Imagine a moment when your perception seems both entirely new and inexplicably familiar.

Neural Echoes: Exploring the Déjà Vu Phenomenon

Imagine a moment when your perception seems both entirely new and inexplicably familiar. This is not merely a trick of the imagination but a complex kaleidoscope of processes interacting at the border between consciousness and the subconscious. At the core of this phenomenon lies the delicate boundary between storing memories and reproducing them, where the brain appears to “toss” you fragments of the future, which, when confronted with reality, transform into a tangible experience.

From a neurological perspective, the dynamic shift in the activity of various brain regions plays a key role: areas responsible for recognizing familiar images shift across the hemispheres, creating an effect of temporary coincidence. This “glitch” in the normal information processing system allows one to instantly become immersed in the illusion of reliving an event. Moreover, there is the concept of two levels of consciousness—one that governs automatic reactions and another that manages complex thought. When these two levels converge, the sense of familiarity becomes so strong that any new impression turns into a strange kaleidoscope of recognizable images.

Thus, déjà vu appears as a phenomenon of brain synchronization, where nerve impulses intersect such that the past and present merge into one. This provides a striking example of how the subtle harmony between internal rhythms and neurophysiological processes can envelop us in a sense of mystical connection with ourselves. Ultimately, understanding this phenomenon not only broadens our view of how the brain works but also invites us to look at the mysteries of human consciousness from a new, captivating perspective.

What neurophysiological or psychological mechanisms might explain the phenomenon of déjà vu and its cyclicity in human experience?

The phenomenon of déjà vu, in which a current experience feels both new and already familiar, can be seen as the result of a complex interplay between subconscious and conscious processes. According to the description of subjective experience reflected in the source " link txt", a person might suddenly feel that they “see the real picture and clearly understand that it will be in their future,” and then this feeling “begins to take on a tangible form” during a recurring life event. This scenario suggests that, in the moment of déjà vu, there is a glitch or perhaps a fleeting confusion between the storage and retrieval of information in memory, where the subconscious may be picking up signals reminiscent of past experiences—even though the event itself is objectively new.

From a neurophysiological standpoint, it can be assumed that the dynamics of brain activity play a significant role. As noted in the source " link txt", various parts of the brain may display variable levels of excitability—“the area with optimal activity… constantly moving across the expanse of the cerebral hemispheres.” This cyclic distribution of activity may lead to a brief overlap between regions responsible for recognition and those that form current perception, triggering the déjà vu effect. In other words, a short-lived “switch” or temporary shift in activity between different brain areas can create the illusion of having already experienced an event.

Furthermore, an important aspect is the possibility of two levels of consciousness, with one part of the brain handling automatic operations and another managing more complex cognitive processes. The source " link txt" presents the idea that a person seemingly has “two consciousnesses,” where one is in charge of automatic reactions and the other oversees conscious thought. If these two levels temporarily “converge” in perceiving a specific event, it results in the feeling that the event has already been experienced. This cyclic phenomenon might be explained by internal rhythms and periodic changes in neurophysiological activity, leading to the recurring experience of déjà vu.

Thus, to sum up the examined mechanisms, it can be argued that déjà vu and its cyclicity are due to the synchronization peculiarities of brain function—when the temporal and spatial distribution of activity in various regions responsible for memory and perception malfunctions in the usual sequence of information processing. This results in certain moments being perceived as already having occurred, even though they are objectively new.