History Main / TalkingInYourDreams

* Angels in Literature/TheBible use dreams to communicate with humans: for example, an angel comes to Joseph in a dream to explain to him the circumstances of Mary's virginal conception, and later returns to warn Joseph that Herod wants to kill the child.

* In a notable example from Creator/MercedesLackey's work, Kerowyn, the protagonist of ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar By the Sword]]'', spends ''ten years'' having dream-conversations with Eldan before finally learning that they'd actually been communicating telepathically the whole time.

* Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse: The Cardassian Fates communicate like this. Non-corporeal creatures inhabiting a mysterious dimensional plane that intersects with our own, they can telepathically influence mortals. In particular, with individuals of the right genetic makeup (or whose minds have been altered by particular artifacts), they can appear in dreams and hold "conversations" - or alternatively just plant images and desires. In the ''Literature/TerokNor'' books, their apparent leader, Oralius, uses it to find the next [[LegacyCharacter Astraea]] so as to keep the [[GoodOldWays Oralian Way religion]] and the compassionate, noble aspect of Cardassian society alive. Her EvilCounterpart Uramtali uses it to telepathically rape young boys.

* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novels, this is a stock PsychicPower for telepaths or the psykers who are powerful enough to cross disciplines.
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/BrothersOfTheSnake'', the [[spoiler: comatose]] Petrok sends a psychopomp to conduct the dreaming Priad into his own dreams. He warns Priad to flee, because he himself is under dream attack from Dark Eldar.
** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/CiaphasCain[[note]]HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! [[/note]] novel ''The Traitor's Hand'', Cain ''thinks'' he's just having [[RecurringDreams yet another]] FlashbackNightmare about [[spoiler:a Slaaneshi cultist he killed after she tried to suck out his soul. Turns out she's BackFromTheDead and can "caress your mind"...]]
** In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Honour Guard'', the wounded Ghosts, left behind, received repeated messages, apparently from the dead, to desert and join the honour guard.
** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/HorusHeresy novel ''Fulgrim'', Fulgrim hears voices nagging at him every night. He convinces himself that [[DreamingTheTruth it's his subconscious]]. [[spoiler:He's wrong.]]

** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'', Ravenor contacts members of his team in their dreams to confirm that they want to go on working with him.
** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''[[Literature/DarkHeresy Scourge the Heretic]]'', the sleeping Carolus is attacked by a demon. (Disguised as an EroticDream, no less.)
** In Lee Lightner's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Wolf's Honour'', Ragnor confides in Gabriella that he think his enemy Madox is in his dreams. Gabriella dismisses it as Bad Dreams; he feels guilty about what went awry in an previous encounter. [[spoiler: In reality, he is DreamingOfThingsToCome.]]
** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/{{Ultramarines}} novel ''The Killing Ground'', both the Space Marines and the Unfleshed suffered horrible dreams while on the Chaos-tainted space ship.

* ''Literature/{Pale}'': Alpeana's gift to the trio is to facilitate communication with each other and other people through dreams. She also has a colleague who works with erotic dreams instead of nightmares who is tapped for this service once.

* In Creator/RobertJordan's ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', ''Tel'aran'rhiod'' is an alternate reality that people can access through their dreams. Most only enter it briefly and unconsciously without special help, but those with a talent for Dreamwalking can make the transition willingly and channellers can physically transport themselves there.
** Dreamwalkers also have the ability to find a person's dreams and project messages into them, pull the dreamer into ''Tel'aran'rhiod'', or project themselves into the dream. The third option carries the risk of being caught up and temporarily incorporated into the dream, as one Dreamwalker who entered her lover's dreams learned the [[PowerPerversionPotential hard way]].

* Paula uses her psychic abilities to call Ness, and later Jeff in ''Videogame/{{Earthbound}}''.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Knock Wood", [[DreamSpying a lawyer involuntarily watches the Blue Knight's vigilante killings in his dreams]]. In the last, the knight speaks to him; it appears that he was controlling it.

* In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', Harry Thorson first talks to a cousin who becomes somewhat of a [[OneSceneWonder very occasional]] obscure mentor figure in a way described as:

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1297543862056080100
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.

