What causes deja vu. Deja vu: what does it mean in psychology. Deja vu in psychology

Sometimes there is a feeling that events have already been. A person hears the same sounds, inhales smells, anticipates what the interlocutor will say. Consciousness throws up pictures of what is happening, but does not answer the question of when such an event occurred. So this deja vu phenomenon, and it occurs during the life of 97% of the population.

Of particular surprise are situations when, when we see a stranger and when visiting a new room, we can describe in detail the facial features or the environment. It gets creepy and a little awkward. Do not even try to remember when there were familiar events, it is impossible. Why there is a feeling of deja vu?

Deja vu: what is it?

The state experienced by a person is comparable to watching a movie or reading a book that you have been reading or watching for a long time. Separate pictures and motives arise in the head, but the memory does not show how further events will develop. When the situation develops, the person is surprised to understand that this is exactly how everything should have happened. There remains a strange feeling, an understanding that you knew the sequence of development of the situation. The meaning of deja vu in its own words: all this has already happened, I saw it (heard it, felt it) and it repeats again. Below we will find out how the word deja vu is translated from French - its content literally in a nutshell reflects the meaning of the phenomenon itself.

A man in a state of deja vu is confused

Feeling of deja vu - what is it? The word "déjà vu" by definition means that it is "already seen". The phenomenon itself is an amazing phenomenon, over which scientists are struggling to this day. The complexity of research lies in the fact that it is impossible to predict the occurrence of deja vu. Consequently, it is not possible to prepare a person for study and observation. Cases of repeated deja vu several times a week have been recorded in people suffering from epilepsy.

Thanks to Emil Buarak, this term appeared: the psychologist called the unusual phenomenon of deja vu. Readers found a new designation in the works of the scientist "Psychology of the Future". Previously, the phenomenon was characterized by the same signs, but was called false recognition or paramnesia. The last term meant impaired consciousness and deceptions of memory. Very often, the phenomenon of deja vu, on the contrary, does not lead to serious psychological problems in the normal life of a person.

Dejavu (deja vu), which in French means "already seen", of course, came into use in other nations

Russians often have a question - how to spell deja vu, deja vu or deja vu? Despite the fact that the French version consists of two words (déjà vu), in Russian the analogue written together, in one word: "déjà vu". This is the spelling we will adhere to.

How does the reverse deja vu phenomenon occur, a kind of antonym of deja vu? A similar phenomenon is rare, unlike deja vu, and also has a French designation - jamevu. It is accompanied by a sharp loss of memory: a person does not recognize close or familiar people, perceives familiar things as new. Jamevu arises unexpectedly, for example, during a conversation with a friend. At one point, all data is erased from memory. The repetition of jamevu indicates the presence of mental disorders.

Deja vu: what does this mean according to scientists?

Researchers have not learned to cause the phenomenon artificially. Therefore, take the facts below as a theory based on a survey of people who have experienced deja vu. Why and from what does deja vu syndrome occur according to scientists?

Many scientists believe that deja vu occurs due to the layering of similar situations.

1. Layering situations. The theory was put forward by Andrey Kurgan. A modern author in the book "The Phenomenon of Deja Vu" claims that the main reason for the phenomenon is the layering of similar situations. At the same time, one of them is fixed in the past, and the other is happening in the present. Deja vu happens under special circumstances. There is a time shift. As a result, a person perceives the future as the present events. There is a stretching of the future time, the inclusion of past and present incidents. On the pages of the book you will find examples from life. Readers claim that the described situations completely coincide with the sensations that a person experiences when faced with deja vu.
2. Fast information processing. perceives things better. An unloaded brain quickly processes the pictures it sees, the information it receives, the words it hears. The theory belongs to the physiologist William H. Burnham. An American scientist claims that at the sight of an unfamiliar object, the brain begins to process information, reading the smallest details. A rested brain center does work quickly. Humans perceive information processing differently. There is a feeling of repeating events.
3. Recording events in the form of holograms. Herman Sno argued that memory is stored in the human brain in a special way. According to the scientist, events are recorded in the form of a three-dimensional image (hologram). Each piece of the picture includes enough data to reproduce the entire image. The clarity depends on the size of the picture. Deja vu appears as a result of the overlapping connection of the present with elements of the recorded past. The hologram evokes the whole picture, leaving the feeling of repeated incidents.
4. Memory system. One of the recent studies, carried out in the 90s, belongs to Pierre Glur. According to the hypothesis of the neuropsychiatrist, a person captures information through two processes: recognition and recovery. Deja vu appears due to a violation of the sequence. In such a situation, when changing the picture, a person finds out what is happening, but data recovery does not occur.

