Ghosts, Spirits, and Psychics: the Paranormal from Alchemy to Zombies by Matt Cardin

Author:Matt Cardin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2015-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Precognitive Dreams

The precognitive dream is the most recognized type of extraordinary dream. Here is the prophetic dream, which seers, theologians, and diviners have been puzzling over for millennia—often putting their lives on the line as they distinguish a true dream from a false call as they stand before kings and between armies. The largest modern collection of precognitive dreams was collected by Louisa Rhine, wife of J. B. Rhine, and is now housed at Duke University Library. These letters include thousands of accounts of precognition, three out of four of which occurred during dreams. Beyond the anecdotal level, many trusted testimonials exist as well as some suggestive clinical trials, including the Maimonides trials.

Visitation Dreams

Dreams reliably connect people to the departed. These encounters can also come during waking life as well as in hypnagogic hallucinations. Visitation dreams can be seen as transpersonal encounters because they can be profound, impactful, remembered for a lifetime, and capable of forever shifting the individual’s core beliefs about life and the universe. Visitation dreams are often reported to have clairvoyant or telepathic content that surprises the dreamer upon awakening. Many religious traditions, of course, revere stories of powerful visitation dreams from esteemed spiritual leaders and ancestors. Visitations can include spiritual messages or advice that are often beyond the individual’s comprehension until reflected upon for some time. Are the figures in visitation dreams “really” them? Like many aspects of paranormal dreaming, there is no clear answer, but regardless, visitation dreams are often noted as being helpful for overcoming grief and letting go of the past.

Past-Life Dreams

Dreaming of past-life experiences is another commonly reported kind of paranormal experience. Although not as common as precognitive dreams, these dreams are similarly marked by a high degree of recall and life impact due to an internal sense that the experience is more than a normal dream. Some parapsychological researchers refer to these “memories” as “postcognition.” Ethnographically, these dreams are common in societies that support belief in reincarnation. Often the first dream of an “arriving” old soul occurs in pregnant women. However, most research into past life dreams has involved collecting case studies of young people who dream about people, places, and things that they could not have otherwise known about by accepted means. Therapists who identify and work with past-life dreams argue that although it is impossible to know if their clients really are remembering past lives, the narratives created through the work are unusually empowering and result in good healing outcomes.

Critical Thinking and New Theories

The crucial role of critical thinking cannot be overstated. Even parapsychologists are skeptical and quick to point out fraudulent research. Many anecdotal accounts no doubt can be explained on the basis of coincidence, faulty memory, or information that was already available to the dreamer (so-called “unconscious processing”). Under all these conditions, it is easy and may even be advantageous for some dreamers to confabulate the significance of a dream, whether purposefully or unconsciously. No doubt some of the most famous prophetic dreams from history are fabrications and popular myths.

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