Can two people have the same dream?
It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question, because there are still no scientific, documented manifestations of this phenomenon. But we can try to rely on numerous stories about similar cases:
In general, identical dreams can be divided into two large groups - joint and coinciding. The first are distinguished by the fact that dreamers meet each other in a dream, maybe even interact somehow. Coinciding dreams are somewhat simpler - two or more people dream of the same image, the same plot, but they do not see each other in them. An important condition for identical dreams is that they should occur at approximately the same time.
It is also believed that masters of lucid dreaming can take “guests” with them. In this case, sleeping together is not spontaneous, but controlled. We will not talk about this phenomenon here - it is beyond the scope of our article.
Why do people have the same dream?
There are many theories that would explain this phenomenon. We will present three of the most popular.
It is possible that people who see a disaster in a dream before it occurs are connected to the same “channel of information”
Coinciding dreams
Most often, identical dreams are classified as coinciding. They may contain the same plot (for example, a car accident) or some images (storm, plane, birth of a child, etc.). As a rule, such dreams become known only when they come to close people and are quite vivid and unusual.
This happens when you try to share your impressions of such a dream with loved ones - and it is at this moment that you discover that they also saw something similar. It is quite likely that people who are strangers to each other may have coinciding dreams - it’s just impossible to find out about it.
Such dreams, sometimes quite precisely coinciding with each other, may indicate the presence of mental connections and a common range of interests - in this case they come to close relatives and friends, and relate to events that directly affect their lives.
Sometimes dreams of this kind can relate to some kind of catastrophe or other changes on a global scale - in this case, complete strangers living far from each other can see them.
Dreams of this kind are analyzed in most detail in the works of one of the most prominent dream interpreters of our time, pastor and psychotherapist David Loff. A recognized authority in the field of dream psychology believes that there is a telepathic connection between close people, which allows one of them to feel the mental state of the other.
The corresponding images most often appear during sleep and, as a rule, relate to the most important moments of life - birth, death, global changes in the family. Coinciding dreams of less extensive content are possible, which arise according to the principle of the old sign “he is thinking about you.”
Often in these dreams some important information is conveyed, although the person transmitting it cannot always remember that he did it. Of course, such dreams can only be partially called common and they very rarely coincide.
What does the same dream mean?
The significance of this phenomenon largely depends on:
It is traditionally believed that general dreams about various major events (disasters, revolutions, wars, etc.) are prophetic. Most common dreams in which the dreamers are unfamiliar with each other are interpreted in the same way.
If the dream was coincidental, but it did not talk about serious phenomena, then pay attention to the connections between the dreamers. Close people sometimes have almost identical dreams. You can check the “phenomenality” of the phenomenon - write down your dream separately in all details on a piece of paper (you can even sketch individual pictures and landscapes), and then let another dreamer read it. There is a high probability that only the general narrative arc or the most vivid image of the dream coincided, but you differ on the details. If the dream completely coincides, this may indicate either a mystical connection created between you, or that both of you, being sensitive people, caught the same image.
Sleeping together with a stranger is always a bright and romantic experience. What could be more inspiring than realizing that you met your crush or best friend in a dream before you even met? It is believed that such a dream speaks of your fateful meeting. Some argue that this is how souls who loved each other in a past life make themselves known after reincarnation.
However, you can grumble a little and try to explain this phenomenon without any mysticism. If you and a stranger live in the same city or bump into each other somewhere, then you could very well remember each other’s faces and then see them in a dream. If you met in reality, you would remember only the image from the dream - but not the face from the crowd that flashed once in reality.
Having met the person you saw in your dream, you will probably experience some shock
Sleeping together with someone you know is also an unusual occurrence. If you did not do it intentionally, then it can be assumed that there is an invisible connection between you and the other dreamer. It does not necessarily speak of romantic attachment - rather, it indicates some kind of partnership, alliance. There is such a thing as a “soul mate”. Perhaps you saw exactly her in a dream.
What is shared dreaming?
However, coinciding dreams can not only be spontaneous.
It is believed that a mental connection between people can also manifest itself in the form of joint dreams. A joint dream is a common dream into which dreamers deliberately enter. It should be classified as lucid dreaming, which requires some preparation and practical experience. As a result of lucid shared dreaming, sleepers experience the same dream.
