Can Deja Vu be Related to Dissociation?

[david9]

I am a new member and am wondering if anyone else has a problem of frequent and vivid deja vu experiences? They are so real to me I am often convinced I am repeating my actions over and over. Everyone insists that this is not the case though, because it is so real to me, I often think that they are lying to me. Is this a form of dissociation?
I have experienced various forms of dissociation through my life. I don't recall having these deja vu experiences with the frequency and intensity I am currently except for a period during my adulthood when I was traumatized in the course of a political situation at my workplace. I seem to have developed these current deja vu experiences after recently being diagnosed with Complex PTSD.
I was emotionally, somewhat physically, and, at least on one occasion, sexually abused as a child.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dee]

I get these feelings to and I believe they are related to dissociation.  More precisely, I think they are a type of flashback for me.  A reminder of a place, feeling, person, or event.

Welcome!

[david9]

Thanks. Hope you are dealing  with it successfully. I have one doctor who told me they thought it might be dissociation and another who thinks it might be neurological.

[Blueberry]

I've had 2 deja vu experiences in my life. Both very vivid, but I have no reason to suspect that they were caused by dissociation. In fact I was doing quite well (by my standards of the time) when both occurred and engaged in easy but fun physical activity, not a common situation for me to be dissociated in.  In both cases I had dreamt the occurrence in my sleep, once just the night before and the other time months before, but they were unusual and unpredictable occurrences.

I have no explanation, it's just the way it was. That doesn't mean to say that it can't be dissociation in your cases though. 

[sigiriuk]

Deja vu needs to be investigated by your doctor in imho.
If it is very brief then it is probably part of the normal human experience.
But if it's prolonged, then you should get it checked out, because  most causes are easily treated, and tend to improve your mental health as a bonus.
Slim

[alchemist]

Hi!
I experienced Deja vu when I lived with my FOO.  It may or may not be related to dissociation.  It's an interesting subject.  I am glad you brought it up.  I think it could also be spiritual in Nature and perhaps  in a different lifetime in the past we were in that exact situation. cool topic.

[Andyman73]

david9,
For me, deja vu is commonplace. I started experiencing it when I was young..age 4 or 5. By this time I had been grievously csa/r by a grown adult man who worked for my father. And by a teen boy that worked at the nursery where my mom worked and my brothers and I attended when mom was working. I had out of body experiences with the man every time. With the teen, that memory set is not as clear. A lot of that is still being kept from me. Both of these attackers got me right around my 3rd birthday.
Anyway, I'm being ushered away from those memories ATM, so better move along. Little Andy doesn't like to remember too often, makes him really sad and cries a lot. 
I don't exactly know when... but before Kindergarten, I was telling my parents that I'd been here or there, before, at different places we went to. Some where in different towns in different States that we had never been to before that moment. Also they always told my that my memories were so far fetched as to be unbelievable.  Even to the point of being accused of fabricating stories out of thin air and saying they were my memories. Got beat for that, quite often.

Honestly I don't remember anything that I ever told them...Even in my adult years, to this day, still. I have them, places, or people I met before, but hadn't, and even things that were said.  Was telling t at last session about excessive lost time episodes and madcap deja vu  as well. Her immediate response..."how long have you been dissociating?" Said...well...I guess since early child hood...

Hope that answers your question a little bit, David. Hope I didn't bore you to sleep, either.

Andrew

[BlancaLap]

I think the feelings are related to dissociation too

[Andyman73]

I asked my psychologist at therapy last week, and he said the prevailing theory these days, is that deja vu is a new memory that didn't get implanted the normal way. Somehow this causes a time lapse, usually a few seconds or so, which is where the shortest term memories normally are. Somehow this also creates the sensation of the memory being older than it truly is.  But then I asked him how does it work if you ask somebody about the deja vu memory?

For example when I told my parents I'd been there before, or asked if we'd been there before, and describe a few details not yet seen...how explain that? He had no answer for that.