Repressed memories

[NeuroticNessie]

I have a character who has repressed memories and it is either physically or emotionally painful for her to recall them. Her memories are of being a part of a fantasy world as a child.

I've been doing some light research on the topic, and it seems that psychologists are split as to whether or not this is an actual phenomenon. The cases most debated are mostly those in which victims of documented child abuse deny that they were ever abused as adults. Some have tried this in reverse, to see if they can make potentially abused people remember details of what happened to them, but other say it is too easy for a psychologist to "remember" something that didn't actually happen.

Does anyone know of resources for me to research further in this area? I really want to make this aspect of my story as realistic as possible.

Thank you!

 

[Nihal]

Well... I don't know any good resources, but I can share a weird tale about lost memories.

When I was a child I suffered a bizarre accident: A heavy, metal ceiling fan (YEP.) fell on me. It happened during a class, in my school and I was lucky, suffering only a scratch on my chin, but a scratch that bled badly and scared the school staff. I tried to get it stop bleeding pressing my chin against my shoulder, what scared them even more, thinking it hurt my neck or something.

They took me to an emergency room, I know I took a x-rays and everything but I barely remember anything. I clearly remember the frightened teacher, the fan hanging by wires and falling down, how I didn't feel so scared or in much pain and was more worried about washing all the blood off my arm, and a little of the car trip. From the hospital I remember only one thing: Kinder Surprises.

I never ate so many Kinder Surprises in my whole life. You can say the bribed me with them, hah, so I would stay calm, if not happy. It successfully blocked my memories, the next thing I remember was arriving at the school again at the end of the day, hours later, and seeing my mother.

From this event I learned two things: Good things can successfully block bad memories and you may never recover them. I didn't try hypnosis or anything like this because it was an insignificant event after all, but it doesn't matter how badly I try to remember, I just can't.

 

[Lucas]

Repressed memories were popular in the 1980s and 1990s, during the pedophile hysteria epidemic. It has been proven that much of the knowledge of repressed memories was bordering the realm of pseudo-science. For example, psychologists trying to ask leading questions or make children play with dolls, setting up sexually explicit scenes with teddy bears representing their dads, etc, etc...

This case is also illustrative for the time period --> Thomas Quick - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Feo Takahari]

If you can find a copy of it, I know of a rather interesting documentary on false memories (specifically, the creation of memories of "ritual abuse" in patients.) It's called The Search for Satan, and it aired on Frontline PBS in 1995.

 

[Penpilot]

I'd suggest going to an old fashion library and look up stuff there. Also, if you're brave enough, email a specialist in the field of psychology or neuroscience, maybe at university. See if they're willing to help out with some resources.

 

[Zero Angel]

At what point are memories repressed or simply forgotten? Do you overcome repressing them or do you merely remember them?

I was a victim of something or another that I'd rather not go into here when I was a child and I had no memory of this happening until I was 18 and in college, when I remembered it quite well.

 

[CupofJoe]

I'd suggest going to an old fashion library and look up stuff there. Also, if you're brave enough, email a specialist in the field of psychology or neuroscience, maybe at university. See if they're willing to help out with some resources.

If you approach a university most of them have [in the UK at least] a PR/Communications centre. They are usually more than happy to forward requests or help/information to the appropriate academics [either directly or generally]. Academics can be skittish if approached directly. Let the university know that you are a writer looking for information [and not looking for a diagnosis on the cheap] .

I was a victim of something or another that I'd rather not go into here when I was a child and I had no memory of this happening until I was 18 and in college, when I remembered it quite well.

To this day I don't know if it is a dream or a memory but I had concussion [fall on ice, hit head] and after that remembered several days that I had lost due to a previous concussion [too close to a big bang]. What I remember fits with what I already knew of the event.

 

[Nihal]

At what point are memories repressed or simply forgotten? Do you overcome repressing them or do you merely remember them?

I don't know. I think that when they are obfuscated by something still during the event, like they were in my case, they never get successfully "fixed", so, they're forever lost. You can't remember something that is not there.

 

[PlotHolio]

Remember that this is a fantasy, so you could give a magical reason for the repressed memories and everything would work out.

I have a character with not so much "repressed memories" as memories she doesn't know she has. She's trained in a meditation/memory sorting trick that she doesn't realize allows knowledge to be implanted in her and then retrieved with certain stimuli.

 

[Shockley]

The one thing that I can say about repressed memories and not delve into a realm of study that isn't my own is that if someone with the proper training wants to create a memory in your head, or even just the idea of a memory, they can do it and they have done it. A lot of families have suffered because of that.

 

[ascanius]

At what point are memories repressed or simply forgotten? Do you overcome repressing them or do you merely remember them?

I was a victim of something or another that I'd rather not go into here when I was a child and I had no memory of this happening until I was 18 and in college, when I remembered it quite well.

I think this depends on a lot of factors, severity of pain, emotions, etc. People I know started remembering at about 16 to 24 year old and all dealt with CA or CSA. Memories come and go. Though in one case DID plays a factor as the alts have the memories and keep them from the her.

My own personal experience that happened when I was a child and wont get into either. I didn't even know it happened until I was told about it by someone I trust much later. After that point I can remember only one thing about the event but im not seeing it through my own eyes. Its really weird, im looking at myself from outside my body. I don't know but for me I know there is more to that memory, I know what happened in its entirety but cannot remember it all. Its like a shadow in the corner of the room I know its there but I don't want to know what it is. ok need to stop, I try not to think about it, I don't care if they remain repressed.

@ OP what do you want to know? I would just go to the library and start reading, its the best place to start.