B2 – Upper Intermediate
Almost everyone has experienced déjà vu at some point in their life. It’s a mysterious feeling that something that is happening right now has happened before because it seems too familiar to you.
The term déjà vu is French which means “already seen”. Scientists had tried studying it but everyone failed since it’s too complicated.
Let’s watch the video below to learn more about déjà vu.
Discussion Questions:
- How would you define deja vu? What are the theories about it?
- Have you experienced deja vu before? Talk about it.
- Do you think deja vu is related to our past or future? How so?
- Is deja vu good or bad? How can it affect us in some way?
- Do you believe it is a sign of reincarnation? Support your stand.
3 replies on “What is Deja Vu?”
It’s when you have the feeling that you are experiencing something that has already happened. There are more than 40 theories, but the 3 in the video, basically are:
* you are not processing all what you are experiencing at the same time, so when you process all the stimulus you feel some stimulus as a deja vu
* holograms theory: you recognize the pattern of something you are watching and you identify it with some element from other place you are familiar with.
* you focus your attention on one element, and when you recognize other elements you feel deja vu, because you recognize these other elements in spite of you were not paying attention to them.
2.- Yes I have, specially I have felt I had already been in places I have never been before, I don’t like very much that feeling because it is stressing.
3.-I think it is related to past events or experiences, I totally agree with the hologram theory. You recognize feelings or pattern that you had before in similar situations.
4.-I think it is strange, neither good not bad. It can affect you for a few seconds, because you are sensing wrong stimulus or it does not let you to process the information well.
5.-I don’t. I think it is related to things you have felt with similar objects or situations you lived before.
From my point of view, “Déjà vu” can be described as somehting that is happening in the present is familiar because you have experienced something similar in the past. As per the study, there are at least 3 theories to try to stablish the origin of this experience: dual processing, hologram theory and divided attention.
For sure I have already felt the sensation to have visited a place or being in a situation with people in special position in a restaurant, dressed as you imagined and talking about a topic that you know well.
It´s difficult to explain the relationship between this experience in the past or future, for my experience it´s like if you are a visionary that can predict the future.
It´s not good or bad it´s an experience that is connected with our brain that doesn´t impact in our normal life.
For sure I can´t support the idea of a sign of reincarnation
Good to hear your point of view on deja vu. Just try to choose your words a little more accurately here:
It´s difficult to explain the relationship between this experience in the past or future, for my experience it´s like if you are a visionary that can predict the future.
> It´s difficult to explain the relationship between this experience in the past or future. In my experience, it´s as if you are a psychic or clairvoyant who can predict the future.
Keep writing in order to continuously practice this skill.