Still not solved the puzzle with such a state as déjà vu

Psychologist Sigmund Freud did not bypass the topic of deja vu. The Australian is sure the phenomenon arises due to human consciousness: it throws up subconscious pictures and fantasizes. The hypothesis was picked up by the followers of Freud and brought to the theory of the struggle between "I" and "It".

Why does deja vu occur?

There are various hypotheses put forward by scientists from all over the world. Interestingly, not only psychologists, but also physicists joined the study of the phenomenon. The latter are sure that a person feels deja vu due to timing error. In ordinary life, human consciousness perceives only what is happening at the present moment. During a crash, the times start at the same time. Therefore, a person gets the impression that events are repeating themselves.

Not only psychologists, but also physicists joined the study of the phenomenon of deja vu

Psychologists note that similar situations happen to a person every day. As a result, a reaction to events is formed, experience is accumulated.

In the event of similar situations, a person uses the developments of the past, there is a feeling of recognition of ongoing events

Contemporary studies of déjà vu

The mystery and mystery of the phenomenon does not let scientists go. Research continues on an interesting feeling. In the state of Colorado, scientists conducted a series of experiments. One of them was that a group of people were shown images of famous places and people in turn. First photos of celebrities, then personalities from different areas, pictures depicting historical monuments and attractions.

The mystery and mystery of the phenomenon of deja vu does not let scientists go

During the demonstration of photographs, scientists asked those present to describe the image: who or what is on the card. While the subjects thought, the respondents recorded the activity of the brain. Despite the presence of the correct answer, the temporal part of the brain became more active. Modern studies of deja vu have shown that when a person does not know the answer, he pulls up associations. They form the feeling of repeating situations.

This mysterious phenomenon is so multifaceted that scientists have created a whole classification and distinguish the following types of deja vu:

• directly deja vu- "already seen";
• deja veku- "already experienced";
• deja visit– “already visited”;
• deja senti- "already felt";
• the opposite state mentioned above - jamevu;
• prequel- obsessive, and sometimes painful attempts to remember, for example, a well-known word or the name of an old acquaintance;
• "ladder mind"- a state when a sensible decision or a witty remark comes too late, when it is no longer necessary. For a better understanding: the Russian analogue is “everything is strong in hindsight.”

Physiological causes of deja vu

Despite the variety of theories, scientists have come to a common opinion, which parts of the brain involved in déjà vu. The future is protected by the frontal part, the intermediate zone is responsible for the present, and the past is given to the temporal region. In the normal operation of all parts, nothing phenomenal happens. But, if a person is worried about upcoming events, makes various plans, then deja vu may occur. due to physiological reasons.

When conducting a conversation, a person reacts to the face of the interlocutor. Depending on facial expressions, a reaction occurs, the brain sends a signal. Physiologists argue that the present time is so short that people only have time to remember events, but do not experience them. Some situations fall under short-term memory, which stores memories for no more than 5 minutes, while others fall under long-term memory.

Experiencing deja vu, a person, as a rule, begins to painfully remember when this event was

There are no clear boundaries between past, future and present. When in a certain situation there are similarities between short and long-term memory, then the present is perceived by a person as the past. From this point of view, the reasons for deja vu are in unique human physiology.

Deja vu: is it bad or not?