* In Laura Amy Schlitz's ''A Drowned Maiden's Hair'', [[spoiler:Victoria]] tells Maud that she used to be able to dream of dead people, and sometimes talk with them, until [[spoiler:she lied about one telling her something. After that, Maud starts to dream of a dead girl.]]
* In Creator/RogerZelazny's ''Literature/LordOfLight'', when Yama goes to [[spoiler:assassinate Sam]], he meets monks, who cast him into an immensely symbolic dream [[spoiler:where he destroys the universe trying to kill him.]] He asks Sam after, who can not explicate it to him.
* In ''Literature/NoGodsOnlyDaimons'' this is how Al-Hakem Al-Dunya primarily communicates with his chosen agent, Luke Landon.
* In ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', certain spirit users with Dreamwalker powers use it to communicate with others. This is primarily used by Adrian to speak to Rose, even when they are in different continents.
* In Marion G. Harmon's Literature/WearingTheCape novels, [[spoiler:Kitsune]] can do this to Hope. Falling cherry blossoms alert her to the type, and she (usually) remembers it unusually well.
* In ''Literature/TheGirlFromTheMiraclesDistrict'':
** Nikita's conversation with [[spoiler:Ture, after he dies,]] all happen when she's asleep.
** It eventually turns out that [[spoiler:her entire trip to Asgard]] was this.
* In ''Literature/TheWitchlands'', Weaverwitches can apparently invade other people's dreams to chat. Esme uses this to try and befriend Iseult, and later, when [[spoiler:Iseult figures out how to communicate with Safi across large distances]], the latter can only hear her while asleep.
* Subverted in ''Literature/TheBFG'' in that the BFG and Sophie create a dream for the Queen of England about the man-eating giants, since she would never believe them if they simply told her. To make the "dream come true", the dream includes Sophie sitting on the Queen's window sill, which the Queen then sees in real life when she wakes.

* In a deleted ''Webcomic/ParallelDementia''[=/=]''Webcomic/EmergencyExit'' mini-crossover, Eddie does this in order to talk to Fall after he's been forbidden to visit her dimension in real life.

* Andrew Hussie's brilliant ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' and his other comic ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' both contain dream worlds that can be accessed by the protagonists.
* In ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'', the messages that drive the adventure are received through dreams.
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1038 Zimmy does this when Antimony passes out.]]
* In ''Webcomic/AgentsOfTheRealm'', Norah has a short, but confusing conversation with what seems to be the ghost of Filoni when she takes a short nap in chapter 3.

* ''WebComic/MagickChicks'': Melissa first began seeing [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep "fade-out girl"]] [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/tis_but_a_trifle in her dreams]], shortly after being transferred to Artemis Academy. Then met her in person on her way to school, where she staged her CatUpATree routine as a test of Melissa's character. While the first attempt failed, the second succeeded. Then, in chapter 15, she made an unexpected appearance [[spoiler: [[http://www.magickchicks.com/strips-mc/not_a_person in Faith's subconsciousness]]]].

* Credenza, TheProtagonist of ''Webcomic/{{Archipelago}}'', has several of these conversations. This later turns out to be a sign of [[spoiler: DreamWalker talents]].
* In ''Webcomic/CityOfSomnus'' the denizens of Majestan, where [[DreamWalker dream walking]] and [[DreamWeaver weaving]] are an important, established part of the local culture, have dream conversations all the time.

