The idea of 'prophetic' or prophetic dreams has long been rooted in culture; however, from a medical standpoint, it lacks scientific confirmation.
Psychotherapist Elena Fedkina spoke about this.
What science says
According to the specialist, there is no data within evidence-based medicine that confirms dreams can contain information about future events. No controlled study has revealed the ability of dreams to predict what has not yet happened.
Why dreams seem 'fulfilled'
Experts explain such cases by the peculiarities of how the human brain works. In particular, it is about the so-called apophenia — the tendency to find connections where there are none.
Moreover, retrospective memory distortion plays an important role. A person tends to remember coincidences and ignore the many instances when dreams did not come true. As a result, the impression is created that certain dreams 'predicted' the future.
How the brain works
From a psychological perspective, the brain constantly analyzes information and makes assumptions based on past experiences. During sleep, these processes continue, forming images that may accidentally coincide with reality.
This is why the feeling of a 'prophetic dream' is most often a result of cognitive mechanisms rather than a manifestation of mystical abilities.
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