(Kinda) predicting future in dreams?

**octopewz** · 07-24-2012 01:01 AM

I've always had dreams like this and I simply can't figure this out!

For example - one time, I had a dream that I watched a helicopter flying in the sky. It was kind of swerving for a good minute until it finally crashed to the ground and caused a huge explosion. As soon as this happened I woke up to very loud thunder that sounded exactly like the explosion.

Also, just a few nights ago, I was standing in an empty room in another dream. A man came in with a baseball bat and told me he was going to hit the wall with it. He gave it a few little test swings and as soon as he hit the wall, I woke up to the sound of someone dropping something heavy outside my window. That sound translated into my dream as the bat hitting the wall...

I've heard many stories of dreams predicting the future, for example maybe major events... I've never had dreams like that, only simple ones like these, where they sort of build up to the sound.. Could they even compare though? This has always boggled my mind :S

**melanieb** · 07-24-2012 02:27 AM

Dreams like the ones you describe are examples of your mind hearing external sounds and translating them into dream elements the split second before you fully become conscious. It's a normal experience.

Sadly it doesn't show any prognostic implications.

Occasionally a dream will seem to predict future events fairly accurately but nearly all of these can be attributed to extrapolation from information already available to the waking mind. This is especially true for common actions (like going to the store) and everyday events.

**octopewz** · 07-24-2012 02:37 AM

Hmmm... ok, let me see if I understand. The slow buildup in the dream - like the helicopter beginning to fall to the ground - that seemed like a good 60 seconds, really took a split second?

I just can't figure out how my brain would construct a dream so that it would sync with the real world, as if it knew that *boom* was going to happen.

**melanieb** · 07-24-2012 02:51 AM

It's just one explanation and even events that seem to take a long time in a dream can occur quite quickly.

The possibility exists that other sounds existed before you woke up and translated into your dream long enough to create the elements you recall before waking to the continuation of the sounds.

These are just possible explanations. Unless you had a nearby observer to corroborate their experiences with yours it may be impossible to pinpoint the exact elements that truly occurred.

And that's okay.