This dream is a manifestation of the dreamers' mental connection and gaining subconscious knowledge about each other, which, in turn, can lead to new aspects in the relationship. As a rule, such dreams occur in pairs, and both dreamers must have positive experience of lucid dreams. Typically, the initiator of joint dreaming is quite advanced in the OS technique, and provides assistance to his partner, who needs to have at least basic skills in this area.
A successful choice of a partner for OSOS is the key to its successful implementation. Most often, preference is given to close people, the existence of a mental connection between whom has been confirmed in practice.
However, family, friendly or sensual intimacy is not mandatory. The principle of choosing a partner for OSoS can be the frequency of his appearance in your dreams (almost everyone can confirm that in a dream people came to him with whom in reality he communicates little). It is ideal if your intended partner also dreams about you often, but this is not necessary.
In any case, the prospective partners must be interested in each other - otherwise the experiment will most likely be doomed to failure.
The preparatory stage for OSOC is discussing each other's dreams. If during this discussion you see more and more matching details, then you are on the right track. Once you begin to understand each other’s dreams well and are imbued with mutual trust (which is a prerequisite), you can begin preparing the OSOS.
Recorded cases
In officially recorded cases, we are talking about shared dreams between the therapist and the client. They involve a professionally trained therapist who verifies the claim that both he and his client had the dream at the same time.
The following documented cases involved people in intimate relationships, such as parents, children, spouses or lovers. Consistent with the influence of emotional intimacy on their shared dreams, there are also a large number of well-documented cases of twins sharing the same dream.
The least well-documented cases involve complete strangers.
For hard facts about shared dreams between therapists and clients, see Anthony Shafton's 1995 book, Dream Reader.
What can be concluded from it? First of all, all humanity has are messages that make nothing more than a smile. People have had the same dream, but this causes some skepticism, since controlled scientific studies have not been conducted. In addition, all the details of a dream often simply do not coincide between two people.
But among all the available facts of absolute coincidence, there are some signs that increase confidence in the existence of such dreams.
More often than not, the two people involved in the experience know each other and are emotionally close. In addition, a sure indicator of the existence of dreams with common content is that one person begins to share what he saw, not knowing that another person saw the same thing, and the latter can complete the story started by the first.
People often report that nothing unusual happened before such an interesting fact was discovered. They state that they did not talk about their dream with another person before the strange event, so there is no evidence of displacement or borrowing effects.
Why do I have recurring dreams?
What does it mean if a dream repeats itself? To answer this question, you need to determine the motives of dreams. They can be both personal and typical. And with in-depth understanding of them, each person is able to derive his own interpreter.
Of all the types of nighttime stories, the most alarming is a recurring dream. Rare, short dreams do not always attract attention. But the pictures, which obsessively haunt me over and over again, suggest their non-random origin. Many people very often, after waking up, come to the realization that what they saw at night, in whole, in part or with other details of the scenario, was dreamed of earlier.
Repeated dreams can mean completely different things. People who study the nature of dreams argue that in this way the subconscious mind reacts to a serious life problem and expresses acute emotional reactions that a person tries to suppress in reality.
Most often, such dreams carry a negative, negative charge. In these cases, recurring dreams should be interpreted by psychology as a science designed to change the individual’s attitude to a situation that is not expressed outwardly. The dreamer feels the weight of his burden, which affects him even after waking up, but cannot get rid of the problem on his own.
There is another theory, the conclusions of which are that a frequently recurring dream foreshadows a future fateful event, both positive and with a bad outcome. Therefore, the brain tries to predict the situation in advance and develop a manner of appropriate behavior.
People who are attentive to themselves are not in vain tormented by the question of why they have the same dream several times - they are gnawing at the feeling of discomfort and impending disaster. Sometimes in real life this feeling intensifies, forcing you to change your immediate and distant plans every minute. This sometimes saves you from tragedy or even death.
It has also been noted that if a dream is repeated several times, this indicates dissatisfaction with one’s personal position, which would not hurt to change. Identical pictures do not let go of their owner and continue to appear until the onset of any positive changes.
