Déjà rêvé describes the sensation of experiencing something in the present moment that feels as though it has already been dreamt. This phenomenon, which translates from French as “already dreamed,” prompts many to wonder about its origins and significance.
Defining Déjà Rêvé
Déjà rêvé is a mental phenomenon where an individual has the strong impression that a current experience has been encountered before in a dream. This sensation often involves a vivid feeling of reliving a specific dream or a vague dream-like state. For example, someone might be walking in a new city and suddenly feel an overwhelming sense that they have explored this exact street or building in a dream.
This experience differs from déjà vu, which means “already seen” and refers to the feeling of having previously experienced a current situation in waking life, without a dream connection. While déjà vu is often described as a memory miscommunication, déjà rêvé specifically involves recalling a vision or feeling from a past dream during waking consciousness. Déjà rêvé can manifest in three main ways:
Episodic-like: A specific dream is recalled.
Familiarity-like: Involves a vague dream reminiscence without specific details.
“Dreamy state”: The individual feels as if they are literally dreaming while awake.
Déjà rêvé is considered a relatively uncommon experience. It can occur in individuals without underlying medical conditions.
The Link to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Recurrent déjà rêvé experiences can be connected to temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), where they may manifest as an aura or focal seizure symptom. The brain’s temporal lobes process memory, emotions, and sensory information. Disturbances in these areas can lead to sensations like déjà rêvé during a seizure. When a seizure originates in the temporal lobe, it can trigger these dream-like sensations, making a current experience feel as if it has been dreamt before.
Déjà rêvé has been observed in epileptic patients, sometimes induced by electrical brain stimulation in the temporal lobes. This suggests that the brain has specific memory systems for storing dreams that can be activated during seizure activity. The feeling can be the seizure itself, or it can precede a larger seizure, acting as a warning sign. While not everyone who experiences déjà rêvé has epilepsy, its frequent occurrence or presence with other symptoms is a recognized symptom in some cases of temporal lobe dysfunction.
When to Seek Medical Advice
While an isolated instance of déjà rêvé is generally benign, certain patterns or accompanying symptoms warrant medical attention. Consult a healthcare professional if experiences become frequent, increase in intensity, or last for an extended duration. Symptoms suggesting an underlying medical condition include:
Altered awareness during the episode, where an individual appears awake but does not respond to surroundings.
Unusual sensations like strange smells or tastes.
Visual disturbances such as flashing lights.
Motor symptoms like lip smacking, chewing, or repetitive finger movements.
Post-event confusion or difficulty speaking after the sensation subsides.
Association with losing time, loss of awareness, headaches, or vision changes.
These indicators warrant speaking with a doctor.
Diagnosis and Treatment Approaches
If recurrent déjà rêvé experiences suggest a link to seizures, a healthcare professional will conduct a thorough evaluation. This often begins with a detailed medical history and a neurological examination to assess behavior, movements, mental function, and reflexes. The most common diagnostic tool for epilepsy is an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the brain’s electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp. Abnormal brain wave patterns, even when a seizure is not occurring, can indicate epilepsy.
Brain imaging tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are also used to visualize the brain’s structure and detect abnormalities like scar tissue, lesions, or malformations that could contribute to seizures. An MRI provides detailed images that help pinpoint the origin of seizure activity.
If a diagnosis of epilepsy is made, treatment typically involves anti-epileptic medications (ASMs), which work to reduce the likelihood of seizures. There are many different ASMs available, and the choice of medication depends on the seizure type, individual response, and other medical conditions. These medications successfully control seizures for approximately 60% to 70% of individuals with epilepsy.