Like, say someone experienced some type of abuse as a child. Is it possible for them to repress this event so strongly they don’t remember it in their adult life? Just feel the effects of unexplained mental illness? Or is this just a thing in the movies?
In: Biology
Lot’s of great ELI5’s here. If anyone wants a more in depth look at this complex phenomenon, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is very informative.
When I was 8 years old, I took a beating from a couple of older kids in the school bathroom. At some point, they put a belt around my neck and choked me with it. I remember the entire event, except for the part with the belt; no matter how much I search my memory, that part is just nowhere to be found. I only know for sure that it happened because there is photographic evidence where you can see bruising around my neck including the impression of a belt buckle.
Can’t tell you the science behind it but, yeah, I’m pretty convinced because of that that memories can be repressed.
Of course you can, I do it all the time. But it sometimes comes back during an emotional blindside, and look out!
I suppressed a memory for 14 years, I only remembered it after another traumatic thing happened to. That was a fun summer.
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