With rare manifestations, this phenomenon is considered harmless and does not require the attention of a doctor. Deja vu must be distinguished from false memory. In the latter case, there is a malfunction in the brain. Unfamiliar events, people perceive as known facts. False memory turns on at certain periods:

1. 16–18 years old. The teenage period is accompanied by bright events, emotional reaction and lack of life experience. Having no similar situations behind him, the teenager turns to fictitious experience or false memory.
2. 35–40 years old. The second stage refers to the critical period when a person experiences. Deja vu is nostalgic. The person calls pictures from the past. Wants to correct past mistakes or let the situation go according to a different scenario. Memories from the past are not real, attracted to the ideal.

The human brain is little studied, as is the phenomenon of deja vu

Good or bad frequent feeling of deja vu? This means that recurring episodes can be vivid symptoms of diseases, including schizophrenia, temporal lobar epilepsy. To know exactly what a frequent, even constant feeling of deja vu leads to and what further actions should be, be examined by a doctor. He will also give recommendations on how to get rid of the symptoms of deja vu, which can be very intrusive and cause some inconvenience.

With an infrequent manifestation of deja vu, it will not bring trouble; with constant symptoms of such a phenomenon, you should consult a psychiatrist

Conclusion

Deja vu remains a mystery, over the study of which scientists around the world are struggling. It is still unknown why a small percentage of people never experience this phenomenon. Plus, the cause of what is happening is associated with the brain. Interventions in an important organ are fraught with serious consequences: disability, deafness, paralysis. Therefore, conjectures and theories are built exclusively on the sensations and feelings of the subject.

Many of us can tell what deja vu is in our own words. However, few people know what this phenomenon is connected with, and whether it is a separate disease.

What does it mean

Most adult men and women have already experienced circumstances when, getting into a new environment, they began to experience a strange feeling that they had already been here before.

Sometimes meeting a stranger suggests that his face is very familiar. It seems that all this has already happened, but when?

To find out the cause and essence of this phenomenon, it is worth knowing the meaning of the word " deja vu ". Translated from French means "already seen."

The definition in the Big Modern Explanatory Dictionary says that this condition is a mental disorder, which consists in the feeling that everything experienced now is exactly repeated and took place in the past.

• This phenomenon was first described at the end of the 19th century. Cases of deja vu are found in the works of Jack London, Clifford Simak. Manifestations of recurring circumstances can be observed in the films "Groundhog Day", "The Adventures of Shurik".
• It was found that most often the feeling of a familiar situation occurs in people aged 15 to 18 years old, and 35 to 40 years old. This syndrome is not experienced by children under 7-8 years of age due to unformed consciousness. Doctors, psychologists, physicists and parapsychologists are still trying to figure out what this phenomenon means.
• There is a term reverse déjà vu - jamevu . It means "never seen". A person, being in a familiar environment with familiar people, can feel novelty, as if he had never been here and did not know those around him.

Why does the deja vu effect occur?

Doctors and scientists explain the causes of deja vu in different ways.

Philosopher Bergson He believed that this phenomenon is associated with the bifurcation of reality and the transfer of the present into the future. Freud I saw the reason in the memories of a person who are forced into the area of ​​the unconscious. Other researchers have associated the phenomenon with random experiences in fantasies or during sleep.

None of the theories gives an answer to the question "What is deja vu, and why does it happen?".

Recent studies by American experts have established that a certain sector of the brain, the hippocampus, is responsible for the development of this condition. It contains proteins that are responsible for pattern recognition. At the same time, brain cells are able to store memories of any place in which a person has been.

A group of researchers from the Czech University found that déjà vu syndrome is associated with acquired and congenital pathologies of the brain. In their opinion, the main organ produces false memories of what is happening because of its mild excitability, in particular in the area hippocampus .

There are other hypotheses that justify the presence of deja vu:

1. Esotericists rely on the theory of reincarnation and believe that the sensations of deja vu are associated with the consciousness of our ancestors.
2. In the event of a stressful situation, our brain invents new solutions based on its experience. This is due to intuition and a protective reaction of the body.
3. Some researchers claim that the déjà vu effect is related to time travel.
4. According to another version, deja vu is the result of a well-rested brain. The organ processes information too quickly, and it seems to a person that what happened a second ago happened a very long time ago.
5. In reality, the situations may simply be similar. Any actions resemble past events due to the fact that the brain recognizes similar pictures and compares memories.
6. One theory suggests that the brain is capable of confusing short-term memory with long-term memory. Thus, he tries to encode new information into long-term storage, and a feeling of deja vu is created.

