InPresence 0065: Dreaming Revisited

InPresence host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in "parapsychology" ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). For many years he served as president of the non-profit Intuition Network, an organization dedicated to creating a world in which all people were supported and encouraged in developing inner intuitive abilities.

Here he follows up on some earlier InPresence segments related to dreaming. He recounts the dream that neuroscientist Julia Mossbridge had in response to a question that he formulated. He explains that he and his wife, Janelle, decided to also endeavor to have dreams in response to each other's questions. This eventually led to some insights concerning dreams and the afterlife. He encourages viewers to consider forming a dream community.

(Recorded on April 25, 2018)

[ronlondner]

I wish to be part of the dream community. I feel what you mean about dreaming and dying being connected to the next life or astral plane. I have had many experiences with people who have died. Especially my own beloved dead – my eight-year-old son, my 55-year-old husband, my 81-year-old father, my 93-year-old father-in-law, and very recently my 94-year-old mother. One of my most intense experiences was with a dear friend, Roger, who was dying in the hospital. We locked eyes and entered a different state. We moved past the room we were in to a bridge where we “walked” together. At the halfway point of the bridge he put his hand out to me because I could go no further with him. On the other side I saw his father smiling and waiting for him.
When I had the opportunity I asked many of those dying for us to have a special word, song, smell or something so we would know we were connecting with each other. My brother-in-law was a great skeptic – but when I told him, “just because you’re dying doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch.“ He laughed and then agreed to contact me when he could. Many - not all – have come to me in dreams or on the way to, or from sleep. Meditation’s another gateway.
When I had a heart attack recently I felt the sensation of flying as the medical people ran with the gurney to take me to be treated. It was a marvelous feeling – no fear, just a fast-paced peace. The doctor later told me that only 2% of women survive what happen to me. It’s five months later and I feel well.
I am a medical researcher and psychological counselor.

[emilianomarquez]

I've always been attracted to the idea of collective dreaming, having done it involuntarily in a number of occasions.

[taikaitaylor]

I really enjoy his contributions for all of us

[EarInn]

I have received direct answers to questions in dreams, answers conveyed using my own experiences and associations to reply--such an effective (and affecting) language. No interpretation was required, I knew the meaning immediately. Once I relived a childhood experience in a dream. It was like a snippet of a life review. Not a memory, a reliving. On waking I was surprised by some of the details, such as the shirt I was wearing, which I'd forgotten, and the fact that I didn't like my haircut. I relived the experience as the child I was at the time, but I also had a very strong reaction as an observer, an opinion about the lesson to be drawn.

[elenakolesnikova]

Thank you very much Jeffrey for another wonderful episode. I am definitely a big fan of your work. You always give me hope and as a bereaved parent I appreciate it very much.
Without a doubt i would like to be a part of the dream community but unfortunately my dream life stopped with my son's death and if only i could dream again i would love to go visit my son in his beautiful spiritual world.

[KazimirArdekanian]

The key take away is: To Be Open Minded.
We are so confined in the social constructs.
The majority of my dreams have been about Tsunamis. Massive ones. Very intense dreams.
Dr. Mishlove, Thank you for thinning out the shell of confining social constructs.

[briankraemer]

I'm writing this on May 16, 2019. I am working my way through this InPresence series. In the last couple days, I've had two dreams in which I am standing along a shoreline and suddenly the water begins receding rapidly and I know a tsunami is coming. Even as I'm typing, I remember that in one of these dreams there was first a major earthquake. I was in a home and the entire house was shaking for a very long time. When the shaking stopped is when I ran outside to look at the shoreline and see the receding ocean. This reminds me that in the eighties I was having dreams almost nightly of impending catastrophic natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, and so on. I remember in one dream the entire sky was filled with helicopters from horizon to horizon. They were all moving in one direction and obviously were at war with the United States. I assumed they were Chinese, but I don't know why. In other dream, I was running along with a friend from "the authorities" who were trying to hunt me down. Above me was a helicopter who had spotted us and was going to capture us if we couldn't successfully escape. I knew "the authorities" were government authorities and somehow I had refused to submit to their will and was being apprehended for that reason. My name is Brian Kraemer. I'm on Facebook. I live in Chico, CA, USA.

[FreemanPresson]

James Hillman agrees about the dream world bordering on the land of the dead. I had a dream about a relative I had lost track of. He and I were walking around the shore of a lake in a place that suited the description of the Asphodel Fields, with my late Father. I became lucid long enough to figure out that if Daddy was there, it meant my cousin had passed, also. The next day I looked up his obituary, which was about six weeks old. I remember none of our conversation, but it was very carefree and pleasant.

[waxmysophic]

I maintain a facebook group called "Dream Diaries". I've posted a great many of my own dream accounts there, and made efforts to get others involved - but so far, the community's interest & response has been truly underwhelming to the point of being almost nonexistent. It's an open group, and I'd be grateful for the involvement of others sharing their dream stories, and sharing feedback on what the dreams posted mean.

[Jay]

A dream forum would be a good idea. Especially if it includes key words and comparisons can be made to see if there are mutual dreams

[NorthStarGeneral]

This guy's not over 70 is he, that's crazy he looks great.

[mahoff]

Once I wondered why the unconscious is so humorless. I could not remember ever having a laugh in a dream. The following night, I had a funny dream in which I and my dream figures broke out into constant laughter ...

[MerrySuu]

I’m on my way to 75 yo and this year remembering my dreams has significantly diminished. My sense is that I had a dream last night but I could not recall it even immediately upon waking.
I’m not getting adequate sleep and will start there and see if I can recall a dream.

[dritanbega]

I wish I could shake hands with you one day.Thank You .

[Flanalb]

I referred to the book _Living, Dreaming, and Dying_ in another comment. It is a report on one of the Dalai Lama's "Mind and Science" programs; they go into quite a bit of detail about the very issue you were discussing, Jeffrey. ....dreaming, the Bardo, etc.

I had a dream the other night that some Native American shamans came to my "office" to check me out. The clear implication was that they were looking to see what sort of psychic shenanigans I was getting up to and deciding whether or not to get involved with me.

[skyblue-lbkr]

in hospice, elders often describe loved ones coming with an outstretched

[semichiganandy]

This is a second comment that I feel should be separate from my other one. When I was 18 and a freshman in college I attempted the dream remembering experiments. Only do this if you're prepared for the results. The dreams were disturbingly accurate in advance of some tragedies. I was under too many academic stresses - it was not a party school or a party major - to be able to handle the shock that I was provided with so I asked the dreams to stop. Make sure you're in a position where you can handle the results before you start this.

[landgrinser]

Trank you for sharing your experience ! I just like wanna fly in my I did when I was at the age of 6 or so. It was so real.... I dont‘t know what stopped maybe school? B‘H

[augustreigns]

if you time JM's video correctly with the music video,
the synchronicity,
is astounding.

[tinjos]

Jeffrey, you might be interested in the Thomas Sheridan article "Obsessive Debunking Disorder".