Memories can change incredibly over time. In fact, two people can experience the same event and come away from it with entirely different memories. Interestingly enough, for trauma victims, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Their traumatic memories tend to be preserved in a way that is much different than normal, everyday, mundane memories.
If you’ve been involved in a traumatic event, those horrific memories may plague you. You may play them over and over again in you mind, and it feels as though you can’t escape them. As we look at the way the human mind works, and what it’s capable of, you’ll see that there is a way to heal.
What Causes Memories to Remain or Fade?
Research has shown that how an event affects someone personally is one of the things that causes it to fade or change over time. When an event is very meaningful, or it invokes certain emotions, it’s etched in the mind. This is largely due to the adrenaline we secrete when something especially traumatic happens.
Injuries, insults and bad experiences will result in increased adrenaline levels in the body. It is a way that the body and mind prepare to defend against potential threats. This is why when something especially traumatic happens, those memories remain; and sometimes they stay for many years.
In the same way, the mundane tends to get forgotten. For example, people who were alive with John F. Kennedy was shot can tell you exactly where they were when it happened. However, they couldn’t tell you where they were or what they were doing the day before.
The Terrifying Cycle of Traumatic Memory
Traumatic memory has been a subject of interest for decades among some of the world’s best psychiatrists and doctors. As researchers were studying hysteria, they found that trauma was at the root of it. This was particularly the case for individuals who had suffered from childhood sexual abuse.
The result was that people were suffering from what they referred to as “mental parasites.” These individuals wanted to forget that these events ever occurred, but they weren’t able to. No matter what they tried, the memories remained. It was if they were trapped in a horrific cycle of repeating them constantly.
To make matters worse, there are times when these memories will appear as physical conditions. In his book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk discusses a man who had been in an accident with a horse drawn cart. Although there was no physical reason for it, he suffered paralysis of the legs. Later, it was discovered that he had believed he was going to be run over, and then he passed out right after having that thought.
Recovering From Trauma
Recovering from trauma is not easy. Some people live with it for years because they simply believe that it isn’t possible. As a result, it taints every aspect of their lives, and they’re never able to truly live.
That doesn’t need to be the case for you. You may be struggling with some traumatic memories yourself. However, that doesn’t mean you need to continue to do so. Contact me to learn how I can help you begin the healing process.