Some manifestations of this phenomenon make us believe in the transmigration of souls. So, Madonna, having visited the Beijing Emperor's Palace for the first time, she felt that she knew absolutely every corner of it. After that, she claimed that in a past life she was a subject of the emperor.

There is a more attractive theory to explain deja vu. It is believed that each of us has our own path in life and our own destiny. Ideal situations, certain places, meetings and people are destined for a particular individual.

All this is known to our subconscious and can intersect with reality. This means only one thing - the path is chosen correctly. Today, this phenomenon has been little studied, and no scientist can say exactly why deja vu happens.

Frequent deja vu = disease?

This phenomenon can be observed not only in healthy people.

Many experts claim that patients who experience a constant feeling of deja vu are sick, or have other mental illnesses.

The pathological effect is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• frequent experience of the same situation (several times a day);
• the appearance of deja vu a few minutes or hours after the incident;
• feeling that the event took place in a past life;
• feeling that the recurring situation has happened to other people;
• increased duration of the pathological sensation.

If, along with these symptoms, a person develops hallucinations, extreme anxiety, and other signs , you should contact a psychotherapist to identify the causes of the disease.

It is important to be attentive to incomprehensible situations related to mental life. In case of disturbances in consciousness, you should contact a specialist who will identify the problem using modern diagnostic methods: MRI, encephalography, CT.

In medical practice, there are cases when a person who asked for help due to frequent cases of deja vu had the following pathologies:

• brain tumor;

These psychiatric disorders can lead to traumatic brain injury, vascular pathologies of the brain, drug use and.

If a healthy person has experienced the effect of deja vu, then you should not worry. This phenomenon is not a mental pathology, it is just one of the functions of the human brain, which is not fully understood.

Any person, regardless of gender and nationality, feels deja vu from time to time. Often it occurs against the background of emotional experiences, depression, insomnia. Therefore, doctors advise to rest more, normalize your sleep and avoid stressful situations.

Video film about this phenomenon:

Surely, everyone knows such moments when it seems that a certain event has already happened, or we meet a person whom we have already seen. But here's how it happened and under what circumstances, alas, no one can remember. In this article we will try to figure out why it happens. Are these games that the mind started with us, or some kind of mysticism? How do scientists explain this phenomenon? Why does deja vu happen? Let's consider everything in more detail.

What does deja vu mean?

Literally, this concept is translated as "previously seen." For the first time this term was used by Emile Buarak - a psychologist from France. In his work “Psychology of the Future”, the author raised and voiced such moments that researchers had not dared to describe before. After all, no one knew exactly what deja vu is and why it happens. And since there is no logical explanation for this, how can one touch on such a sensitive topic? It was this psychologist who first called the effect the term "déjà vu". Before that, such definitions as “paramnesia”, “promnesia”, which meant “already experienced”, “previously seen”, were used.

The question of why déjà vu arises remains mysterious to this day and is not fully disclosed, although, of course, there are several hypotheses.

People's attitude towards it

What do scientists say?

American scientists have conducted several studies to find out how the déjà vu effect occurs. They found that the hippocampus, a specific part of the brain, is responsible for its appearance. After all, it contains specific proteins that enable us to instantly recognize images. In the course of this study, scientists even determined what structure the cells of this part of the brain have. It turns out that as soon as we get to a new place or pay attention to the face of a person, all this information immediately “pops up” in the hippocampus. Where did she come from? Scientists say that its cells create in advance the so-called "cast" of any unfamiliar place or face. It looks like a projection. What happens? Does the human brain program everything in advance?

How were the experiments carried out?

To better understand what is at stake, let's find out how scientists conducted research. So, they chose several subjects, provided them with photographs of famous personalities from different fields of activity, famous people, various sights that are known to everyone.

