For millennia, dreams have been a source of fascination and mystery. Almost every culture has some form of dream interpretation. For instance, Ancient Egyptians believed they were messages from the gods telling us about the future. And those brought up in Abrahamic religions may be familiar with Joseph’s dreams and their fulfillment.
But what do modern science and psychology say about dreams? Can they predict the future? Do we have the power of premonition?
What are premonitions
Premonitions or precognitions are the notions that people can predict the future through dreams or extrasensory perception. Some people claim that they’ve had dreams that later became a reality.
Precognitive dreams are still the subject of fascination and debate. Some people believe they show the power of psychic abilities or supernatural intervention. And there have been reported cases where dreams seemed to have come true.
Bizarre cases when dreams predicted the future
John F. Kennedy assassination
It’s reported that before J.F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968, a woman called Kathleen Middleton kept dreaming about his assassination. She reported it three times from March that year, and J.F.K. was assassinated in June 1968.
J.F.K himself was also said to have remarked that “anyone perched above the crowd with a rifle could do it” after a rally he had attended the day before his assassination.
Carl Jung’s world war dream
Carl Jung was a famous dream analyst, psychoanalyst, and psychiatrist. In 1913, he dreamed of a devastating flood between the North Sea and the Alps. This catastrophic flood destroyed lands, structures, and humans, and he saw blood in the sea.
Jung felt something terrible was coming. World War 1 came in 1914.
Mark Twain’s dream about his brother’s death
The night before his brother, Henry Clement, died, Mark Twain dreamed that his brother was in a metal coffin wearing one of his suits. This disturbed Twain very much, and he couldn’t sleep for hours.
The next day, both of them were to travel on a steamboat — the Pennsylvania. On board, Twain fought with a crew member and was moved from the steamboat to another boat, leaving his brother aboard. The Pennsylvania boiler exploded that day, killing 250 passengers, Henry included.
At Henry’s funeral, Twain was also surprised to find Henry’s body in a metal casket, wearing one of his suits.
Are there rational reasons behind premonitions
Selective recall
What you may see as a premonition may be a part of a more significant, complicated dream. Say you dream that you were driving somewhere with a family member, had a great vacation, and sadly, your brother or sister had an accident. Then, the next day, you get a call that they’ve indeed had an accident.
Your dream about the accident is part of a complicated dream. So it’s not a premonition. And sometimes, we twist the circumstances to fit the dream.
Association of unrelated events
Psychologists believe that we dream to process our emotions, thoughts, and hopes or fears about future possibilities. For example, you may have several dreams where you’re happy or elated throughout the week. Then suddenly, someone you love shows up to visit you, or maybe you get some unexpected fortune.
This may seem like a dream come true, and you may genuinely believe you dreamt it. But it may be just your subconscious connecting unrelated events.
Tolerance for ambiguity
Earlier, we mentioned Joseph’s dreams in Abrahamic religions. In one dream, Joseph sees himself binding sheaves with his brothers. His brothers’ sheaves then surround his sheave and bow down to the ground. This dream is interpreted that although Joseph was the lastborn, he would become the greatest in the family.
Those who tolerate ambiguity may see the connection between the dream and the perceived meaning.
Coincidence
You’ll have thousands of dreams throughout your life on almost every topic. One of them may probably match something that happens in your life.
Experts say that dreams don’t happen linearly like in real life. They have a blend of past, present, and future possibilities. Sidarta Ribeiro, a neuroscientist, says dreams are “sophisticated, probabilistic, neurobiological machines.”
Subconscious connections
You dream that your partner has bought you a fantastic present and the next day they bring you a gift, “Surprise!” But you’re not surprised because you “saw” it coming.
How did this happen? Experts believe we often overlook what has been happening around us when interpreting our dreams. Maybe things have been going so well, and you discussed buying something for your children or parents at some point. So it follows that they bought something for you, but you’ve made a subconscious connection between your dream and the gift.
The power of dreams
Scientific evidence may not back premonitions, but dreams are a crucial part of your life. First, they can help you consolidate your memories. They help you learn from your past and prepare for the future. So it’s essential to follow routines that promote a good night’s sleep for better dreams and, perhaps, better memory or cognitive function.
As for me, I love the portals that my dreams open and the stories they tell — a world of endless possibilities.
