ArticleZones.com » Society » Psychology » You Are What You Remember
View PDF | Print View
Article By: PatrickGlancy
Total views: 18
Word Count: 455
You Are What You Remember
You have good memories that can make you feel good to think about as well as bad memories that can make you feel bad. Everyone has these memories and everyone's memories affect how they live.
There is a definite connection between what our memories have stored and how we generally feel. If there is very strong emotion associated with a memory, a person may tend to feel that emotion in some way, constantly, below the surface.
The strong emotion associated with memories can cause disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The emotions can also cause more normal life problems, such as anger, stress, sadness, or fear.
Medication commonly prescribed for relief of these issues, but it only attempts to address the 'symptoms' rather than address the cause. The problem is rarely 'fixed' with medication.
The key to long term help with these issues would appear to be the emotional association with the memory. What would happen if that association could be erased, reduced or even changed?
There is research using a medication called propranolol that can be used as an "amnesia drug". The purpose is to directly disrupt the connection between our memories and the emotions they are associated with.
Described in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, they talk about psychiatrists at McGill University and Harvard University using the drug to disrupt the memories of trauma victims. The drug reduces the emotional connection with the memory while leaving the conscious part of the memory.
This resulted in people that can remember the memory, but have a sense of detachment or dissociation from the event. The permanence of this process and potential side effects are not yet known.
It all seems a little too sci-fi to me, when there are more reliable, established, and safer methods available.
In particular, hypnosis. Hypnosis seems better suited for this process since, when in hypnosis, you are using the emotional part of your mind. This is very evident when working with traumatic memories from childhood. When re-experiencing memories from childhood a person often 'feels' younger than their current age. You tend to experience memories with the same age of mind that you originally experienced the situation.
Before using hypnosis techniques to address a strong emotional memory, the hypnotist needs to be appropriately trained. With a trained and experienced hypnotist, the process is reliable, quick and effective.
This process is essentially about gaining perspective on the experience and the client's part in the experience. This process will often create a sense of distance and separation from the memory. A memory, minus the negative emotions.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
Patrick M Glancy, NGH Board Certified Hypnotist
Stress Management
Quick Hypnosis - Self-Help Hypnosis on CD and MP3 Download
Comments
No comments posted.Add Comment
You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you will be able to comment.More articles in this Category
1. Deep Abdominal Breathing For Anxiety And Panic Attacks2. You Are What You Remember
3. Chronic Pain - Do You Get Angry When They Blame You For It?
4. Accelerated Learning Themes And Concepts
5. Persuade the Affluent Through Embedded Suggestions