Why do you have a recurring dream? Using the method of duplicating events, the subconscious sends a message that action must be taken. Usually such visions are vivid and well remembered. Everyone needs to realize why they have the same dream. For example, seeing the same character who does not exist in reality is a reminder of unfulfilled obligations or unfinished business in relation to this person.
How to understand what identical dreams mean
So, the subconscious sends us identical dreams when it persistently demands the solution of some problem. In order for everything to fall into place and the dreams to stop, you need to carefully analyze serial dreams. Immediately after waking up, close your eyes and mentally restore your sleep. Try to reproduce everything exactly. After this, imagine that your dream is a play. Determine where the introduction is, the plot, the course of events, understand the meaning of the problem raised. Has it been resolved? What's behind the ending? When studying a dream in this way, you may wonder what its main symbols are. What associations with the past do they evoke for you? What are they telling you? When you figure out what needs to change in your life, do it. And rewrite the scenario of a recurring dream on paper so as to change the development of the plot in a favorable direction. If possible, turn this story around in your head, especially when getting ready to go to bed. This work must be carried out until the recurring dreams stop.
Dreams not only allow you to relax, but are also a reflection of everything that happened to a person during the day. At the same time, people's dreams are individual. This is due to the fact that all people are different: everyone has their own inner world, state of mind, mood.
Technique of lucid joint dreaming
The simplest scheme for entering the OSOS is the following:
- Agreeing on the time of falling asleep and agreeing to enter a lucid dream.
- The more experienced dreamer should take the lead. It consists in the fact that after entering the OS you need to call your partner, while being aware of the desire to contact him.
- Having felt the presence of a partner, you need to get in touch with him. The easiest way is to join hands. Advanced dreamers can then connect the chakras sequentially, forming one common energy body.
- Once united, partners can exchange thoughts and emotions. This, and not the visualization of the same images, is the true content of OCoS. As for the setting in which it unfolds, its images are constantly changing and, in general, do not have much significance. This is the fundamental difference between joint and coinciding dreams.
The transition from NOS to wakefulness can be quite abrupt, especially at the beginning of this practice. However, as it improves, it becomes possible to instantly transfer a huge amount of information between dreamers, improve interpersonal communication and one’s own subconscious.
The difference is in the details
The fact that two people often disagree on every detail seen in a dream really increases confidence that the reports are honest. It seems inevitable that individual differences, ranging from mood and IQ to memory, prevent people from remembering every detail of a dream. Therefore, reports of what is seen must change accordingly.
The slight difference in the details of common dreams makes sense. Sometimes a similar dream occurs simultaneously for both people. In other cases this is not the case. It is noteworthy that many common dreams, including small details, indicate that they are strikingly similar, since two people have the same narration, regardless of when the dream was dreamed.
Scientists have explained why all people see the same dreams
A number of psychologists develop the hypothesis that dreams are controlled by different mechanisms
Photo: Shutterstock
It’s amazing, but people of different nationalities, religions and political beliefs have the same dreams. Liberals, statists, moarchists and even Trotskyists fly in their sleep, worry about lost teeth and are ashamed of being naked in a crowded place.
Scientists have conducted several studies to establish the frequency of occurrence of certain plots. For example, Michael Schroedl and his colleagues from the sleep laboratory of the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim (Germany) compiled one of the most detailed dream ratings (see table). The top three most popular nighttime “adventures” include school, car chases, and various sexual experiences. The study involved 444 German residents, but similar data were obtained in cross-cultural studies in other parts of the world. Scientists note that men and women have their own favorite dreams. Men are more likely to retell dreams about sex and fights. For women, Morpheus evokes more bizarre dreams: they sometimes dream that they have become men, they see their living acquaintances dead, and more often they are cold with horror after failing an exam.
Why do we see the same dreams? There are several hypotheses in the scientific community. For example, the sinful Freud reduced the entire palette of sensations in a dream to sexual experiences. The godfather of psychoanalysis argued, in particular, that if a lady dreams that she is falling, it means that sexual desires live in her subconscious, because of which she feels like a “fallen woman.” But most modern scientists do not support Freud.
