Psychic Dreams: Precognition or Premonition?

With all our advances in scientific knowledge, does it surprise you to know that no-one can tell you what dreaming is? Sure, there are theories about how the brain is processing daytime experiences and thoughts, or that the mind is downloading or uploading to some cosmic computer. Most dreams are fragmented and indecipherable. Some are very obviously based on what we did that day. Many dreams follow on from anxiety and worry about a given situation. But what about those psychic dreams that seem to foretell the future?

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Precognition or Premonition?

Firstly let’s distinguish between those two often confused terms, precognition and premonition. Precognition is the knowing that an event will occur. Precognition is a brain phenomenon and will be expressed as a definite statement of awareness of the future. Premonition is an emotion, perhaps expressed as an uncomfortable gut feeling or intuition. You know that something is going to happen, but you can’t pinpoint what it is.

Psychic dreams can fall into either category, depending on their detail, and if the dreamer can interpret their dream accurately. Very often, they are unable to make sense of the dream until after the event has occurred. So why do we see the future in our dreams if there’s nothing we can do about it? Well sometimes we can do something, and if we act on the dream, it might save our life.

Precognitive Dream Saves a Woman’s Life

Sunni Ingalls had such a dream. She dreamed she was taking part in a race and was leading when her husband pulled up in the car next to her. He told her she needed to get out of the race and into the vehicle. She didn’t want to, but he insisted. So she got into the car, and they drove home. When they arrived, she glanced at herself in a mirror and saw her mother looking over her shoulder. She also noticed that her neck appeared unusually swollen. Sunni recalled the dream so vividly, and because her mother had a thyroid problem, she decided to get herself checked out by her doctor.

Shortly after she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. Thankfully, after treatment, Sunni has made a full recovery. She says she is convinced her body found a way to signal that something was wrong and that the dream saved her life. So although, the dream wasn’t specific about breast cancer, it was detailed enough to be classed as precognition.

Premonition Warning

Another woman woke up after dreaming, with a feeling of dread. She couldn’t remember the dream, but the feeling it gave stayed with her all day. The thought that one of her children might be hit by a car kept occurring to her, so she watched them carefully. Later in the evening, she was told a friend had died after being hit by a drunk driver. As she was unable to narrow down what the dream, and subsequent feeling of dread, was referring to, this was a case of premonition and unfortunately nothing could be done to prevent the tragic event.

So What is Happening with these Psychic Dreams?

There is a theory, unprovable of course, that when we dream we enter a state where time doesn’t exist. It’s as if we can tune into all time and no time at the same time. There’s no past or future, only the moment that we are in. Usually, our brains are unable to unscramble the visions that we see while we dream, but occasionally one is so clear and vigorous we can recognize that it is a premonition or a precognitive experience.

‘Angel of Death’ Dream Saves Women’s Lives

On Saturday, November 11, 1911, the Milwaukee Journal published a story wherein a young woman recounted how she’d had an old man, dressed in black, visit her in a dream. He asked her, “Are you ready?”. She immediately connected him with the ‘Angel of Death’ and replied, “No, I’m not ready.” In her dream, he walked away. She told her mother about the dream, and her mother reassured her that all was well. A few days later the young woman visited a friend at the office block where she worked. They chatted, waiting for the elevator to reach their floor. The doors opened, and the attendant asked, “Are you ready?” Immediately, the dream sprang to her mind, and she said, “No, never mind, I’ll wait for the next car.” The elevator car that she and her friend didn’t enter crashed down the shaft killing all passengers.

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Use Those Psychic Dreams

If you have ever experienced a dream that has come true, then you may well have the gift of precognition. The key is to train yourself to act as soon as you come out of the dream. The first thing to do is to write it down. Every last detail you can recall. Even if it is the middle of the night. Don’t tell yourself you’ll do it when you wake ‘properly’ in the morning. It will be gone.

At the end of the day, read back over your dream notes and see if they connect with something that happened during the day, or perhaps to an event on the news. If you haven’t had time to read or watch the news, have a cursory glance through the headlines – just in case. Research some of the aspects of your dream to see if it is connected to a real-life event.

As you increase your awareness of your dreams, you may find that you spot connections. Write down anything that you think may be relevant, no matter how tenuous it seems. Keep a dream journal. You will become more confident in what your dreams are trying to tell you. Don’t be afraid of telling someone what you dreamed about. Occasionally, it will mean more to them than it does to you.

Sweet dreams.