* In ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', Jade does this multiple times when using the astral projection of the sheep talisman.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E9TheSting The Sting]]", Leela has recurring dreams about speaking to the dead Fry and becomes convinced that he's alive and communicating with her somehow. [[spoiler:[[RightForTheWrongReasons Which he is]]: [[AdventuresInComaland Leela is in a coma]] after receiving the brunt of the injury that she imagines killed Fry, responding to the very alive Fry's [[ConverseWithTheUnconscious attempts to wake her up]].]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''Literature/StormOverWarlock'', the BackStory featured the first-in scout reporting dreams that drove him off planet. The events of the novel reveal that it was this trope.
* Abridail's power in ''Literature/SuperPowereds''. He uses it to keep Globe in contact with the Melbrook gang.
* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novels, this is a stock PsychicPower for telepaths or the psykers who are powerful enough to cross disciplines.
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/BrothersOfTheSnake'', the [[spoiler: comatose]] Petrok sends a psychopomp to conduct the dreaming Priad into his own dreams. He warns Priad to flee, because he himself is under dream attack from Dark Eldar.
** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/CiaphasCain[[note]]HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! [[/note]] novel ''The Traitor's Hand'', Cain ''thinks'' he's just having [[RecurringDreams yet another]] FlashbackNightmare about [[spoiler:a Slaaneshi cultist he killed after she tried to suck out his soul. Turns out she's BackFromTheDead and can "caress your mind"...]]
** In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Honour Guard'', the wounded Ghosts, left behind, received repeated messages, apparently from the dead, to desert and join the honour guard.
** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/HorusHeresy novel ''Fulgrim'', Fulgrim hears voices nagging at him every night. He convinces himself that [[DreamingTheTruth it's his subconscious]]. [[spoiler:He's wrong.]]
** In ''Only In Death'', the dreams plaguing various Ghosts are revealed to be [[spoiler: Soric attempting to reach and help them]].
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'', Ravenor contacts members of his team in their dreams to confirm that they want to go on working with him.
** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''[[Literature/DarkHeresy Scourge the Heretic]]'', the sleeping Carolus is attacked by a demon. (Disguised as an EroticDream, no less.)
** In Lee Lightner's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Wolf's Honour'', Ragnor confides in Gabriella that he think his enemy Madox is in his dreams. Gabriella dismisses it as Bad Dreams; he feels guilty about what went awry in an previous encounter. [[spoiler: In reality, he is DreamingOfThingsToCome.]]
** In Creator/GrahamMcNeill's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/{{Ultramarines}} novel ''The Killing Ground'', both the Space Marines and the Unfleshed suffered horrible dreams while on the Chaos-tainted space ship.
* In Creator/RobertJordan's ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', ''Tel'aran'rhiod'' is an alternate reality that people can access through their dreams. Most only enter it briefly and unconsciously without special help, but those with a talent for Dreamwalking can make the transition willingly and channellers can physically transport themselves there.
** Dreamwalkers also have the ability to find a person's dreams and project messages into them, pull the dreamer into ''Tel'aran'rhiod'', or project themselves into the dream. The third option carries the risk of being caught up and temporarily incorporated into the dream, as one Dreamwalker who entered her lover's dreams learned the [[PowerPerversionPotential hard way]].
* ''Literature/WitchWorld'' series:
** In ''Sorceress of the Witch World'', Kaththea's first real communication with Hilarion is in her dreams. (When she had stumbled into his prison, he had tried to take over her mind first, but then, he was desperate.)
** ''The Key of the Keplian'' contains another example.
** In ''Horn Crown'' the hero dreams of himself [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy at a long-ago banquet]] -- where a woman talks with him and realizes he's from the future and gives him some aid.

* In Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/ChroniclesOfChaos'' the children receive repeated dream messages [[spoiler: from their parents, who can reach them no other way]].
* In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''[[Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast Beauty]]'', a [[TwiceToldTale retelling]] of "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast", the Beast sends Beauty's father dreams of how she is faring in his castle.

* This is how the cats of [=StarClan=] generally communicate with living cats in ''Literature/WarriorCats'', although the cat must believe that [=StarClan=] exists for them to be able to do it. BlindSeer Jayfeather can also do this, which is a huge deal because, well, he's still alive. Indeed, he often gets exasperated when the dreams he has frequently do not turn out to be ''his'' dreams at all.
** Cats in the Place of No Stars can also communicate like this, but it is somewhat vague as to what the rules are for who they can and cannot speak to. The books have also shown that any injuries sustained in The Place of No Stars is inflicted on the cat in the real world too, possibly to the extent where you can be killed in a dream.
** [=RiverClan=] medicine cat apprentice, Willowpaw, receives the [=StarClan=] portion of her training via dreams from [=ThunderClan=] medicine cat, Leafpool, since Willowpaw's mentor does not believe in [=StarClan=].
* In Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''[[Literature/TowerAndTheHive Talents]]'' series, the Mrdini have a limited ability to manipulate human dreams. This works out quite well for first contact between humanity and Mrdini: they're able to communicate through dreams until they learn enough of each other's language to do so verbally.
%%* In Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry does this repeatedly.
%%* Jonathan Stroud's "The Leap" covers this trope in spades.
* In Creator/CSLewis's ''Literature/TheGreatDivorce'', the narrator meets with Creator/GeorgeMacDonald -- who solemnly warns him that it is AllJustADream and he must make it clear when he tells the story in RealLife.
* Angels in Literature/TheBible use dreams to communicate with humans: for example, an angel comes to Joseph in a dream to explain to him the circumstances of Mary's virginal conception, and later returns to warn Joseph that Herod wants to kill the child.
* ''Literature/ThePowerOfFive'': The Five all meet in their dreams before any of them meet in real life.

* Creator/NeilGaiman:
** ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'', Nobody can do this with Dreamwalking to deal with bullies.
** ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'': Tristan is asked, in his dream, to keep down the volume of his dream. %%does anyone have a quote?
%%* ''Literature/TheBookOfAtrixWolfe'': The [[TheHighQueen woman]] in the woods communicates with both Atrix Wolfe and Burne this way. Later, so does [[spoiler:Talis]].%%ZCE. What way?
* ''Literature/AnitaBlake'': Anita starts the process of becoming Jean-Claude's human servant in the first book (''Guilty Pleasures''), which means he can get in her dreams. At first, he shows up in a coffin overflowing with blood. In later books, this comes up again, and the dreams span from [[spoiler:seduction]] to [[spoiler:sex]].
* Creator/RobertEHoward:
** "Literature/ThePhoenixOnTheSword": Literature/ConanTheBarbarian is warned in his dream by the long-dead Epemitreus.
** In the ''Literature/{{Kull}}''/''Literature/BranMakMorn'' story "Kings of the Night", Gonar claims to be visited in his dreams by the first Gonar.
* ''Literature/TheShiningFalcon'': Finist appears in Alexi's dreams, posing as a bad dream.
* ''Literature/ThoseWhoHuntTheNight'': Vampires can communicate with people's dreams.
* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** ''The Fellowship of the Ring'': All the hobbits except Sam felt the Old Forest trying to get into their dreams at Tom Bombadil's.
** ''The Return of the King'': Frodo's dreams are filled with the Eye of Sauron, who fortunately has less ability to reach him than in most instances of this trope.

%%* ''Literature/TheKaneChronicles'': In ''The Throne of Fire'', Carter realizes that Zia is getting this in her FauxDeath.
* ''Literature/TheCourtOfTheStoneChildren'': Nina [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams of a time when her home is taken apart and sent to a museum]]. Her dead father appears to tell her something.
* ''Literature/{{Solaris}}'' has an [[AmbiguousSituation ambiguous example]]: while asleep, Kris hears Gibarian's voice and has a perfectly sensible (if a bit cryptic) conversation about what's been happening and whether the other crewmembers have seen through the lie Kris told them. Of course, Gibarian's been dead for months at this point, but it's suggested that Kris's memory of him briefly took over Harey's copy. On the other hand, later on she admits to having listened to Gibarian's voice recorder while Kris was sleeping, then hiding the recorder - so this may have been AllJustADream brought on by hearing the recording.
* In Creator/RobinMcKinley's ''Literature/{{Sunshine}}'', after the final battle, [[spoiler:her grandmother]] appears in Sunshine's dream to talk things over.
* In ''Literature/{{Palimpsest}}'', people will understand you regardless of what language you speak. Characters run into people they know on the other side frequently.
* In Creator/JohnMilton's ''Literature/ParadiseLost'', one attack Satan uses on Eve
-->''methought\\
Close at mine ear one call'd me forth to walk\\
With gentle voice, I thought it thine; it said,\\
Why sleepst thou EVE? now is the pleasant time,\\
The cool, the silent, save where silence yields\\
To the night-warbling Bird, that now awake\\
Tunes sweetest his love-labor'd song; now reignes\\
Full Orb'd the Moon, and with more pleasing light\\
Shadowie sets off the face of things; in vain,\\
If none regard; Heav'n wakes with all his eyes,\\
Whom to behold but thee, Natures desire,\\
In whose sight all things joy, with ravishment\\
Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.''
* In Creator/SeananMcGuire's Literature/OctoberDaye novel, Katie, as an oneiromancer, can do this to get information to Toby. Since she's a DreamWeaver, she can set the scene, too.
* In Creator/DorothyGilman's ''Literature/TheClairvoyantCountess'', after trying to contact a woman in a reading, she starts to get dream messages from her.
* In Creator/CharlesDeLint's ''The Cats of Tanglewood Forest'', Lillian is assured that the Father of Cats can get into your dream and chase you there, and if he kills you, you die in reality.