A number of psychologists develop the hypothesis that dreams are controlled by different mechanisms. For example, one group of typical dreams, which includes the motif of a chase, danger, and falling, is associated with interpersonal conflicts that people experience while awake. Since men have more conflicts, they have such dreams more often. Another cluster of dreams - flying, sexual experience, finding money, delicious food - feeds on the energy of sexual desire. The third group of subjects - failing exams, appearing naked in public, losing teeth, being late - is associated with problems of our ego.
However, psychology professor Rainer Schoenhammer from the University of Art and Design Burg-Giebichenstein (Germany) believes that not all dreams are a reflection of our experiences while awake or the result of subconscious impulses surfacing.
In his opinion, some dreams can be explained by the peculiarities of the body’s nighttime functioning. For example, dreams are mostly disturbing, but this does not mean that fate is sending you an encrypted warning. The fact is that the level of serotonin - a chemical substance called the happiness hormone - drops to its minimum level in the body between midnight and early morning. It is at this point that people experience REM sleep, during which we dream.
A number of common stories are explained by the effects of neurons in a brain structure called the pons. This area is responsible for transmitting information from the spinal cord to parts of the brain. There are neurons located there that help us fall asleep and vice versa, move from sleep to wakefulness. In addition, there are clusters of neurons that receive signals from the vestibular system, help us feel balance and are responsible for coordination. Due to the close proximity of vestibular neurons and neurons responsible for sleep and wakefulness, the alert brain weaves information that our body is paralyzed into the fabric of dreams. Therefore, we cannot move and get somewhere, although we are in a hurry with all our might. Or we can’t escape from the chase, we fall, fly, swim or find ourselves locked. So a bad dream is by no means an ominous sign, but a signal of the normal functioning of the central nervous system.
Inner world and human emotions
The perception and display of what is seen in a dream is quite strongly influenced by the dreamer’s inner world and his inherent emotionality. The most vivid and unusual dreams are experienced by people with a rich inner world and wild imagination. Elements of read works, watched films, and events experienced in the past are often intricately woven into the plot of a dream. It happens that in a dream a person is “visited” by people he knows in the real world: living or dead. Therefore, even if two people live their day in exactly the same way, their mental activity and reaction to certain events differ. Accordingly, everyone sees everything that happens during the day in their own way, through their own prism of seeing the world.
Identical dreams as perceived by somnologists
We can conditionally agree with the fact of shared dreams: two people can have the same dream. What does this mean for sleep specialists? If we assume that the brains of two people produce the same dreams, then we must assume that the nervous systems involved in these people functioned identically. This means that the two people must have been in similar states, and these similar states must have produced the same cognitive content.
However, this option seems almost impossible given the enormous plasticity and variability of brain physiology among individuals. Even the nervous system of twins has significant differences. Thus, attributing shared dreams to identical brain states seems scientifically unfounded.
Alternative explanation
Alternative explanations are notable for being unappealing: for example, two people having the same dream suggest that the phenomenon is not simply a product of the sleeping brain. According to some, dreams originate outside of us and then “happen” to us. They are in a sense independent of the minds that record and express them. Dreams are perhaps a product of the interpersonal cultural world and transcend the boundaries of individual consciousness.
But if this is so, then why do similar dreams appear, and not some identical cognitive content? Perhaps shared dreams are like abstract platonic forms that are more than the product of unique neural processes, so they can manifest in multiple brains wired to produce them in the same way.
Dreaming that you constantly run into the same stranger
- If you dream that you constantly encounter the same stranger, then such a dream is considered a harbinger of big changes in life.
- If a stranger, a man or a woman, is friendly towards you and tries to help you with something, most likely this is the image of your guardian angel.
- If you have the same dream in which a stranger treats you aggressively, this may indicate problems with your environment. Perhaps you have a hidden ill-wisher or enemy.
Two according to Shereminskaya’s dream book
Duality, alternation, difference, conflict, dependence and staticity. This is balance, stability, opposite poles, a reflection of the dual nature of man. Everything that is manifested is already dual and forms pairs of opposites. Two is the first number after one, so it also symbolizes the sinful nature of man. The properties attributed to this number are traditionally associated with femininity: softness, tenderness, modesty, obedience and submission. “2” is the number of passive acceptance and reception in the broadest sense. So, for a businessman, the number 2 is a favorable day for making a profit. A pair of animals, even of different species, but with the same symbolic meaning, such as two lions or a lion and a bull (both sun signs), means double strength.