After that, the subjects were asked to voice the names of the places depicted and the names or names of people. At the moment when they gave their answers, scientists measured their brain activity. It turned out that the hippocampus (we talked about it above) was in a state of full activity even in those respondents who did not even approximately know the correct answer. At the end of the whole event, people said that when they looked at the image and realized that this person or place was unfamiliar to them, certain associations appeared in their minds with what they had already seen before. As a result of this experiment, scientists decided that if the brain is capable of additional associations of known with completely unfamiliar situations, then this is the explanation for the deja vu effect.

Another hypothesis

As we have already said, there are several versions about what deja vu is and why it happens. According to this hypothesis, the effect refers to manifestations of the so-called false memory. If during the work of the brain there are failures in certain areas of it, it begins to take everything unknown for what is already known. According to experts, false memory does not "work" at any age, it is characterized by certain peaks of activity - from 16 to 18 years, and also from 35 to 40.

First splash

Scientists explain the first peak of false memory activity by the fact that adolescence is very emotionally expressed in all respects. People at this time react quite dramatically and sharply to current events. The lack of great life experience also plays an important role in why deja vu occurs. This is a kind of compensation, a hint. The effect is manifested when a teenager needs help. In this case, the brain "refers" to a false memory.

Second surge

The second peak falls just on This is a turning point in a person's life, when one feels nostalgia for the past, there are certain regrets or a desire to return to past years. Here the brain again comes to the rescue, turns to experience. And this gives us an answer to the question: “Why does deja vu happen?”.

Psychiatric point of view

It must be said that this hypothesis is significantly different from the previous ones. Doctors do not doubt for a second that the meaning of deja vu cannot be ignored, because it is a mental disorder. And the more often the effect is manifested, the more serious the situation is. They argue that over time this will develop into long-term hallucinations, dangerous both for the person himself and for his environment. Doctors after the research have noticed that this phenomenon occurs mainly in people suffering from all kinds of memory defects. Parapsychologists do not exclude another version. So, they tend to associate deja vu with the reincarnation of a person after death into another body). Naturally, modern science does not accept such a version.

What other opinions exist on this?

For example, in the 19th century, German psychologists explained the effect in an elementary way, as a result of simple fatigue. The thing is that those parts of the brain that are responsible for consciousness and perception, that is, there is a failure among themselves. And it is expressed in the form of a deja vu effect.

The American physiologist Burnham argued the opposite. So, he believed that the phenomenon in which we recognize certain objects, actions, faces, is associated with the complete relaxation of the body. When a person is fully rested, his brain is free from difficulties, experiences, thrills. It is at this time that the brain can perceive everything many times faster. It turns out that the subconscious is already experiencing moments that may happen to a person in the future.

Many people believe that they know how deja vu occurs, believing that this is the result of dreams that we once had. or not - it's hard to say, but such an idea exists among scientists. The subconscious mind is able to capture dreams that we had even many years ago, and then reproduce them in parts (many consider this as a prediction of the future).

Freud and Jung

To better understand what deja vu is, let's remember the film about Shurik, when he was so absorbed in reading the synopsis that he did not notice either his presence in someone else's apartment, or mustard cakes, or a fan, or Lida's girlfriend herself. But when he appeared there already consciously, he experienced what we call the deja vu effect. It's just that in this case, the viewer knows that Shurik has already been here.

Sigmund Freud at one time described this state as a real memory that was “erased” in the mind under the influence of various adverse factors. It could be trauma or experience. Some force forced a certain image to move into the subconscious, and later there comes a moment at which this “hidden” image suddenly comes out.

Jung, on the other hand, associated the effect with, in fact, with the memory of our ancestors. And this again brings us to biology, reincarnation and other other hypotheses.

It turns out, not in vain they say that everything in the world is interconnected. Maybe in this case it also does not make sense to look for the only correct answer, if only because there is no guarantee that it exists? After all, it is not for nothing that even scientists have not put forward the version that could be fully proved and declared to the whole world that the answer has been found.

In any case, do not be afraid if this effect happens to you. Take it as a hint, as something close to intuition. Remember the main thing: if there was something frightening or really dangerous in the phenomenon, you would already know about it for sure.

Everyone knows the feeling when what is happening at a given moment in time the situation seems familiar and already seen before.

