For example if I ask someone what they had for breakfast or what song was on the radio yesterday, they may not know.
But if I asked them what they did the day their loved one died 30 years ago, they could probably tell you: I had Cheerios for breakfast. The mail was late. I got stuck in traffic. Boyz II Men was on the radio.
Why does our brain store these tiny details in times of trauma?
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Trauma elicits a large effect time after time. Distressing emotions trigger “flight or fight” and this is something that has withstood years of evolution.
Happiness and good emotions release a little bit of dopamine, but this kind of reinforcement isn’t as strong as the traumatic negative reinforcement when it comes to solidifying memories.
Trauma is something that could kill you so your brain does everything possible to make you remember exactly what it felt like so that it doesn’t happen to you again and actually kill you. Traumatic emotions follow in this same pathway.
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