Deja Vu Why do we get them?

[sweet_princess 0]

Hi
why is it that we get deja vu's? I've only been started getting them from the age of 13 I think. Is there a scientific explanation? If not, then what do they mean?
Personally, I think we dream of something that is going to happen. We always forget our dreams, so when that thing (that came in your dream) happens, then it seems familiar.

When I do get deja vu's, I hate it, it makes me feel all weird and confused, then my brain starts spinning, trying to remember what that scene looked like.

Sometimes, I even get deja vu's of me saying "deja vu"...I know this has nothing to do with my so called "past life", that is just rubbish.

this is from a website:

Deja Vu refers to those odd and usually rare moments when the present feels like the past. Its a hard experience to interpret. Some people search their memories for dreams that might have been like the present. Others think that the experience is what happens when things from past lives emerge in this one. Both notions are impossible to prove, disprove, or (until recently), investigate. The belief that its about past lives is a matter of faith. The idea that it has to do with dreams is less a matter of faith - only a few people claim to recall past lives, but almost everybody remembers some of their dreams. Some recall a lot of them. The theory of reincarnation that is most consistent with modern brain science (Algorithmic Reincarnation) predicts that no memories are passed from one life to the next. What is transferred is a set of signals that reflect states of consciousness. Memories don't need to go along.
Memories are state-specific. We can have experiences in one state of consciousness (like when we are drunk, for example) that we cannot remember at all when we are in another. States of consciousness provide a much more direct way for someone to select how they will behave than remembering past behaviors and comparing them to present possibilities.

There is a fly in the ointment with dreams as well. Both dreams and deja vu experiences happen in non-normal states of consciousness. Most altered states are are a fertile ground for confabulations. This means that in the moment when someone is experiencing deja vu, its easier for them to create a false memory than it would be normally. In fact, during moments of deja vu , one's consciousness has unusually direct access to long-term memories, and the brain processes that allow us to retrieve them.

I'm not going to write it here that deja vu doesn't come from past lives or dreams, and that that's just how it is. But we want to understand what deja vu is, and how we can respond to it when it happens. If we explain it in terms of past lives and dreams, we are giving ourselves explanations that can't be proven. Or proved to be false. It will boil down to a matter of faith.

There are some people who experience precognitive dreams, but most episodes of deja vu happen without the person having any sense of it relating to a dream. Precognitive dreams are a different matter altogether. Having the present moment feel like a repeat of something from the past is not the same as having the present validate a previous precognition. I have spoken to some professional psychics about this, and one of them said that he could tell the two apart, but that it took him some time to learn the difference. I asked him what the difference was, and he said that it was an 'energy.' That's not really enough to help understand what the difference was, but enough for us to know that there might be one.


How does deja vu happen?


The scientific explanation is that it has to do with memory processes. I'll make it as simple as I can here. The basic idea is that there are portions of the brain that are specialized for the past, the present and the future. In general, the frontal lobes are concerned with the future, the temporal lobes are concerned with the past, and the underlying, intermediate portions (the limbic system) are concerned with the present. When these are all doing their normal thing, in normal states of consciousness, the feeling that 'something is going to happen will only come up when we are thinking about the future, worrying about it, anticipating it or making plans for it. The sense of the past will only come up when our memories have been triggered in some way.

The structure that overwhelms our consciousness when we are 'in the present are 'being here now' is the amygdala. It assigns an emotional 'tone' to our perceptions. When you step into the street and see a car speeding towards you, and you instantly freeze in terror and jump out of the way, that terror is the amygdala at work. Present. Here and now. The amygdala also recognizes expressions the expressions on people's faces. When we are talking to someone, we can recognize their expressions and change the way we are talking to them just as quickly as we recognize danger. Words can often seem dangerous to the one hearing them. "we're thinking of letting you go." "I've been thinking that our relationship is holding me back." "You are under arrest."

Phrases like these need instant, appropriate responses, and the amygdala is specialized to provide them. For example, one function it participates in, the maintenance of the sense of self, is repeated 40 times per second. Each instance of the self is able to manifest a new emotional response, but only if circumstances have changed. Every 25 milliseconds. In fact, the duration of the 'present' in neurological terms is so brief that we don't experience it so much as remember it.

The next level could be called 'being around here-just about now.'


Short term-memory deals in periods of a few minutes. Its mostly based in the hippocampus. We know this because problems with the hippocampus. often lead to severe short-term memory problems. It helps us to stay oriented in time. There have been a few people who have lost all hippocampal functions, and they are unable to remember anything that happened after their brain problems began. Humans are a linguistic species, and an intensely social one. We relate to each other through words. We have conversations. In order to do this, we have to be able to remember what people say to us. We also have to be to think about it long enough to be able to respond to it. We have to remember what we have just finished doing in order not to have to do it again.

