Remembering and Forgetting Bad Memories as a Therapy for PTSD

 

Have you ever had a bad or fearful experience that you wish you could forget? Did something happen when you were younger that was embarrassing or frightening and now you have a fear that will not go away?  A 2018 article by Yvette Brazier and Dr. Timothy J. Legg may be able to help you get with this problem. In “How to Forget Unwanted Memories,” Brazier and Legg propose memory manipulation coupled with reconsolidation as a solution for memory-based phobias. According to them, “each time we revisit a memory, it becomes flexible again,” (Brazier & Legg). What you must do is change the memory just a little bit every time you revisit it. In time, these memories will be reframed, and your fear could diminish or disappear completely. For example, let’s say that you threw up when you had to perform on a stage in front of a crowd and now you have terrible stage fright. According to Brazier and Legg, you should try to remember your mishap in a funny way instead of an embarrassing way and over time, you will view it as humorous.

            Brazier and Legg also mention the ideas of memory substitution and memory suppression. For this, when you feel that you are starting to remember something embarrassing or unpleasant, force yourself to stop thinking about that memory and replace it with a different memory or a slightly amended version of the same memory. The idea with this is that over time, when something happens that triggers that bad memory, there will be a new, better memory is its place. The end of this article mentions how people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are plagued by unwelcome memories that often interfere with their everyday life. The strategies of memory manipulation/reconsolidation and substitution/suppression could be recommended as way to relieve some of the distress caused by PTSD.  

            In “Odor modulates the temporal dynamics of fear memory consolidation,” Grella et al. explain how memories are organized in the brain and how fear memories are stored. The researchers explain that short term memories are stored in the hippocampus, and they are vivid and full of detail. As these memories shift to become long term, they are moved to the prefrontal cortex. Here, memories are much less detailed and only big events are clear. These researchers explain that odor is a very powerful trigger of memory and can often allow for long term memories to be recalled in as much detail and context as short terms ones. Grella et al. also explain that those with PTSD recall memories in great detail regardless of how long ago the event occurred.

            Grella et al. show us how powerful and vivid fear/PTSD memories can be. Brazier and Legg give us some strategies to reframe fearful memories. When looking at these readings combined, the idea forms that it may be possible to treat PTSD with the use of memory manipulation/reconsolidation and memory substitution/suppression. Grella et al. mention how odor can trigger intense memory recall. Combining this with the ideas from Brazier and Legg, if a person couples their memory substitution/suppression technique with an odor, then smelling the odor when the unpleasant memory starts to surface (while also practicing memory substitution/suppression) could accelerate the rate at which the substitution/suppression tactic works. This would mean that memories could be reframed quicker. Although it may seem silly to try and change your memories, these tactics could be very useful to those suffering from PTSD and severe phobias. One small change in the story could be enough to cure a phobia or put a stop to PTSD event triggers. Although this process would take time and diligence, the possibility of a cure for these fears is worth the wait.

References:

Brazier, Y., & Legg, T. J. (2018, August 14). Unwanted memories: How to forget them. Medical News Today. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/251655#substituting_memories

Grella, S. L., Fortin, A. H., McKissick, O., Leblanc, H., & Ramirez, S. (2019, December 31). Stephanie L. Grella. Learning & Memory. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from http://learnmem.cshlp.org/content/27/4/150