Andre
Most times, dreams reflect our subconscious thoughts. They provide information about our state of mind, worries, and aspirations for the future. Interestingly, they can also predict the future.
In its simplest form, precognitive dreams are dreams that give you information about the future before it happens. People call them psychic or prophet dreams. Whatever you call it, one thing is certain; these dreams are real. And they have some basis in science.
Unlike what most people think, precognitive dreams aren’t modern ideas. The idea has been around for centuries. For instance, a literature work from 2150 BC titled “Epic of Gilgamesh” talks about psychic dreams. Similarly, the famous Greek Philosopher – Aristotle, published a paper titled “On Prophesying by Dreams” in 350 BC.
Again people tend to confuse intuitive for precognitive dreams. But they are completely different. For instance, you have been feeling unusually tired, short breath, and experiencing some cancers’ mild symptoms for some days.
Furthermore, you have been taking naps to gain strength. And five years ago, your elder brother died of cancer. Three days later, you slept and dreamt that you had been diagnosed with a chronic disease. You decided to go for a diagnosis only to discover that you have cancer.
This type of dream isn’t precognitive: they are just reflections of your subconscious thoughts. Of course, the fact that you were having similar symptoms your mother had before she was diagnosed with cancers inspired worries and fears in you. And your dreams only reflected your current State of mind.
Popular Examples of Precognitive Dreams
Carl Jung
Carl Jung is one of the founders of modern psychotherapy. During his lifetime, he reported a series of dreams, including his mother’s death and the start of World War I.
In 1914, he reported three dreams regarding “darkened” Europe in the grips of disaster.” Most people believed that these dreams were referring to World War I.
Abraham Lincoln’s Death
Two weeks to the 16th President of the United States’ assassination – Abraham Lincoln, he had a scary dream, which he told his wife and few friends.
He was walking through the white house in the dream and saw a heavily guided casket lying in State in the East room. He asked someone who was in the coffin, and they replied, “the president of the United States.”
A few days later, the dream came through – he was assassinated.
However, some researchers believe that Lincoln’s dream wasn’t precognitive; rather, it reflected his thoughts. They believed that the dream was a reflection of his assassination attempt the previous year.
Titanic Ship
There are two psychic dreams connected to the titanic ship’s sinking – Eugene Daly and Isaac Fruenthal. They were both survivors of titanic.
Before boarding the board, Fruenthal dreamt that the ship he boarded crashed into something and sank. Surprisingly, he had a similar dream after boarding the Titanic. However, he survived the sinking, and his story has become one of the popular examples of precognitive dreams.
Daly was also a survivor who boarded the Titanic from Queenstown. While onboard, he had a scary dream that the ship was going down and told his friend about it. And he had the same dream every night while onboard.
However, the night Titanic finally sank, Daly told his friend something scary. In his words, “we are going to sink tonight.” A few hours later, the ship started sinking.
Mrs Julius Caesar
Calpurnia, Julius Caesar, had a scary dream the night before her husband was assassinated. When she woke up, she seriously begged her husband not to go out, but he didn’t listen.
From the examples above, it’s obvious that precognitive dreams aren’t new ideas. They have been around for centuries.
Causes of Precognitive Dream
Scientifically, there’s no evidence-based explanation regarding the causes of precognitive dreams. However, dream catchers and other experts believed the following could be responsible;
Selective Recall
Selective recall is one of the possible causes of precognitive dreams. It occurs when an event that happens in your life is relatively similar to what you saw in your dream. Interestingly, our brain is programmed to notice the similarities more than differences.
For instance, you have a dream that you went to the woods with your friends. After walking for a while, you guys saw a big snake and got lost as you ran away for your lives. You even missed your mom’s birthday in the dream.
A few days later, you saw a small snake in your garden. Now, the snake is just a small part of the dream, yet your brain focused on it because it’s the part that happens correctly.
Association of Unrelated Events
Ordinarily, if you believe in psychic dreams, you tend to make connections between unrelated events unconsciously.
Here’s a real-life scenario. Let’s assume you dream of fighting with someone who stole your money. And when you wake up, the dream seems real because you could remember getting angry.
The next day at the office, your colleague accidentally spilled tea on your suits. You are now feeling angry about the situation and have a quick reflection of your dream the previous night.
Even though it seems like a prediction, they are unrelated events. Anger is an emotion people experience once in a while. You could experience them in real life or dream.
Coincidence
Coincidence is another factor responsible for precognitive dreams. You tend to have different dreams throughout your life. And some events in your life may match with some of these dreams occasionally.
Naturally, the more you remember your dreams, the higher the likelihood of events in life matching those dreams.
How to Stop Precognitive Dreams
Sincerely, you can’t stop dreaming – whether precognitive or intuitive. But you can address your stress level and possibly reduce nightmares.
Come to think of it; psychic dreams can be useful if the content is amazing and promising. However, it can be very scary if the content is tragic, like that of Calpurnia Caesar (Julius Caesar’s wife) and Abraham Lincoln.
Conclusion
Can dreams predict your future? Yes, it’s possible. But you must learn to differentiate intuitive from precognitive dreams.
Again, once your dreams start giving you nightmares and sleepless nights, visit a therapist.