This phenomenon is called deja vu. The causes of this condition are a matter of much debate.

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concept

Deja vu is a mental state in which a person experiencing a sense of repetition a situation that had already happened to him.

Feelings may arise in relation to specific phrases, movements, events, etc.

State usually lasts a fraction of a second, and in those moments the person becomes aware of the entire sequence and nuances of the evocative situation.

At the same time, he cannot specifically remember in what period of his life the events that are recurring at the moment took place. He only realizes that it was in the past.

Deja vu can not only evoke associations in the form of pictures, but also give an idea of ​​what events will happen now and what phrases will be uttered.

This phenomenon is to some extent reminiscent of extrasensory perception, which causes no less questions and disputes, without having a scientific justification.

Jamevu- this is a feeling or state opposite to deja vu, a sudden feeling that the well-known seems completely unknown or unusual, seen for the first time. The phenomenon is sometimes compared with short-term. It translates as "never seen".

What does it mean?

The phenomenon is directly related to the human psyche, with the features of the brain.

brain skill keep memories, analyze unconscious actions and recognize associations leads to the appearance of such a mental phenomenon as deja vu.

At present, deja vu is still one of the the most mysterious and little-studied phenomena in the world. For a long time there was a theory about a direct connection between deja vu and reincarnation (relocation of the soul).

It was believed that the memories that arise in the mind of a person are events experienced by him in a past life. At the moment, this theory has its adherents, but from a scientific point of view, it is not considered.

There is no consensus among scholars about the nature of this phenomenon. This is due to the fact that a person cannot predict in advance when deja vu will occur. Accordingly, it is impossible to study the process scientifically, experimentally.

In any case, deja vu is the influence of certain environmental factors observed by a person on his mental, psychic organization.

When this mental state occurs, an unfamiliar place seems familiar, the phrases spoken by the interlocutor are foreseen in advance, and the actions taking place are performed in the order known to the person in advance.

That is, deja vu can manifest itself not only in anticipation and recollection a single element, but also a whole chain of events.

Reasons for the feeling

Why does deja vu syndrome occur? There are several main reasons for this condition:

Good or bad?

The average person experiences deja vu hundreds of times in their life. At this moment, he sees some change in perception of reality.

He sinks into an unconscious state, a bit like a dream. The phenomenon lasts a maximum of a minute, and usually only a few seconds.

Deja vu is a feature of the work of consciousness that does not cause any harm to human health.

This fact is not in doubt, since this phenomenon is experienced by all people on the planet, and the vast majority of them are mentally healthy individuals.

Moreover, most people enjoy the experience of this state.

It allows you to immerse yourself in illusory world as if in a parallel reality.

It seems to a person that, being at the current moment of time in a particular place, he managed to travel back to the past and survive the events that once occurred. All this creates a feeling of mystery, unusualness and novelty.

negative sign deja vu can become if it occurs very often (every day, several times a day) and provokes strong emotional experiences.

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Frequent manifestations - what is it for?

Deja vu with its systematic repetition can be symptom of mental illness.

In medical practice, there have been cases when people who systematically experience deja vu had mental disorders.

There is also a relationship between frequent hits "in the past" and the onset epileptic seizures.

People experiencing some psychological problems, owners of a receptive nervous system and patients with epilepsy are advised to protect themselves from constant analysis of the past, reflection on experienced situations, and the negative influence of the environment.

All this will help to minimize the manifestations of painful deja vu, which can become provoking factor for the development of serious diseases.

How to get rid of feeling?

If deja vu occurs constantly, interferes with normal life, causes confusion and anxiety, then the only real way to solve the problem is to contact neurologist.

The specialist will conduct an examination, identify possible problems and prescribe drugs that will help to cope with the situation.

In the presence of persistent déjà vu, causing significant anxiety, a visit to a specialist should not be postponed, as this can lead to serious health consequences.

In other cases, the problem can be solved by identifying the factors that provoke it:

Thus, deja vu is the experience of events that seem to have already happened in the past. Similar mental state poses no danger by itself, but requires attention with frequent repetitions and the appearance of concomitant problems.

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What is deja vu? Causes and secret of deja vu: