References to the experience of déjà vu are found in literature of the past, indicating it is not a new phenomenon. The experience of déjà vu seems to be quite common among adults and children alike. The 'previous' experience is most frequently attributed to a dream, although in some cases there is a firm sense that the experience has genuinely happened in the past.

The experience of déjà vu is usually accompanied by a compelling sense of familiarity, and also a sense of 'eeriness', 'strangeness', 'weirdness', or what Sigmund Freud calls 'the uncanny'. The term was coined by a French psychic researcher, Émile Boirac (1851–1917) in his book L'Avenir des sciences psychiques ('The Future of Psychic Sciences'), which expanded upon an essay he wrote while an undergraduate. This article is about the phenomenon, for the the comic strip of the same name see Déjà Vu.ĭéjà vu (French pronunciation, meaning 'already seen') is the experience of feeling sure that one has already witnessed or experienced a current situation, even though the exact circumstances of the previous encounter are uncertain and were perhaps imagined.

What is deja vu explained