Parapsychology

The most common paranormal explanations for deja vu include extrasensory perception, clairvoyance, precognition and past life experiences. Some also attribute the feeling to the shared mind, the concept that all of humanity can tap into a larger consciousness that covers the wealth of human knowledge.

Many of these theories are similar and hard to differentiate when discussing paranormal explanations of deja vu. Extrasensory perception, or ESP, is the theory that we have a “sixth sense” that allows us to see through time and space differently than others do. In comic book terms, this would “spidey sense,” an unexplained warning about things we are doing or about to do.

This is very similar to clairvoyance which allows a person to see events at a remote distance and precognition which allows a person to see events before they happen. All three are used as paranormal explanations for the feelings of deja vu. Some experts would argue that dreaming of an event before it happens can be a form of precognition and lead to deja vu.

Other experts argue that dreams allow us to access long-term memory and make it active in our short term memory. Thus, a person experiencing deja vu may have no conscious memory of a similar experience and may be unable to explain why the feeling persists, but may have a rational past experience that leads to the feeling.

The past life explanation relies on the concept that most people are unaware, at least consciously, of the experiences of their past lives and that certain moments in current existence can trigger those memories. Proponents of this point of view often look at deja vu experiences as a way to tap into your past lives and gain insight into what they might have been or done in a previous life.