What Are My Precognitive Dreams Trying to Tell Me?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding Precognitive DreamsWhy Do I Dream of Things Before They Happen?How Do Precognitive Dreams Work?Real-Life Examples of Precognitive DreamsDebunking Myths and MisconceptionsPractical Applications and Implications

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Understanding Precognitive Dreams

Why Do I Dream of Things Before They Happen?

How Do Precognitive Dreams Work?

Real-Life Examples of Precognitive Dreams

Debunking Myths and Misconceptions

Practical Applications and Implications

Close

Ever had a vivid dream about a future evening happening and then it … happens? Having a dream that seems to predict the future can be exciting but also scary and distressing. People often wonder if their dreams can actually predict the future or whether it’s just some uncanny coincidence.

Dreams that seem to predict future events are called precognitive dreams. “A precognitive dream has been defined as one that seemingly includes knowledge about the future that cannot be inferred from actual available information,” saysHelen Marlo, PhD, clinical psychologist and dean of the School of Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University.

A precognitive dream has been defined as one that seemingly includes knowledge about the future that cannot be inferred from actual available information.—HELEN MARLO, PHD

A precognitive dream has been defined as one that seemingly includes knowledge about the future that cannot be inferred from actual available information.

—HELEN MARLO, PHD

“Precognitive dreaming occurs frequently in the general population,” Dr. Marlo notes. Although there aren’t many updated statistics on precognitive dreams, a study from 2009 found that as many as 60% of people have experienced precognitive dreams.

Want to learn more about the strange phenomenon of precognitive dreams? Here, experts answer your burning questions about dreams that appear to predict the future, including why this happens, what it means from a psychological perspective, how to interpret these dreams, and myths and misconceptions surrounding precognitive dreams.

9 Common Dream Interpretations to Help You Make Sense of It All

So, what exactly are precognitive dreams and what are they like?

“Precognitive dreams represent a fascinating area where individuals report dreams that appear to foresee future events before they happen,” explainsSanam Hafeez, PsyD, neuropsychologist and director of Comprehend the Mind.

According to Dr. Hafeez, some common themes and characteristics of precognitive dreams are:

As Dr. Marlo notes, research has found that precognitive dreams are common in the general population.Moreover, different groups of people may have precognitive dreams at greater or lesser frequency than others. For example, 2015 research found that women are more likely to report having precognitive dreams than men. Additionally, the research found that we are less likely to have precognitive dreams the older we get.

Do You Dream Every Night?

Many people wonder why exactly we have precognitive dreams. First of all, it’s important to clarify that precognitive dreams don’t happen because of something supernatural. They aren’t actually predicting the future, even though it may feel like they are. Instead, psychologists believe that strong emotions—often in oursubconscious—trigger these dreams. Events in our lives may also contribute.

Additionally, Dr. Hafeez says, the psychological state of an individual plays a vital role in whether or not they will have a precognitive dream and what it might be like. “Heightened emotional stress or openness to intuitive experiences can heighten the likelihood of experiencing precognitive dreams,” she explains.

Research has found that people who believe in the truth of precognitive dreams are more likely to have them. In addition, an increased frequency of precognitive dreams has been linked to unpredictable sleep patterns as well as the use of medication for sleep.

What Are Stress Dreams?

The idea that dreams have some sort of hidden meaning goes back to the time of Hippocrates, a Greek physician who believed that dreams could tell us if we were suffering from a disease before it was completely evident. At the turn of the 20th century, Sigmund Freud began to propagate the idea that our dreams were chock full of symbolism and unconscious thoughts or influences. Carl Jung believed that dreams were a way to solve some of our life’s problems, and offered clues as to how to do so.

What about precognitive dreams? What can they tell us?

First and foremost, Dr. Harris emphasizes that your dreams can’t actually tell you what will happen in the future. Instead, you can view these dreams as zeroing in on something important in your life, or in the world around you. “Through your dreams, your brain is creating a file on past experiences in case you have similar experiences in the future, but they do not necessarily predict events before they occur,” she says.

