Do you ever get that feeling of deja vu? It is the feeling that you have been in the same place at the same time with the same people some time before. We have all felt this, and we wonder where it comes from. Did we do the same thing in a previous life and now we remember it? Did we perhaps dream it, looking into the future and are now creating that dream in real life? Researchers have finally uncovered what creates that feeling of deja vu.

Our brains are wired for short-term and long-term memory. To create a short-term memory, our brains take snapshots of places we frequent like our homes, schools, work, and even our favorite stores and restaurants. Each time we walk into the same place, we remember the setting and our brain does not have to take pictures of it again. The feeling of deja vu happens when we walk into a place that resembles another place our brain has stored snapshots of.

The similar setting and similar layout of one place triggers the short-term memory of another place already stored in our brain. We experience the feeling of déjà vu when the stored memory is triggered by a new place similar to an old one. Does this happen to you in relationships? Our brain stores memories of old loved ones, and since we repeat patterns with similar kinds of people, it is easy for our brain to get confused.

The memory of an old love we have stored in our brain is similar to a new love and a new relationship, so we have that feeling of déjà vu with a new partner. You are not crazy, you did not dream it and you did not know this person in a previous life. Your brain is working the way it should, which is always good news! -- Kerry L. Gray, kerry@loveawake.com