Like many other people have most likely experienced, I sometimes feel like I can predict the future through my dreams. Occasionally I will dream about getting an A on a test or getting a small injury, and then I will find that a few days later the dreams will come true. These experiences can begin to raise a lot of thought. Do I really have the ability to predict some instances in my future? Or is this just a figment of my imagination that later becomes true simply because of a coincidence.
As it turns out, the purpose of dreams is still up for debate in the world of psychology. The infamous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud has pegged dreams as a gateway to our unconscious desires. He believes that we dream of things that we desire for that we may not even be aware of. Others believe that dreams are a way for our brain to prepare us for a better reaction in real life scenarios such as being in a car accident. That our brains are simply prepping us to have calmer reactions and not be as panicked. However, most psychologists believe that dreams are simply meaningless images that our brain produces during the REM phase of our sleep cycle. They believe that the dreams we have that some may confuse with having psychic abilities are actually just the brain making use of all of the electrical signals it receives throughout the day and puts them into a relatively meaningless story that sometimes may contain emotions or fears we have on a daily basis.
So as it seems dreams are not ways to channel our inner psychic, and are in fact rather meaningless. As disappointing as it may be that the dream you had about finding $20.00 on the street may not come true, it can be rather comforting to know that your brain is always working hard and trying to make sense of the world, even as you sleep.
I too have found strange connections between my dreams and the real world. Sometimes it is difficult not to have an inkling of a thought that you can somehow predict of the future or have ESP. But although it is highly unlikely that dreams are a form of this ESP, I do believe that on numerous occasions, dreams have meaning to them. When I was younger I remember that my dad had a dream of a crow, which is a bird known for being a “bad omen”. The next day, my great aunt passed away. Although I’m not sure if these two happenings have a direct correlation, I do wonder whether dreams can at times prepare us for what is going to occur.