The Strange Phenomenon Where Two (Or More) People Share The Exact Same Dream
Combine your consciousnesses.
lenetstan / Little River / Maridav / Shutterstock It’s easy to dismiss a dream as your imagination running wild, but if you pay attention, a dream can be a very powerful tool, carrying important divine messages that enhance your life.
The dream environment can give us direction, help us to reach our fullest potential, warn of impending danger, and predict our futures.
We’ve all had dreams that stick in our minds, even after waking. But have you ever had the rare experience of sharing the same dream with someone? That’s mutual dreaming and it’s 100% possible.
What is mutual dreaming?
The idea of having shared dreams became mainstream after Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the 2010 film "Inception," a movie about lucid dreamers meshing dream worlds together.
In shared dreams, also known as linking dreams, two or more people share the same dream atmosphere. Sometimes, there are just common objects or events, while other times, they have the exact same dream.
TikToker Tim Kwant explains in more detail this phenomenon of two or more people’s consciousnesses joining together:
This "telepathic dreaming" was documented in 1922 by Sigmund Freud in a paper entitled "Dreams and Telepathy." Freud cast doubt on shared dreams, having been unable to find any evidence of it in his patients.
But Carl Jung later raised the theory of collective unconscious, a believe that it is possible we all share a "mind" that keeps us interconnected across time and space. If true, then shared dreaming is entirely possible.
There have been several mutual dreaming experiments over the years, but overall, science rejects the concept of sharing a dream with another person.
A 2017 study by the University of Minnesota looked to weigh in on the hypothesis that mutual dreams are simply a cry for enhanced emotional attachments in relationships. The results hinted at the connection between shared dreams and a desire for closeness.
Is mutual dreaming common?
It’s hard to tell exactly how often mutual dreams happen, but if you scroll through the internet, you will find that many people have experienced it. For example, the subreddit, r/Dreams or Reddit Dreams: Everything About Dreams.
There, you find instances of everything from multiple family members sharing dreams about deceased loved ones, to close friends seeing one another in their dreams and confirming upon waking that the other person had the same visions.
How To Mutual Dream With Someone
In order to mutual dream with someone, you must first know how to lucid dream. This is when you take control of what happens within your dream.
Once you feel comfortable with mastering lucid dreaming, you can move onto the steps for having a mutual dream with someone.
Meshing Dreams
To mesh dreams, you need a partner who is willing and ready to dream with you.
During the day, while awake, do something you both enjoy together. That evening, talk about what you did and any moments that may have stood out for each of you. Describe the things you found interesting.
Each person must be intent on dreaming about the experience you just had. If it works, both parties will dream about the same experience or something similar.
Compare detailed notes after waking to see what commonalities your dreams share. Be sure to be honest. Don’t be influenced by your dreaming partner's story, or try to make them "remember" seeing what you saw.
This is simply a form of "dream incubation" — planting a seed within each person’s mind that influences their subconscious mind.
Meeting Dreams
As with meshing dreams, you want to find a person interested in co-dreaming with you. It is a bonus if that person knows how to lucid dream already.
Choose a place to meet. Ideally, it should be familiar to both of you or a famous meeting spot, like the Hard Rock Café or the Space Needle. The key is knowing details about the place so you both envision the same environment.
But unlike with meshing dreams, you need to have a spontaneous conversation. Tell your dreaming partner something they don’t know about you, or give them a "code word" without warning.
The goal with meeting dreams is to have a lucid dream that occurs at the same time, date, and location of the meet-up. Evidence of its success would be both parties reporting the same specific conversational details upon waking.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.