Déjà vu: a memory from a previous life or a trick of the mind?
You walk into a new place and feel certain you have been there before. The feeling lasts a few seconds and then vanishes. Most of us experience déjà vu, and science is only beginning to understand it.
Ezostylia Editorial Team · facts checked in sources · updated 31.10.2026
Where does the name come from?
The French déjà vu means "already seen". The term was popularised in the late nineteenth century by the French researcher Émile Boirac. In a review of studies published in 2003, the psychologist Alan S. Brown estimated that approximately two thirds of people experience it at least once in their lives, most commonly in young adulthood.
Scientific theories
- Similarity without recollection: a new place resembles something we have seen before, but we cannot remember what. The brain signals "familiar" yet is unable to identify the source. In Anne Cleary's research, participants experienced déjà vu more frequently in virtual scenes that shared the same layout as scenes they had viewed earlier.
- A momentary glitch in memory: information reaches the brain by two pathways with a fraction-of-a-second delay, and the second "copy" feels like a memory.
- Error monitoring: some researchers believe that déjà vu is a signal that the brain has detected a false sense of familiarity — in other words, a sign of healthy memory.
When it is a symptom
Very frequent, prolonged déjà vu accompanied by a strange smell, anxiety, or a sense of absence may be the aura of a temporal-lobe epileptic seizure. This is rare, but if it does occur, it is worth seeing a neurologist.
Déjà vu in esotericism
In esoteric traditions, déjà vu is sometimes regarded as a glimpse of a previous life or a sign that we are on the right path. It is a beautiful interpretation that can be taken symbolically — a moment of pause and mindfulness — rather than as proof of reincarnation.
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Sources
Frequently asked questions
How often do people experience déjà vu?
According to Alan S. Brown's review of research (2003), approximately two thirds of people experience it at least once in their lives, most commonly in youth.
Is déjà vu a memory from a previous life?
Science explains it through mechanisms of memory. In esotericism it is sometimes interpreted as a glimpse of another life, but there is no evidence to support this.