* In ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', the spirit of the God of the Zodiac speaks to all of the Juunishi in a dream [[spoiler:on the night of Akito's conception]], telling them that he'll see them soon.
* ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'': When the protagonist Yusuke is temporarily dead and can only wander around in his spirit form, at one point he helps his rival Kuwabara study for a science test he has to pass. His only way of communicating with the latter is to enter his dream, which he does while Kuwabara is asleep at his desk.

* In ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' story "Knock Wood", [[DreamSpying a lawyer involuntarily watches the Blue Knight's vigilante killings in his dreams]]. In the last, the knight speaks to him; it appears that he was controlling it.
* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast1992'': Shortly after witnessing a vision of his parents, Zelda appears to Link in the desert, causing him to brush it off as another mirage. Zelda claims that they are in a dream, for if two people dream the same thing, they will run into each other.

* In the ''ComicBook/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' story "The Long Way Home", Buffy has a long talk with Ethan Rayne in her dreams, who gives her valuable clues into who's attacking her, and why.

* In the WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures fic ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', Tarakudo [[spoiler: has been using Jade's dreams to drudge up painful memories and drag her deeper into darkness]]. Later in an interlude BigLippedAlligatorMoment, he tries to contact her directly, but that doesn't work.

* In the Fanfic/{{Dangerverse}} by Anne Walsh aka Whodoyouneedtoknow, a very long series of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fics, the Pack and the Pride can do this. Develops as the stories progress so to do the ways in which various characters are able to meet up.

* FanFic/BecomingPonies has the character stalking to their counterparts this way. Notably, this only happens after the counterparts become aware of the character's presence, and the examples shown thus far could easily also be AnxietyDreams caused by TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody.
* ''FanFic/{{Eugenesis}}'' give this as the explanation for how [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Megatron]] came up with the idea of transforming. The Liege Maximo appeared to him in a dream and showed him the designs.
* In ''Fanfic/CanABooBeFriendsWithAHuman'', the Star Spirits contact Mario and Luigi through their dreams although not without difficulty when neither brother feels like talking.
* "Sharing dreams" among the Psyches is implied to be a MentalAffair going on between members of the same sex in ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'', but Empath and Polaris mostly use it as a means to talk to each other while still in Psychelia.
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': Per Luna's ability as a DreamWalker, she can do this to anyone who needs her help; in the first story, she visits Twilight, and later allows Celestia to talk to Twilight this way as well. [[spoiler: In the third story, after awakening a deeper connection to her Mantle, Twilight becomes able to speak to Magic in her sleep; in the epilogue, Pinkie and Fluttershy confirm they've become able to speak with their Mantles of Laughter and Kindness as well, and Rarity ''thinks'' she's heard Generosity.]]
* ''Fanfic/HollyPotterAndTheWitchingWorld'': Lily, who after sacrificing herself in battle with Tom Riddle to save her daughter Holly, lives on as a spirit tied to Holly's wand and can communicate with Holly in her dreams.
* ''Fanfic/TheEventideVerse'': Implied, but not shown, in ''Dawn of the Chiroptera.'' The young pegasus, Redeye Flight, has been hospitalized with a magical disease [[spoiler:that turns out to be a form of vampirism]] with nightmares as one of its symptoms. As she's being tucked into bed after a visit from Twilight Sparkle, she's asked to "say hi to Luna," who is a DreamWalker and who Redeye had earlier stated a fondness for.

* In the Literature/ChroniclesOfTheKencyrath Jame and Torisen frequently interact and talk with each other in their dreams. This is especially the case when one of them is knocked out, or someone else interferes with their dreams. Some shanir have the ability to visit the dreams of others.

** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''[[Literature/DarkHeresy Scourge the Heretic]]'', the sleeping Carolus is attacked by a demon. (Disguised as an EroticDream, no less.)
** In Creator/DanAbnett's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Ravenor}} Returned'', Ravenor contacts members of his team in their dreams to confirm that they want to go on working with him.

** In Creator/SandyMitchell's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/CiaphasCain[[note]]HERO OF THE IMPERIUM! [[/note]] novel ''The Traitor's Hand'', Cain ''thinks'' he's just having [[RecurringDreams yet another]] FlashbackNightmare about [[spoiler:a Slaaneshi cultist he killed after she tried to suck out his soul. Turns out she's BackFromTheDead and can "caress your mind"...]]
** In Lee Lightner's ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' Literature/SpaceWolf novel ''Wolf's Honour'', Ragnor confides in Gabriella that he think his enemy Madox is in his dreams. Gabriella dismisses it as Bad Dreams; he feels guilty about what went awry in an previous encounter. [[spoiler: In reality, he is DreamingOfThingsToCome.]]
** In Creator/DanAbnett's Literature/GauntsGhosts novel ''Honour Guard'', the wounded Ghosts, left behind, received repeated messages, apparently from the dead, to desert and join the honour guard.
** In ''Only In Death'', the dreams plaguing various Ghosts are revealed to be [[spoiler: Soric attempting to reach and help them]].
* Creator/AndreNorton:
** ''Literature/WitchWorld'' series:
*** In ''Sorceress of the Witch World'', Kaththea's first real communication with Hilarion is in her dreams. (When she had stumbled into his prison, he had tried to take over her mind first, but then, he was desperate.)
*** ''The Key of the Keplian'' contains another example.
*** In ''Horn Crown'' the hero dreams of himself [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy at a long-ago banquet]] -- where a woman talks with him and realizes he's from the future and gives him some aid.
** In ''Literature/StormOverWarlock'', the BackStory featured the first-in scout reporting dreams that drove him off planet. The events of the novel reveal that it was this trope.

* In a notable example from Creator/MercedesLackey's work, Kerowyn, the protagonist of ''[[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar By the Sword]]'', spends ''ten years'' having dream-conversations with Eldan before finally learning that they'd actually been communicating telepathically the whole time.
* In ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'', this happens several times to Dora:
** All of her conversations with [[JerkassGods Badb]] happen in rather unpleasant dreams.
** Goddess, the MotherNature, pays Dora a dream visit to give her a mission.
** Dora herself interrogates a witness to [[spoiler:coup d'etat in Hell]] in a dream vision of the future, and the witness remembers the conversation. Don't think too hard on logic of it.
** Dora and Baal have a dream conversation on children and marriage.
* Creator/AnneBishop has used this.
* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/EqualRites'', Esk dreams about the Things from the Dungeon Dimensions and interacts with them. They even tell her the word "psychosomatic" and assure her she can die because of her dreams.

* ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': Shortly after witnessing a vision of his parents, Zelda appears to Link in the desert, causing him to brush it off as another mirage. Zelda claims that they are in a dream, for if two people dream the same thing, they will run into each other.

* In Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', Harry does this repeatedly.
* Jonathan Stroud's "The Leap" covers this trope in spades.

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''" Trip Tucker and T'Pol find themselves communicating in a daydream, despite being on seperate starships, a sign that their brief "[[InterspeciesRomance intimate relationship]]" has led to a [[MindlinkMates somewhat more permanent connection]]. As they've just broken up with each other, neither are very happy about it.

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'' # 20 "Haunted-part one", Tony talks to the then-dead ComicBook/CaptainAmerica in his dreams.
* In ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'', ComicBook/{{Raven}} formed the new team by appearing in the dreams of former members and some new young heroes to help her fight her father, after the Justice League wouldn't trust her.

* In ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' ''ComicBook/TheUntoldStoryOfArgoCity'', Zor-El and Allura repeatedly talk to their daughter ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} in her dreams to warn her that they are alive and trapped in a pocket dimension.

