What Is Precognition? See All The Meanings In Our List Of FAQs

Ian Parkin is the author of this post.

What is precognition?

Precognition is happening when having telepathic thoughts and feelings that something positive or dreadful might occur at some unknown time in the future and you later realize you already knew it.

What is precognitive clairvoyance?

Clairvoyant precognition (second sight) is an inner-visual awareness of possible future events that are yet to happen. For instance, you may experience future sight of forthcoming events while you are in a dreaming state, or clairvoyant visions of the future during meditation or via flashes of relaxed clarity.

How common is precognition?

Precognition, the extrasensory perception of the future, is very common, but what is not at all common is the recognition that an experience is precognitive, so it goes past mostly unnoticed. Experimental evidence reveals the most common means of having these forms of extrasensory perception is in our dreams. 

Are precognitive dreams possible?

Of course, not all dreams are precognitive, but if you should have one, it may be your sixth sense delivering a warning or a positive prediction of meaningful events in the future. In the case of the prominence of the event being a warning and you are an adept precog there is a good chance you can change the outcome.  

Precognitive dreams are often symbolic and may not be understood the first time until the after event happens. But, there are literal precognitive dreams where the dreamer can see what is about to happen in vivid detail as if they were participating in the event.

Another identifier of precognitive dreams is that the events aren’t controllable by the dreamer (as is the case in a lucid dream). But, if they are interpreted correctly and proper precautions are put in place, it is possible to change the future outcome of some negative premonitions.  

Therefore, psychics might consider precognition a blessing, liberally laced with curses. They know what will happen and in some cases, they warn the client, in order to circumvent some disaster. It can be painful for a psychic to foresee traumatic events, without being able to help the client.

Can precognition be developed?

As with developing all psychic experiences you can learn precognitive skills too. In the early stages hindsight will reveal your best foresight. So keep a diary and write down the hunches you have from day to day. Also note all those dreams where you wake and just know there was a meaning there somewhere but may not yet know for sure. Make special mention to any key feelings you have during these body experiences. Then, as time goes by, events will reveal which of your suspected precognitive thoughts and dreams where true insight. As you refer back to your diary or journal you can recall those key feelings. Before long you will just know what is precognition and what is not because those feelings will be unique.

Is there any scientific evidence for existence of precognition in human beings?

In 2010 the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology published the accumulated evidence of Daryl Bem's ten year study into the possibility of precognitive effects that provided direct proof of precognition and extrasensory perception.

In 2012 the Journal of Scientific Exploration published Remote Viewing the Future with a Tasking Temporal Outbounder. This was a study carried out in controlled laboratory conditions as a novel experiment with sound methodology in the reliability of precognitive effects directed towards a near future time frame.

Precognition research has continued in recent years with presentiment experiments. An EEG presentiment experiment involves testing the small effect in emotional reactions to stimuli based on something that has not yet happened. Also under investigation are experiments, in real-world settings for precognition, such as highs and lows in the stock market and the outcome of a roulette spin as well as recent replications of earlier studies. I'm sure future research designs will build on past experience and bring forward even more evidence for the sceptical community at large.

What Are Some Examples Of Precognition?

The Bible is rich with examples of precognitive abilities. For example, the Wise Men were forewarned in a (precognitive) dream, not to return to Herod, but to take a different route home after finding the Christ child.

And history is rife with astounding claims of precognition:

• reportedly some surviving passengers, who were aboard the Titanic, experienced prophetic dreams of impending disaster, which included many deaths by drowning; 
  
  
• for 10 consecutive nights before he was assassinated, Abraham Lincoln had precognitive dreams about a funeral service being held in the White House. When he peered into the coffin, it contained his dead body;
  
  
• and Sir Winston Churchill credits a life saving moment to an earlier hunch he had taken notice of. He changed sides from his habitual left side car seating position, on a car journey the next day that was hit on the left by a bomb's explosion.

Precognitive insights usually comes when we are in the dream state and premonitions can take place anytime, day or night. Both involve little things like heightened emotions and/or feelings, such as excitement, anticipation, anxiety, fear or as feelings of doom and gloom that keep nagging at your consciousness.

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