Two according to the Tarot dream book
The number two symbolizes duality, the combination of opposites - male and female, active and passive, unconscious and subconscious, etc. For example, in combination on cards of two colors - white and black, two towers, two mountains, yin-yang symbols, two flowers. In the Lovers (Lovers) and Devil cards, the image of a couple of people has a particularly pronounced meaning. In the Arcana Star and Temperance Hierophant we see an image of a pair of objects symbolizing the same duality. This idea is present in many cards, which in itself already suggests that each of them has both sides - both light and dark.
Two according to the Numerological Dream Book of Pythagoras
The number “2” contains two opposites, which attract and repel at the same time, these are two halves of one whole, the eternal and continuous struggle of black and white. Without the opposition and interaction of two principles, internal harmony is impossible; there is no day without night and no good without evil. This number does not allow a person to calm down, filling him with unconscious desires and doubts, forcing him to look for new paths, ideas and answers to eternal questions, not allowing him to ossify in his beliefs. Self-improvement, depth, contrast and the desire for balance are what is hidden in this number.
One dream for two - the highest level of interpersonal
The existence of mental connections between people is an indisputable fact that almost everyone knows about. Stories about a person’s ability to feel that someone close to them is in trouble will not be news to anyone, and everyone knows about the special telepathic connection between the closest relatives. However, few people know that one of the simplest ways to telepathically communicate with another person is to dream together.
Co-dreaming can be defined as the combination of lucid dreaming with a mental connection with another sleeping person; Some researchers of paired and group dreams consider them to be a type of out-of-body travel. Which of these two theories is closer to the truth is a question to which, unfortunately, the answer has not yet been found. However, the practice of dreaming together after appropriate training is available to every person who has already learned to be aware of and manage dreams. It is best to practice dreaming together with your friends or relatives - in order for two people to meet in one dream, there must be some kind of connection between them in reality. Since couple dreaming is the highest level of lucid dreaming, it is necessary that at least one of those who decide to meet in a dream must have perfect control over their dreams, and the other must have at least minimal dream lucidity skills. The simplest method by which two people can dream together is as follows: 1. Dreamers must first agree on a group dream and on the appointed night try to fall asleep at approximately the same time, and both people must tune in to a lucid dream. 2. A person who is better able to manage his dreams should take on the role of a “leader” - find his dream partner himself in a dream and begin communicating with him. To achieve this goal, you need to enter a state of lucid sleep and call the person with whom you decided to have a common dream by name, while feeling the desire and intention to see it. 3. As a rule, after the “leader” felt the presence of his partner in a dream and saw him, the dream environment will turn out to be alien; there will be a high probability of losing your sleeping partner. Therefore, the “leader” must approach the follower and “wake up” him - take him by the hand and, thus, introduce him into a joint dream. 4. When two people are in a dream together, they can begin to communicate. People who practice group dreaming claim that most conversations take place in the form of an exchange of thoughts and emotions; questions and answers are not spoken out loud. The trust of dreamers in each other is a prerequisite for staying and communicating in a common dream: if one of the dream partners does not have sufficient trust, a feeling of fear will push him out of sleep and force him to wake up. Unlike lucid dreams, the setting and scenery of a shared dream are usually of little importance; they are constantly changing, since they depend on the will of not one, but two people. An interesting nuance of joint dreams is the fact that in meetings in a dream there is only the present time (or there is no concept of time at all) - quite often it happens that one of the partners sees a joint dream on the night allotted for the practice of common dreaming, and the second person - on the next night or even a few days later. People who successfully practice group dreams can, over time, reach significant heights in this skill - they are able to come into contact with almost any of their acquaintances in a dream, and in a few moments of communication in a dream, transmit or receive a large amount of information. Shared dreams are a little-studied ability of the human subconscious, but such dreams open up a new level in interpersonal communication for dreamers.
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The phenomenon of “identical dreams”: before death, people have common dreams
Everyone knows that radioactive radiation is deadly to humans. Therefore, equipment working with this physical phenomenon has numerous safety systems. But sometimes a chain of fatal coincidences happens and a person falls under the influence of harmful radiation, as happened with the scientist Anatoly Bugorsky.
