Memory's Labyrinth. Part 1: How Trauma Alters and Reshapes Our Recollections

The traditional understanding of memory is that it functions as a storage for information, but this is not entirely accurate. Memory is, in fact, a complex process that involves encoding, retrieving and re-using information (3).

Encoding refers to the "memory consolidation” process, which transforms initial sensory information into a format that can be stored in the brain. Interestingly, the stored information may differ from its initial version. Storing encompasses both short-term and long-term memory.

Short-term memory is a cognitive process responsible for temporarily storing and using limited amount of information for a few seconds.

Long-term memory is crucial for cognition and learning, and enables the retention and reproduction of a large amount of information over extended periods — days, weeks, years or even decades. It includes declarative / explicit memory (concerning "What?") and non-declarative / implicit memory (pertaining to "How?"). For example, when someone recounts what they had for dinner, they are tapping into their long-term declarative / explicit memory.

However, a significant portion of our long-term memories cannot be expressed in words, given that most of them are non-verbal and non-declarative / implicit. This is particularly true for memories related to our body, skills and movements. For example, once a person learns how to ride a bicycle, they typically won’t forget it.

It was previously believed that short-term memories either fade away or transform into long-term memories. However, recent studies indicate that even long-term memories, which are consolidated after specific events, can become destabilized and undergo changes. This means new information can retroactively be added to long-term memories.

Retrieving information from the brain, which is the process of recalling stored memories, usually involves errors (2). The process is complex, as our memory does not work like a flash drive, a hard disk or a data bank (1). Each act of retrieval can lead to a confusion in chronology, forgotten details, and lost — or even altered — memories.

People tend to remember not the events themselves, but rather their last recollection of those events. Therefore, memory is not a straightforward retrieval of past information; it’s more like a creative process, akin to editing a Wikipedia page. Just as an administrator or editor can always modify the text, our memories can be reshaped, allowing us to find new meaning in past events or even create entirely new memories.

While our brain has the capacity to store a vast amount of information, it also has its limitations. Forgetting is a natural aspect of how our memory functions. Conversely, some mental disorders are characterized by a pathological form of “hyper-memory”. For example, individuals with PTSD often struggle with a persistent overlap of past traumatic event, current terrifying images, flashbacks, nightmares, and the reality of being safe in the present. 

For those seeking help in managing traumatic memories, virtual cognitive behavioral therapy or online mental health counseling can offer valuable tools to explore how memories are encoded, retrieved, and reshaped over time. Through online psychotherapy services in our clinic, you can work on stabilizing and reframing traumatic memories, finding new meaning, and ultimately gaining control over their past and present experiences.

To be continued…

References:

1. Avtonomov D.A., Degtyareva. T.P. The role of «addiction memory» and mental images in maintaining addiction. Possibilities and techniques of psychotherapeutic intervention. //Narkologia [Narcology] 2022; 21(3): 30-38.
2. Cadle C. E., Zoladz P. R. Stress time-dependently influences the acquisition and retrieval of unrelated information by producing a memory of its own //Frontiers in psychology. – 2015. –Т. 6. – С. 910.
3. Tulving E. Elements of Episodic Memory. Vol. 2. New York, N.Y: Oxford University Press; 1983

D.Avtonomov©