The problem with premonitions is not their rarity. Research has shown premonition can happen to anyone: men and women, scientists and artists, nurses and business consultants, teachers and engineers. Most people I know can tell at least one story of a moment in which someone—maybe a friend, maybe themselves—seemed to know what was going to happen before they should have known it.

The problem we face with premonitions is not their rarity, but our inability to talk about the. Premonitions may be one aspect of normal human perception, but without a common conversation about their value or their meaning, most of us have a hard time bringing them up with friends. We don’t learn how to handle a premonition as we learn how to handle our dreams. We don’t learn how to recognize a premonition in its initial moment, and then we feel shocked when a future event connects to our earlier impression. We don’t learn how to distinguish a likely premonition from all the other ways we think about the future then feel stuck with two rather extreme choices: Believe everything is a premonition or believe nothing is a premonition because premonitions can’t exist.

No wonder so many people feel scared, overwhelmed, or even threatened by a premonition. Without a few basic skills to sort through the difference between a premonition and all the other ways we think about the future (such as a fear of flying), or a grasp of the choices still available, or the support of friends, many people have no idea what to do with a premonition’s warning.

—Excerpt from book: Premonitions in Daily Life

The first step to making friends with premonitions is finding someone who can talk with you talk about it. Who do you talk to about your premonitions?