Through your dreams, your brain is creating a file on past experiences in case you have similar experiences in the future, but they do not necessarily predict events before they occur.—SHELBY HARRIS, PSYD

Through your dreams, your brain is creating a file on past experiences in case you have similar experiences in the future, but they do not necessarily predict events before they occur.

—SHELBY HARRIS, PSYD

Wheninterpreting your dreams, it can be helpful to put them in a broader context, says Dr. Hafeez. “Reflecting on current life circumstances, emotional states, and recent experiences helps situate the dream within a meaningful framework, revealing potential reasons for its occurrence at that particular time,” she describes. “Exploring societal or global influences may also unveil connections between personal dreams and larger-scale events, enriching the interpretation process.”

To gain greater insight into the meaning of your precognitive dreams, Dr. Harris recommends keeping a dream journal, where you record your dreams right after waking up. To do this, she suggests:

Dr. Hafeez says that practicing mindfulness and meditation can also offer you further insight. Meditation or mindfulness “can further enhance intuitive insights into dream symbolism and their potential implications,” she explains.

Why Do We Dream?

There are quite a few historical examples of precognitive dreams. Probably the most famous one concerns the late U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. A few days before his actual assassination, Lincoln told several people that he dreamed he’d walked into a room in the White House to find that a group of mourners weregrievingover the body of an assassinated president.

Psychologist Carl Jung, who was highly focused in his work on the interpretations of dreams, is also said to have had several precognitive dreams. For example, he believed that he had a dream that foretold his mother’s death. He also had a handful of dreams about the demise of Europe that he thought predicted World War I.

Dr. Hafeez shared that she herself frequently has precognitive dreams. “I have had precognitive dreams my whole life,” she says. “As a child, they were disturbing—too vivid, and emotionally intense.” Now these dreams are easier for her to manage, she shared, as she is better able to get a handle on them.

Dr. Hafeez shared the details of one of her most vivid precognitive dreams:

“I once saw my uncle walk up to me in a dark movie theater with red velvet seats, and I couldn’t stop focusing on his legs. He hadn’t walked in years due to a tragic disease. He told me he was leaving, that ‘he’ had come to get him, and he pointed to a man far away at the end of my aisle. I zoomed in like a movie and saw my father standing there. When I awoke, my cousin called to say my uncle had passed.”

Latent Content as the Hidden Meaning of Your Dreams

Of course, probably the number one myth is that precognitive dreams can accurately foretell future events. Even though that isn’t true, these dreams are meaningful and significant, Dr. Hafeez explains. “They do not consistently predict future events with precise accuracy but rather present symbolic or metaphorical messages that require interpretation,” she says.

An additional misconception is that precognitive dreams themselves will never impact future actions or events. But this isn’t entirely accurate. When we look at our dreams and interpret them, this may actually influence our subsequent actions and potentially alter outcomes, Dr. Hafeez describes.

Case in point: if you have a dream that you got a job you wanted to get, this might make you moreconfidentduring a job interview and help you get the job. Or, if you have a vivid dream where you had the courage to ask someone out on a date, you might be able to summon that courage and confidence in real life and go through with it.

How to Love Yourself When Your Confidence Is Low

Precognitive dreams can be both thrilling and unsettling to experience. Beyond that, though, they are a way to see into your subconscious and understand some of your deepest impulses and intuitions.

In a nutshell, precognitive dreams can be valuable to you as a person, and help you gain greater understanding of your psyche. Dr. Marlo shared that precognitive dreams can have the following practical applications:

Why Do I Have Recurring Nightmares?

Bottom Line

Precognitive dreams can offer us captivating insights into our subconscious thoughts and intuitions. Though they don’t actually predict the future, they may alter the thoughts and actions we take regarding future events and impact them in that way.

