Precognitive Dream Experiences A qualitative study L.L.R. Vrijsen Hogeschool voor Geesteswetenschappen, Utrecht & dr. D.J. Bierman University of Amsterdam 28 June 2011, Kerkrade the 28th International Conference of the International Association for the Study of Dreams

Precognitive Dream Experiences A qualitative study Goal of the Study Study Method How do people experience precognitive dreams in the short- term or in the long-term? How do people with precognitive dreams explain this phenomena regarding to time? Are there any cultural differences between people with precognitive dreams? Déjà vu & Precognitive dreams A theoretical perspective

Goal of the Study How do people ‘explain’ and ‘understand’ their precognitive dream experiences? Not: are the precognitive dream experiences veridical? Theoretical: relation to déjà vu

Study Method Online survey 2005 by Hermine Mensink Presented at the 24th IASD conference in Sonoma (2007) Many questions, about for example: the content, the number and the time interval of the dreams. Approached all respondents who could be reached (N=85) 16 respondents (19%) accepted to be orally interviewed (structured) Type of questions: Do you sometimes know, after remembering a dream, that it is precognitive? How do you recognize this kind of dreams?

How do people experience precognitive dreams in the short-term or in the long-term? Short-term: Two types of dreams: 1.Mundane dreams (37,5%) 2.Spectacular dreams (37,5%) Mixed or non-classifiable (25%)

How do people experience precognitive dreams in the short-term or in the long-term? Long-term: Respondents described: An inner change (62,5%) Positive change of life view (30%) Feelings of fear and loneliness (15%)

How do people with precognitive dreams explain this phenomena regarding to time? Deterministic world view (25%) No responsibility Able to influence the future (5,3%) Responsibility for event Clinical problems Time as how we know it, is an illusion (37,5%)

Are there any cultural differences between people with precognitive dreams? A Greek case-study Personal differences between meanings of dream symbols

Déjà vu & Precognitive dreams A theoretical perspective

Is precognition impossible? Naïve answer: Yes –Cause precedes Effects –Paradoxes similar to the grandfather paradox BUT physics is time-symmetric: answer is NO –Retarded and Advanced solution –Apparently time-symmetry is broken –So: CIRTS (Consciousness Induced Restoration of Time-symmetry)

Are déjà vu experiences forgotten precognitive dreams? déjà vu could be CIRTS Empirical data: Funkhouser’s online database –Online Survey: dreams, déjà vu –N ~ 2600 Is there a relation between dreams & deja vu

Correlational Analyses All data: –R = 0.173, N=2133 POSITIVE!! –Odds (p) are smaller than 1 in Split for gender: –Female : r=0.206, N=1285 –Male: r=0.099, N=834 Z diff = 2.41 (p<0.01)

Conclusion The positive correlations support the hypothesis that déjà vu are forgotten precognitive dreams.

Thanks Hermine Mensink Art Funkhouser Vernon Neppe John Palmer