[[folder: Fairy Tales ]]

[[folder: Fan Works ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* ''Film/TheGoldenChild''. The sorcerer Numspa communicates with Jarrell in a dream. After he wakes up, Jarrell's attractive female sidekick Kee Nang informs him that while what Numspa said was actually happening, the parts where she suggested they get together and "let nature take its course" actually ''was'' a dream.
* Throughout ''Anime/TheWindRises'' Jiro Horikoshi has dreams where he discusses airplanes with his hero, Italian aircraft designer Giovanni Battista Caproni, who believes that ''he'' is dreaming. We never see them meet in person, [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane making it ambiguous]] whether they are actually sharing dreams.

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''

-->'''Giles:''' You had another dream, with Angel? What happened?
-->'''Buffy:''' ''(long pause)'' We don't need to get sidetracked.
** In season eight "The Long Way Home" Buffy has a long talk with Ethan Rayne in her dreams, who gives her valuable clues into who's attacking her, and why.
** "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E22Restless Restless]]" is an episode of this trope, with the primeval doing the communicating.

-->'''Buffy:''' (with a half smile) "Is this your mind or mine?"\\
'''Faith''' (laugh) "Beats me."
** In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS04E15Orpheus Orpheus]]", Faith defeats Angelus by shooting up with a FantasticDrug and letting him feed on her. They both fall into a coma and end up reliving Angel's life, with both providing appropriate snarks and jibes.
* The Strucker twins can communicate with each other in dreams in ''Series/TheGifted''.

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. Trip Tucker and T'Pol find themselves communicating in a daydream, despite being on seperate starships, a sign that their brief "[[InterspeciesRomance intimate relationship]]" has led to a [[MindlinkMates somewhat more permanent connection]]. As they've just broken up with each other, neither are very happy about it.

* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E17NightTerrors Night Terrors]]" has the ship trapped in a NegativeSpaceWedgie, with most of the crew hallucinating and slowly going insane due to lack of REM sleep, while Troi, TheEmpath, is going just as mad from nightmares about twin moons and voices whispering "eyes in the dark, one moon circling". It turns out [[spoiler: there's an alien ship trapped in the same wedgie, and they're using telepathy to try to communicate through the crew's dreams and suggest an escape plan]].

** The Borg Queen communicates with Seven of Nine while she's dreaming in "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS5E15DarkFrontier Dark Frontier]]" and "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS7E25Endgame Endgame]]".
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS6E14TinkerTenorDoctorSpy Tinker Tenor, Doctor Spy]]", an alien hijacks the Doctor's daydream program and speaks with him to warn him of an impending attack on ''Voyager''.
** In "[[Recap/StarTrekVoyagerS4E13WakingMoments Waking Moments]]", the whole crew gets trapped in a communal dream by telepathic aliens, with [[MagicalNativeAmerican Chakotay]] the only one who can escape.

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* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDead'':
** In Season 2 Episode 5, Clementine converses with Lee in a dream set in the RV from Season 1, after she was shot by Arvo.
** Lee returns in Season 4 Episode 3 in Clementine's dreams, this time on the train from Season 1, and passes on words of wisdom to inspire Clem before her mission against the Delta.

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May take place in DreamLand. Supertrope of YourWorstNightmare. Can be a form of AdventuresInComaland, if you are seriously out of it.

** ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'': Tristan is asked, in his dream, to keep down the noisiness of his dream.

* ''Literature/{{Solaris}}'' subverts this; while on the space station, the asleep protagonist is seemingly visited by a dead crewmember in his dreams. The visitor states that he's fine with being dead, then warns the protagonist about a secret plot perpetrated by the other people on the space station. It would suggest that there is an afterlife, unusually for Creator/StanislawLem's atheistic views (and the [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions atheistic setting]].) But it all turns out to be ''just'' a dream, born from the protagonist's internal concerns; there's no secret plot at all.

* ''FanFic/{{Eugenesis}}'' give this as the explanation for how [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Megatron]] came up with the idea of transforming. The [[UltimateEvil Liege Maximo]] appeared to him in a dream and showed him the designs.

** It eventually turns out that [[spoiler:her entire trip to Asgard]] was this trope UpToEleven.

* ''Film/TheGoldenChild''. The BigBad communicates with our hero in a dream. After he wakes up, his attractive female sidekick informs him that while what the villain said was actually happening, the parts where she suggested they get together with the hero and "let nature take its course" actually ''was'' a dream.