Sometimes having frequent precognitive dreams can be disturbing or affect your day-to-day life, so it’s important to seek help if this is the case for you. “If your dreams are preventing you from getting a good night’s rest, speak with your doctor or a sleep specialist who can give you a deeper scientific understanding of your sleep habits and analyze what you can do to stop these dreams to improve your sleep quality,” Dr. Harris recommends.

Why People Have Similar Dreams

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schredl M.Frequency of precognitive dreams: Association with dream recall and personality variables.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. 2009;73(895[2])[2], 83–91.Valášek M, Watt C.Individual differences in prophetic dream belief and experience: Exploring demographic and sleep-related correlates.Pers Individ Dif. 2015;87:65-69. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.028Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology.Dream.Tzioridou S, Dresler M, Sandberg K, et al.The role of mindful acceptance and lucid dreaming in nightmare frequency and distress.Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15737. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19624-4History.com.Did Abraham Lincoln Predict His Own Death?Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences.Jung’s Prophetic Visions.Bugalho P, Ladeira F, Barbosa R, et al.Do dreams tell the future? Dream content as a predictor of cognitive deterioration in Parkinson’s disease.J Sleep Res. 2021;30(3):e13163. doi:10.1111/jsr.13163

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Schredl M.Frequency of precognitive dreams: Association with dream recall and personality variables.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. 2009;73(895[2])[2], 83–91.Valášek M, Watt C.Individual differences in prophetic dream belief and experience: Exploring demographic and sleep-related correlates.Pers Individ Dif. 2015;87:65-69. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.028Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology.Dream.Tzioridou S, Dresler M, Sandberg K, et al.The role of mindful acceptance and lucid dreaming in nightmare frequency and distress.Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15737. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19624-4History.com.Did Abraham Lincoln Predict His Own Death?Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences.Jung’s Prophetic Visions.Bugalho P, Ladeira F, Barbosa R, et al.Do dreams tell the future? Dream content as a predictor of cognitive deterioration in Parkinson’s disease.J Sleep Res. 2021;30(3):e13163. doi:10.1111/jsr.13163

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Schredl M.Frequency of precognitive dreams: Association with dream recall and personality variables.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. 2009;73(895[2])[2], 83–91.Valášek M, Watt C.Individual differences in prophetic dream belief and experience: Exploring demographic and sleep-related correlates.Pers Individ Dif. 2015;87:65-69. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.028Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology.Dream.Tzioridou S, Dresler M, Sandberg K, et al.The role of mindful acceptance and lucid dreaming in nightmare frequency and distress.Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15737. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19624-4History.com.Did Abraham Lincoln Predict His Own Death?Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences.Jung’s Prophetic Visions.Bugalho P, Ladeira F, Barbosa R, et al.Do dreams tell the future? Dream content as a predictor of cognitive deterioration in Parkinson’s disease.J Sleep Res. 2021;30(3):e13163. doi:10.1111/jsr.13163

Schredl M.Frequency of precognitive dreams: Association with dream recall and personality variables.Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. 2009;73(895[2])[2], 83–91.

Valášek M, Watt C.Individual differences in prophetic dream belief and experience: Exploring demographic and sleep-related correlates.Pers Individ Dif. 2015;87:65-69. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.028

Valášek M, Watt C, Hutton J, et al.Testing the implicit processing hypothesis of precognitive dream experience.Conscious Cogn. 2014;28:113-125. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2014.06.011

American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology.Dream.

Tzioridou S, Dresler M, Sandberg K, et al.The role of mindful acceptance and lucid dreaming in nightmare frequency and distress.Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):15737. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-19624-4

History.com.Did Abraham Lincoln Predict His Own Death?

Jungian Center for the Spiritual Sciences.Jung’s Prophetic Visions.

Bugalho P, Ladeira F, Barbosa R, et al.Do dreams tell the future? Dream content as a predictor of cognitive deterioration in Parkinson’s disease.J Sleep Res. 2021;30(3):e13163. doi:10.1111/jsr.13163

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