Have you ever heard these words from your mouth or anyone else’s?: I’ve been here before.” “I’ve had this exact conversation already.” If yes, that situation is called Déjà vu. In French, it means, already seen. This is, no doubt, one of the most puzzling and intriguing phenomena of the human mind. It has a more complex reality than the point that you think you are just reliving something from the past. Plus, science is still in progress to find out this mystery.
Is Déjà vu an Enigma of Your Mind?
A fleeting sensation where you feel that this situation has happened in the past also. And, even though you also know that it can’t be possible. A research study approves this situation. It says that 60 to 80 percent of people feel this situation at least once in their lifetime. Most of the episodes take place in everyday situations, and their duration is only a few seconds. Nevertheless, this situation can leave a lasting impression on minds.
The psychological Perspective of the Brain and the Déjà vu
For decades, neurologists and psychologists have attempted to decipher the roots of déjà vu. Some of the most leading theories include the following:
Memory Mismatch Theory: This theory suggests that déjà vu occurs. It happens due to a mismatch between the sensory input and memory recall. The brain misfires. It processes current experiences in the part of the brain assigned to memories. This process creates a feeling of familiarity.
Split Perception Theory: Once you perceive something, or at least feel like you do, the brain engages in double-processing. It involves unconscious fast processing, followed by more deliberate consciousness. This secondary processing then is the “re-experiencing”.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Studies show that people suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy often experience déjà vu moments. These moments occur just before the seizure. This has made scientists believe that déjà vu is associated with minor electrical imbalances in the brain.
Hologram Theory: Some psychologists suggest that our memories are holographic. This means that sensory details are embedded in a web of memory. Déjà vu is an overlap between the current experience and pieces of a partially forgotten memory.
Read more: What if your Emotions Start Controlling You: 8 Consequences
Déjà vu – Glitch in Reality
While science will talk about brain functions, philosophers and metaphysical thinkers come up with other explanations. Are déjà vu glimpses of alternate realities, time loops, or glitches in the matrix? Parallel universes suggest the idea that these déjà vu events happen when maybe timelines overlap briefly. There is no empirical evidence for it, but it continues to capture the imagination of many.
The famous simulation theory suggests a possibility. Scientists and thinkers like Nick Bostrom proposed this idea. It assumes that reality is a highly advanced computer simulation. If that is indeed the case, déjà vu is simply a slight glitch in the programming.
Déjà vu Connection with Your Stress and Fatigue
Studies show that déjà vu happens more often to individuals who are stressed or exhausted. It also occurs more often to those who experience periods of intense emotional activity. This can show that the brain activity gets momentarily disrupted when it is stressed, fatigued, or emotionally active. This disruption leads to an increase in déjà vu events.
Sleep deprivation and exhaustion impair the brain’s capacity to process information correctly. Thus, a malfunction in encoding and retrieval will manifest as perceptual and mnemonic errors.
Déjà vu Connections with your Dreams
Another intriguing theory suggests a relationship between déjà vu and dreams. Other scientists argue that déjà vu is caused by something in reality re-emerging. This situation reminds us of something that happened in one of the dreams we cannot recall. Fragments of forgotten dreams can resurface and resound through our subconscious.
Déjà vu Connections with your Spiritual interpretations
Déjà vu has distinct meanings across different cultures. In certain religious traditions, it is considered evidence of belief in reincarnation. It means it is just a feeling from past-life memory. In other cultures, it is linked to intuition or increased spirituality.
Philosophers like Plato proposed that déjà vu is knowledge carried over from a pre-existing soul.
Déjà vu Connections with your Subconscious Mind
The subconscious also plays a greater role in an experience of déjà vu. Some suggest that unconscious sensory processing can elicit déjà vu. For instance, a familiar scent, sound, or visual image trigger a buried memory. This happens without even our conscious self being aware.
Déjà vu and Modern Research
Through brain imaging techniques like fMRI and EEG, researchers can now examine real-time neural activity. The latest developments in neuroscience link this activity with déjà vu.
Some studies can show interesting observations that continue, to date, unsatisfactory of explanation. More significantly, many experiments tried to provoke this déjà vu effect in a controlled setting.
Read more: Are We Really Trapped In This World; Psychology Behind Sin of Adam
The Mystery Remains!
Even today, despite many theories and ongoing research, it remains a mystery. It sits at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. It’s a puzzle that challenges our concepts of memory, perception, and reality.