* In Creator/AnneMcCaffrey's ''[[Literature/TowerAndTheHive Talents]]'' series, the Mrdini have a limited ability to manipulate human dreams. This works out quite well for first contact betweeen humanity and Mrdini: they're able to communicate through dreams until they learn enough of each other's language to do so verbally.

* The Five in ''Literature/ThePowerOfFive'' books can do this. They all meet in their dreams before any of them meet in real life.
* Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse:
** The Cardassian Fates communicate like this. Non-corporeal creatures inhabiting a mysterious dimensional plane that intersects with our own, they can telepathically influence mortals. In particular, with individuals of the right genetic makeup (or whose minds have been altered by particular artifacts), they can appear in dreams and hold "conversations" - or alternatively just plant images and desires. In the ''Literature/TerokNor'' books, their apparent leader, Oralius, uses it to find the next [[LegacyCharacter Astraea]] so as to keep the [[GoodOldWays Oralian Way religion]] and the compassionate, noble aspect of Cardassian society alive. Her EvilCounterpart Uramtali uses it to telepathically rape young boys.
** Also the Lipul Dreamships from ''Literature/StarTrekGemworld''.
* In Creator/NeilGaiman's ''Literature/TheGraveyardBook'', Nobody can do this with Dreamwalking to deal with bullies.
* In Creator/NeilGaiman's ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'', Tristan is asked, in his dream, to keep down the noisiness of his dream.
* In Creator/PatriciaAMcKillip's ''Literature/TheBookOfAtrixWolfe'', the [[TheHighQueen woman]] in the [[LostWoods woods]] communicates with both Atrix Wolfe and Burne this way. Later, so does [[spoiler:Talis]].
* In the ''Literature/AnitaBlake'' series, Anita starts the process of becoming Jean-Claude's human servant in the first book (''Guilty Pleasures''), which means he can get in her dreams. At first, he shows up in a coffin overflowing with blood. In later books, this comes up again, and the dreams span from [[spoiler:seduction]] to [[spoiler:sex]].
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/ThePhoenixOnTheSword" Literature/ConanTheBarbarian is warned in his dream, by the long-dead Epemitreus.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Literature/{{Kull}}'' / ''Literature/BranMakMorn'' story "Kings of the Night," Gonar claims to be visited in his dreams by the first Gonar.
* In Creator/JosephaSherman's ''Literature/TheShiningFalcon'', Finist appears in Alexi's dreams, posing as a bad dream.
* In Creator/BarbaraHambly's ''Literature/ThoseWhoHuntTheNight'' and sequels, vampires can communicate with people's dreams.
* Creator/JRRTolkien's ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'':
** In ''The Return Of The King'', Frodo's dreams are filled with the Eye of Sauron, who fortunately has less ability to reach him than in most instances of this trope.
** In ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', all the hobbits except Sam felt the Old Forest trying to get into their dreams at Tom Bombadil's.
* In Adrian Tchaikovsky's ''[[Literature/ShadowsOfTheApt Empire In Black And Gold]]'', how Acheous contacts Cheerwell.
* In Creator/JasperFforde's ''[[Literature/ThursdayNext Lost In A Good Book]]'', the eradicated Landen talks with Thursday in her dream.
* In Creator/RickRiordan's ''[[Literature/TheKaneChronicles The Throne of Fire]]'', Carter realizes that Zia is getting this in her FauxDeath.
* In Creator/EleanorCameron's ''The Court of the Stone Children'', Nina [[DreamingOfThingsToCome dreams of a time when her home is taken apart and sent to a museum]]. Her dead father appears to tell her something.

* In the Fanfic/{{Dangerverse}} by Anne Walsh aka Whodoyouneedtoknow aka [[FanNickname the PAGE]], a very long series of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fics, the Pack and the Pride can do this. Develops as the stories progress so to do the ways in which various characters are able to meet up.

* Pictured above; Yusuke, the protagonist of ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'' tries to get into his rival Kuwabara's dream to tell him he's NotQuiteDead so his mother doesn't bury/cremate his body, but Kuwabara interprets it as Yusuke giving him lessons for a test tomorrow.