There is a joke I heard while working in a nursing home: Happiness is finding your glasses before you forget what you need them for.


Then there is long-term memory. Its 'seated' in the surface of the brain, along the bottom of the temporal lobes. The area has been called the parahippocampal cortex, and its very closely connected to the hippocampus.

Ordinarily, there is a fairly seamless integration of the past, present and the future. In simple terms, we experience something in the present, compare it to similar experiences in the past, and decide how we will respond. The time frame can be very brief; even a few seconds. Once in a while, though, there can be too much communication between short-term and long-term memories. When this happens, then the present can feel like the past.

If perceptions from the present are shunted through the parts of the brain that process memories from the past, those perceptions will feel like they are memories, and the person will feel that they are re-living a moment stored in long-term memory.

There is another experience worth mentioning; Jamais Vu. Its the opposite of deja vu. Instead of feeling extra familiar, thing seem totally unfamiliar. In this case there is too little connection between long-term memory and perceptions from the present. When a person is in this state, nothing they experience seems to have anything to do with the past. They might be talking to a person they know well and suddenly they person seems totally unfamiliar. Their sense of knowing the person, and knowing how to relate to them simply vanishes. A room in which they spend a lot of time suddenly becomes totally novel; everything seems new. Details they will have seen a thousand times suddenly become engaging.

Jamais Vu is not so common as deja vu, but it can be just as compelling.

How do I respond to Deja Vu?

That depends on whether you enjoy it or not. Some people are just terrified when it happens. Others find it mildly euphoric.

As with all other altered state experiences, most people who enjoy it think of the experience in spiritual terms, and those who don't, think about it in psychological terms. I have talked to people who had it often, and found the experience to be terrifying. There is nothing frightening about deja vu in itself, but it can happen that activity from the hippocampus. can spill over into the neighboring structure, the amygdala, which is a highly emotional structure. If it gets into the one on the right, the emotion is going to be unpleasant, most likely fearful.

Notice from jlhaslip:

Use quote tags for information from other sites.
https://www.god-helmet.com/dejavu.htm

[Dagoth Nereviar 0]

My view of the "after-life" is slightly odd. Basically, my view is that when you die, you are re-born to your same life, but so you can make it better. And you keep being re-born until you have it how you want it. But, the first time you live your life is what other people see. For example, the first time someone famous (Say Hitler) lived their life, he created the holocaust. This is the life that went down in history. But when he died, he re-lived his life and he might not of created it the second time.Often, your "paths" cross. Say, when you do something you did in one of your previous lifes again. This is what I think Deja Vu is. Something had happened, and you're seeing it happen again.

[arnz 0]

Probably have had them a few times, but my overall opinion on deja vu would have to bordering on fence sitting to slight believe.I'd have to say that view of dieing, then being re-born to your life over again to play your life out again is a very interesting view point. Since if you can vaguely remember what was done last time, no doubt you'd be doing whatevers possible to make it better/right/correct/improve on the next time from when a situation last occurs.

[iGuest 3]

deja vu

Deja Vu

 

Replying to sweet_princess

 

I think deja vu is people reliving someones life that has past.

Like someone was a very good baseball player and they die and get reborn into someones body so if they are playing baseball they feel like they had already done it because technically they have..I know its confusing but I think it makes perfect sense...Call me crazy.

 

-reply by Brie

[arnz 0]

Have to reply to the above, it does feel like that when competing at sports events, especially team sports like football (all codes like Soccer, Rugby, NFL, League, etc), Basketball, various Athletic events and the like. Especially after accomplishing a personal best. Only for it to sunk in later.

[sheepdog 10]

I haven't had an episode of deja vu in many years. I had it happen frequently when I was a teenager/young adult. Really no clue as to why they stopped either. And I, like you always was confused and rather disorientated by them. Mine were always really strong, I was certain I had done exactly what I was doing at that moment before. Right down to the last detail. I still think it is very interesting how we can be so intelligent (sometimes) and still know so little about how our minds actually work.

[dre 0]

I'm still waiting for somebody to explain why I never had any of these Deja Vu experiences.