Nuclear physicist Anatoly Bugorsky worked at the Institute of High Energy Physics in Protvino, near Serpukhov. It was there that the largest Soviet particle accelerator, the U-70, was built. On July 13, 1978, the system malfunctioned and it was necessary to enter the accelerator and inspect the detectors. This standard procedure was what Anatoly Petrovich had to perform.
Institute of High Energy Physics in Protvino
Everything that happened then became a chain of unforeseen circumstances and coincidences. Before this, an experiment was carried out with a low beam intensity and, as unnecessary, the blocking of the door leading to the accelerator was disabled. After completing the work, they forgot to turn it on and because of this, access to the working equipment was possible.
The sign above the door, designed to signal danger, did not work due to a burnt out light bulb, which also played a role. But in an institute where danger lurks for employees at every turn, everyone knows the procedure well and does not rely on “maybe.” Therefore, Bugorsky, before entering the danger zone, called the operator at the control panel and asked to turn off the device in five minutes.
Most likely, the physicist entered the accelerator before the agreed time, and the lack of indication and the unlocked door misled him. Bugorsky stuck his head into the channel through which an extremely powerful beam of protons was passing at that time.
This is what the U-70 particle accelerator looked like, located in a huge underground room in the shape of a ring.
The scientist later recalled that as soon as his head crossed the invisible stream of particles, he saw a flash “brighter than a thousand suns.” At the same time, Anatoly did not feel pain or any other sensations. The physicist left the danger zone, but did not tell anyone about the emergency.
Presumably, from 200,000 to 300,000 rad passed through Anatoly’s head, and it is well known that for a person, a lethal dose of radiation is considered to be from 400 to 1,000 rad. Not a single person in the world had experienced such an impact, but Bugorsky was sure that he did not have long to live.
The swollen face of Anatoly Bugorsky after the accident. The picture on the right shows the path of the proton beam through his skull.
Bugorsky made an entry in the work log about the work performed, as required by the instructions, and then began to wait for the symptoms of radiation sickness to appear. They didn’t have to wait long - at night the left side of his face became very swollen and in the morning Anatoly went to the hospital.
Of course, in a regular clinic they could not help an irradiated person, so the patient was urgently taken to specialized radiology hospital No. 6 (now it is the A. I. Burnazyan Federal Medical Biomedical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of the Russian Federation). Even there, doctors had never dealt with such cases. According to their assumption, the scientist did not die due to the fact that the proton stream was focused into a relatively thin beam of 2x3 mm.
Anatoly Petrovich Bugorsky
In Chernobyl, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people were exposed to high-energy gamma radiation that affected the entire body. Bugorsky's case was completely different - the beam entered through the back of the head with minimal scattering and exited through the nose.
We can say that the beam burned a hole in Anatoly's head, damaging his brain. Half of the scientist’s face was paralyzed, but neither the bone marrow nor the internal organs, which were especially sensitive to radiation, were damaged.
Over time, the wounds on the head and face healed, but the facial paralysis remained. In addition, the physicist lost hearing in his left ear. Bugorsky also began to have epileptic seizures and severe headaches, but the man’s intellect was absolutely not affected.
After the accident, Bugorsky worked at his institute for many more years.
After 18 months, doctors considered that Bugorsky could be considered healthy and the scientist returned to his duties at the institute. He defended his Ph.D. thesis and received the position of coordinator of physical experiments at the very U-70 proton synchrotron that almost killed him.
As was customary in those years, Anatoly Bugorsky signed a non-disclosure agreement and his story was known only to a narrow circle of colleagues and doctors for more than 10 years. The physicist first spoke about his trauma after the Chernobyl disaster, when the state taboo on radiation emergencies was partially lifted.
All that remains today from the U‑70: a tunnel with lighting and a ventilation system
Now the scientist who experienced the effects of one of the most powerful radiations on the planet is 77 years old and retired. The proton accelerator that crippled him did not survive the restructuring - in the mid-80s the project was curtailed due to insufficient funding and the equipment was dismantled.
Bugorsky lives in Protvino and spends almost his entire pension fighting epilepsy, the attacks of which become more severe and prolonged over the years. In 1996, the pensioner applied to increase his disability group, but his request was not satisfied.
