Repressed Traumatic Memory Analysis

The torment: remembering what you left behind and even worse; the prospect that you may never

One of the arguments presented by the PCB is that by using these drugs, such as propranolol, we are tampering with our “authentic identities”. The council believes that “memory dampening may weaken our sense of identity by dissociating memories of our lives from those lives as they were actually lived” (Farah, pg. 100). In not so many words the PCB believes that by altering out

I don’t remember much of my childhood. It’s been said that when you experience trauma, your brain has a defense mechanism to help you forget it ever happened. This is both helpful and hurtful in terms of carrying on. I don’t remember much of my mother before her alcoholism began to control her. I wish I could remember what she was like; I’ve been told she was a wonderful mother, though it’s very hard for me to believe that now.

Researchers, J. Douglas Bremner, Katherine Krause Shobe and John K. Kihlstrom establish in their study on the repressed mind of victims that the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that women of childhood sexual abuse exhibited poorer memory for words that had been recently studied and increased insertions of alternative words other than critical lures (Bremner, Shobe, Kihlstrom, 2000). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Mayo Clinic, "Is a mental health condition that 's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event" (Mayo, 2016).

Based on my reading, repressed memories are more likely to surface when people feel the need to play the victim and fancy accusing other people to achieve that aim. The fact that many women retracted their allegations showed me that they may have intentionally fabricated the stories. Perhaps, the growth in the number of people making these types of allegations could have grown because they were getting attention and they thought that was cool. One possible positive effect is that some cultures reward the idea that someone could be a victim. I have heard countless stories where victims have been compensated by their aggressors. In politics for example, some countries immediately take sides with a victim city or country in an interstate conflict to prove they support

For every memory must come a story, especially ones that even the most wisest of people can’t explain or comprehend. Some memories aren’t happy, the kind that you want throw away and never think about again. Ruth Fenton’s memories are the kind of memories I never want throw away, the kind I want to share and write a story about.

That sense of validation is enough for a false memory to become a reality when sitting in a study. I also believe that the way she interviewed the college students had an impact on her results. Many of the students claimed they did not recognize the false memory during the first interview, but recalled it during the second. By having a second interview, they were exposed to the same memory twice. Sometimes all it takes is having a small recent memory of something, to make it seem as though you’ve known it for a long time.

There’s people who are experience this horrible moments in their lives and trying their best to move on from the traumatic situation. For Instance, Marlene Hamptons who has post-traumatic stress disorder and is a survivor from a sexual abuse when she was young. Marlene is forty-four years old and her abuse took place when she was five years old. Although it has been more than several decades since this abuse took place, she still re-live the fear and terror of that time. Despite the event, she can only remember details surrounding the abuse and the abuser with sparkling clarity. However, Marlene still cannot remember the actual traumatic events after all this time. During time Marlene realized that this gap in memory is not so uncommon and

Currently, people may encounter a traumatic occasion that triggers such an intense anxiety reaction by means of the thoughtful sensory system, that memory of the occasion gets to be distinctly curbed.

      Why would anyone want to erase a part of their memory? No one would want to remember being raped or tortured, witness a shocking, scary, or dangerous event. People simply want to forget these memories because they want to stop it hurting and haunting them. Trauma can greatly affect our memory. We may use our natural ability to dissociate to avoid awareness of a traumatic experience while the trauma is happening and however long it may occur. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that develops in some people who have experienced any of events I have mentioned (NIMH). It is normal for us to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear is a powerful trigger for the changes in our body to help defend against danger or avoid it. Most people will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet many will recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to suffer may have PTSD and they may feel

The topic revolving traumatic memory recovery through therapy is one that is still being heavily debated amongst many psychologists. The first step to take in determining whether or not a repressed memory caused by a trauma could be recovered through therapy is to first understand what repressed memories are. Repressed memories are said to be memories that have been unconsciously “pushed to the inaccessible corner” of the mind due to something shocking or traumatic (Loftus, 1993). However, due to how memories are created and how subjective memories can be, the idea of having repressed memories lacks evidence and fails to exist thus explaining that memories cannot be recovered through therapy.

According to Perry's discussion (2003, pg 7) "Persisting physiological  and emotional distress is physically exhausting and emotionally painful.   Because of the pain,  energy and  discomfort associated with  the recurring  intrusive thoughts and the physiological  and  emotional  'memories' associated with  these  thoughts,  a variety of  protective  avoidance  mechanisms are used to escape reminders of  the original trauma.  These include active avoidance of  any reminders of the trauma and  the mental mechanisms of numbing and dissociation." Trauma can effect a person's potential to learn and lead them to a longtime of learning impediment. There are many cognitive symptoms of psychological trauma, which are being distracted, lack of ability

One of the main discussions during the memory chapters was how different conditions could have an impact on memory. We discussed that memories with high emotional linkage often are more durable than regular memories. Although, this is the case with many emotional memories, such as one’s graduation or wedding, there are some cases that contradicts with the norm. Some traumatic events are known to impair the retrieval of certain memories the event. Especially, this situation is often observed with sexual assault cases, in which victims sometimes have difficulties recalling the event. In general, these events intrigued me to explore the field. In order to explore how does traumatic

The year 1990 was a monumental time for memory revelations. George Franklin Sr. was taken to court by his daughter on the basis of resurfaced memories. Franklin 's daughter, Eileen, was eight-years-old when she became a witness to her best friend 's death. Twenty years after that fateful night in 1969, Eileen began to remember pieces of the incident. She eventually had a very full memory of what had happened. That memory allowed Eileen to take her father to court in California, convince a jury of Franklin 's wrongdoing, and find him guilty of first degree murder. After this breakthrough court case, a series of other trials came to light featuring recently resurfaced memories (Loftus). A string of studies soon followed because the numerous court cases had piqued the interest of scientists nationwide. Though some scientists had differing opinions, several well-respected organizations conducted studies which concluded that the human mind is capable of repressing memories of traumatic events.

Memory provides individuals with an understanding of who they are; allows one to remember or reflect on the past; consider ideas and execute skills in the present; and learn, strategize, and resolve issues based on prior knowledge and experiences. More importantly, memory is an essential cognitive ability which enables one to carry out executive functions. Skills such as planning, problem solving, reasoning, decision making, organization, and multi-tasking all rely on intact memory abilities. With regards to this dissertation, the effects of childhood trauma will also be assessed in reference to its impact on verbal memory. Therefore, it is important to understand each of the components of memory in order to gain a clear sense of how it may be influenced by childhood trauma. The following sections will discuss each of the components of memory and briefly outline the formulation of memories. Stress, and its impact on memory, will also be discussed in the concluding segments of this section.