> http://mentalhelp.net/perspectives/articles/art03965.htm > I noticed that article is about 4 years old, and I'm wondering if you > still think epilepsy is unrelated?

What I wrote in the article is that what those suffering from temporal lobe epilepsy experience in their aura might be better termed "dij` senti" which means "already felt". I also urged that we drop the term "dij` vu" altogether in serious discussions since its meaning is far from precise and doesn't even fit the several experiences it is often used to describe. I remain convinced of these points.

Whereas Reed (1972) refers to dij` vu as "false positive recognition", Neppe (1983), in the only book thus far having dij` vu as its main concern, defines it very generally as "any inappropriate impression of familiarity of a present experience with an undefined past" (p. 3) and goes on to postulate *four* subtypes of dij` experience: 1. epileptic (that which occurs in the aura of some attacks of temporal lobe epilepsy), 2. subjective paranormal (characterized by unusual clarity, intensity and often having precognitive aspects), 3. schizophrenic (in which the afflicted individual is convinced that he or she is living through an extended period for the second time), and 4. associative (which tends to be vague and may be the form encountered most often in normal persons) (pp. 27-57). Regarding the schizophrenic subtype, two other terms one encounters in the literature are "reduplicative paramnesia," first proposed by Pick in 1903, and, more recently, "chronophrenia" (Pethv, 1985). Sno (1994) is of the opinion that these four subtypes are not distinct forms but may represent "a continuum of positive and negative misidentification symptoms".

(I'll be happy to supply these references, should someone be interested).

At the time I wrote the article which is posted on the website, I did not know about a paper in which a patient had an ictal event during a EEG recording in which he claimed that he knew the nurse would walk in just at the moment she did, as well as other aspects of what he was living through (Gloor et al., 1982). This is the only time I have encountered someone claiming precognitive knowledge during an epileptic episode and would thus be an example of what I refer to as "dij` vivu" (with the exception of "Quaerens", Dr. John Hughlings Jackson's patient) instead of "dij` senti". Since dij` vicu and possible dij` visiti are quite common in the normal population (and amazingly rare among epileptics!), it makes me wonder if this patient and maybe "Quaerens" had dij` vicu experiences in their auras while most don't. By all reports, as least, what they experienced is very unusual, in any case.

I really, truly wish I could take part in your chat, but I am sure the times would be difficult for me (I live in Europe) and expensive (we are charged by the mnnute for local calls). But if you have any further questions, I'll be happy to see if I can shed any light on them.

OTOH, I would be happy to be part of a list on a listserver, in which such issues are discussed, if that is possible.

I shall be away April 20 to May 2, so if you wish to write again, you should do so right away.

Best wishes,

Dr. A. ("Art") Funkhouser, Bern, Switzerland

atf@alum.mit.edu

PS. I have just submitted a paper entitled "Dreams and Dij` Vu" for the August Parapsychological Association conference to be held in Freiburg, Germany. I am also planning on submitting it for publication.

-- (please@ ignore .me), April 17, 2000