[the need for speed 0]

I guess it's a V.I.P. thing dre :PMy Deja Vu was aslo vey strong I could remember it to the second hand of the time and even harder details

[GrinningKittie 0]

I used to have deja vu alot and in different intensities so I broke them up into three different categories.Deja Vu - That vague feeling that you have been at the location before, had said conversation before, known new person before (ish). Example: Walking into a new house and having that vague feeling that you reconize the steps, porch and door even though you KNOW you have never been there before.Pixie Pointers - ( Don't ask WHY I named this level that lol!) : Like Deja Vu only much stronger ( not as vague).Example - Walking into a new house and having a not so vague feeling that you reconize the steps, porch and door even though you KNOW you have never been there before. On top of that say you enter said house and you get the feeling you know the layout of the livingroom and kitchen even before you have seen it. And you end up being RIGHT! Even though you have never been to said house before.InstantDownload/ Time Loop -(yes my own term again) : This vaguely fits the deja Vu category because it deals with the feeling of something previous. Only in this case it's a mind boggling download.....Example:Walking into a new house and having a not so vague feeling that you reconize the steps, porch and door even though you KNOW you have never been there before. On top of that say you enter said house and you get the feeling you know the layout of the livingroom and kitchen even before you have seen it. And you end up RIGHT! Even though you have never been to said house before. Then all of a sudden you KNOW almost instantly EVERYTHING that is going to happen in the next say two minutes. Like say you came to the house with a friend. Well now you know what friend will say next, how you will respond, how they will, what they will do, and all that and THEN all of it starts to HAPPEN just as you saw it (experienced it) even while the rest of the snippet plays itself out in your brain. It's very much walking out of sync with time and frustrating to say the least.I couldn't tell you if deja vu and the like is because of unremembered dreams or past life info. I believe that deja vu ( and particularly Pixie Pointers) are kind of like markers on your map in life. That these moments are more familiar and clear to you because you are in the moment at the moment where you need to be and paying attention to the situation and people involved can help you stay on your path ( even if your own goals are not clearly realized). I have no idea about the InstantDownloads. Those really feel like a step to the side out of time and are extrememely frustrating ( especially if you are a person who hates having to repeat things.....nothing like feeling you are repeating a "fresh" conversation).Some people believe that before you are born and are just a soul, you ( as a soul) get to pick out your parents and more or less the life you wish to choose ( I suggest reading The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield for a much better understanding and concepts leading up to such ideas......that and it's a good read in general). If that applies then Deja Vu and the like would be a really good tool to use as an indicator, particularly if we have strayed from our pre-physical intentions and goals.And for the peeps who have never experienced deja vu and the likes? Perhaps they don't need those occasional reminders or guiding points ( assuming the above theory explains anything). Just a thought.

[mikeyboy63 0]

I experience deja vu occasionally. Thi s is my opinion on why it happens.Normally, when we experience something, the information goes into our brains and almost simultaneously to our memory banks. However, on rare occasions, the information (sights, sounds etc.) reach our memory banks a fraction of a second earlier and so we seem to be remembering the incident as it's happening. It feels like we've been there before when in reality, we are experiencing it for the first time, but the info. went to our memory banks slightly before it arrived at our cognitive selves.Sorry to kill all the supernatural or spiritual explanations, but it's pretty much that simple.

[Plenoptic 0]

I do not know if what I consider deja vu is even deja vu but many times I will have a conversation or go somewhere and have something happen and then a few minutes later I will reflect on what happens and I start to think that I have already gone through this once before. I do not know if it is just because I am going through the process again in my mind that I think that I have done it before or what but it is kind of odd especially when I know that it was in actuality a unique experience.

[iGuest 3]

Replying to mikeyboy63Nope.I remember seeing dejavu as a dream, a dream I cant remember.Like a normal dream, I could wake up and say WHOA I had this awesome dream.Dejavu, ill wake up and not remember it till the point that it happens.And right when I'm put in the exact position for it to happen.My mind kicks in and is like..Dejavu, then I know exactly whats gonna happen the next few moments.I always try to change it too.But I cant.

[i_speel_good 0]

Deja Vu is weird. You're all like "hey, i've already done this!" but you haven't.It's confusing and weird. And sometimes doesn't even help.

[iGuest 3]

hey Sweet_Princess 

I like what you said and that just might be the key why we are getting it. I get it all the time mostly when I'm at school :S weird. And the age you said (13 years old) is the same age I started to get it. Once everything is known it should finally be a completed puzzle for each of us. 

Thankyou,

David

[networker 0]

I think you get deja vu because there are certain things that happenin an event that remind you of previous events that happened to you.You might not be able to recall what these previous events were,but yoursubconscious is at work bringing it all back for you.This whole deja vu phenomena hints at the amazing power that the brain really has.Fascinating really.