Deja Vu and the Present Moment

Last updated on: January 4, 2016 at 8:13 pm by Ambaa Choate

Deja Vu and the Present Moment 2016-01-04T20:13:14-05:00 Ambaa Choate

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One day I was reading Cracked.com (if you’ve never been there, be careful. It will suck you in for hours!) and I came across a story about a condition of more intense than usual deja vu. Instantly I recognized what they were talking about. I hadn’t stopped to think much about it but for most of my life I have experienced a lot of deja vu very frequently. It’s not nearly as bad as the guy in the article, but I too have an “inception” experience of deja vu. Most times when I get it I also get the feeling that I’ve had deja vu about that moment before and before and before. It can ripple several times.

The article says that deja vu is caused when your brain tells you that something that just happened was actually fed to you from your long term memory. I didn’t know that, but it makes sense. I’ve wondered sometimes if it is an experience related to past lives. Our souls have been through so much that it wouldn’t be surprising to feel ripples of previous experiences. However my feelings of deja vu are extremely specific so I don’t think they could be memories from other lives.

I mentioned this to my Dad one day and he said that makes it sound difficult to connect to the present moment.

Which is a good point. Not that staying present is ever easy! I think, though, that the present moment is what saves me from the deja vu.

I’ve found that the only way to deal with deja vu is to not think about it too much. The more I analyze or try to understand the deja vu, the worse it gets and the more frequent it gets. I could easily see it getting to the point of spending half my waking hours feeling like I had already experienced it. But this is one of those times when you can fight your mind. At least so far I have been able to. In fact the article that Cracked links to talks about how this one person’s experience of deja vu may be triggered by anxiety and the anxiety raises and causes more deja vu into a loop. That sounds very true to my experience, which is why if I can refocus my mind into the present moment I can get past the rippling deja vu feelings. (And I certainly hope it’s a symptom of anxiety rather than of epilepsy or dementia!)

Previous Post

December 31, 2015

Hello, 2016

Next Post

January 6, 2016 Krishna and Jesus Are Not the Same

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Club Hindu Holiday How Am I Being a Hindu This Week? Inside the Life Meet a God Meet a Guru Movie Club Philosophy Corner Resources Scripture Uncategorized Wild Card

Select a Month February 2020 September 2019 May 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Elijah was fed by ravens at the Brook Kerith.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE