized in many religions and, in most cultures around the world.
Parapsychologists recognize the probability of precognitive dreams. Parapsychology is the study of psychic and paranormal activity. These are the scientists who study what does not fit neatly into the boxes of scientific laws.
It is interesting to note that many people who report having dreams that came true are also more open to the possibilities of other paranormal events and activities. They are also much more likely to remember their dreams upon waking.
Can You Alter The Future Through Precognitive Dreams?
In most cases, you cannot alter the future. This is because we only realize the dream was of a future event once living in that moment.
Think of a precognitive dream as a video clip. In my precognitive dreams, I have not seen the events leading up to the dream video clip or the conclusion.
Even with a rare early forewarning, I have not been able to change the course of the dream coming true. From my limited experience, it would be difficult to change the outcome of a precognitive dream. Mind you, I said it would be difficult, not impossible.
Have You Had A Precognitive Dream?
Experiencing a precognitive dream for the first time can be described as shocking. As your mind attempts to grasp the "how, and why" of the dream coming true, you are also faced with the unshakeable knowledge you have lived this before.
Yet, these communications with our future selves are invaluable and often prepare us for something extraordinary. Perhaps, with, practice, guidance, and intention, we can learn to utilize this skill to benefit ourselves and others.
Works Cited:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/dreams/precognitive-dreams#:~:text=You%20may%20even%20be%20among,View%20Source%20.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/out-the-darkness/202107/the-possibility-precognition
https://www.healthline.com/health/precognitive-dreams#prevalence
https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/IJoDR/article/view/11218/7617
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4034337/#B2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4706048/
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/entropy-and-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics.84084/
https://fs.blog/entropy/#:~:text=The%20second%20law%20of%20thermodynamics,of%20it%20as%20nature's%20tax.
https://www.proquest.com/openview/0a53364973770acb4cd0ffe4064559e2/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=42308
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00907/full#B3
https://www.innertraditions.com/blog/the-amazing-reality-of-dream-precognition
https://elearncollege.com/mental-health/the-science-of-premonition-dreams/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/parapsychology
https://asdreams.org/study/dreaming_can_we_change_it.htm
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/04/the-psychiatrist-who-believed-people-could-tell-the-future
https://asdreams.org/study/dreaming_can_we_change_it.htm
https://dubslabs.com/blog/what-are-precognitive-dreams-/#:~:text=Have%20you%20ever%20had%20an,contain%20information%20about%20the%20future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTh6vRDLCpQ&t=512s&ab_channel=ShamanOaks
https://books.google.com/books?id=7pVmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=is+it+a+premonition+if+you+changed+the+course+of+action+in+a+dream?&source=bl&ots=Rj95B_4oqK&sig=ACfU3U0pAwuwN-rKX3yRknc6yJRUzvOEAg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiymoqtxPKGAxXkOUQIHQjKB7k4PBDoAXoECAMQAw#v=onepage&q=is%20it%20a%20premonition%20if%20you%20changed%20the%20course%20of%20action%20in%20a%20dream%3F&f=false
https://www.thenightshirt.com/?p=4683
Multiverse Theory https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232529073_The_dream_theory_of_deja_vu
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/multiverse-theory-connections-to-precognition-deja-vu.9017/
https://dreamnetworkjournal.com/bcpov6kodeja/dream-theories-of-deja-vu
https://www.grouporttherapy.com/blog/precognition
Comments