Is there a way to supress memories?

[Dark.Peach.Tree]

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It's not really possible to rid yourself of memories because they're a part of your brain.. But does anyone know if there is a way to supress certain memories? Through hypnotherepy or something?

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[Fvel]

Self induced amnesia? You could just ignore the past. You tend to ignore the past and memories you don't want to remember. Of course certain things trigger memories you've ignored.

[Opposite]

Haha, weird, 'Cause I watched Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind today. xD!

I really don't know though, try looking it up?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Sunshine

[Champaign Supernova]

Replace them with better memories, like go out and do something fun with people.

[Divided Girl]

I think this is something that you can accomplish yourself through force of will. Visualize your body healing itself from the hurtful memory, like skin growing over it and forget about it. There are a lot of things I've forgotten about that seemed to feel like the end of the world at the time. It takes time and mental preparation.

[Madding]

See a psychologist or a hypnotist. They can do it.

[Aekean Fairy]

I don't know why you would want to. If your brain is repressing memories, it's doing it on its own, and it's just going to bother you later on in life.

[Dark.Peach.Tree]

Madding

See a psychologist or a hypnotist. They can do it.

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Thank you, that's what I was thinking of.. I'll look into that.

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[Aita Vanth]

Repression is not healthy for you. It's just supposed to be a coping mechanism, not a easy way out of bad memories.

[Riue]

I remember I used to try so hard to forget my bad memories, all those years ago. This is what I did:

1) I completely submerged myself into activities that would take my mind off of my memories, and surrounded myself with friends and family.

2) Anything that triggered a memory, like letters or trinkets or photos, I took out of my room and hid them in obscure places I knew I would forget in the next few days.

3) Sometimes there would be days where I'm fine, then all of a sudden I remember something terrible and then as a reflex, I would jump back, or put my hands in my face and start shaking. I remember hearing somebody say that I had to accept my past completely in order to move on...so one day, I took a lot of paper and wrote down, in story form, things that happened to me. I was bawling my eyes out at the same time and sometimes I just had to stop writing to recuperate...but at the end, I would feel so liberated and so free of them that nothing could bring me down again.

4) And remember...time heals all wounds. Whatever bad memories I have, most of them I do not remember anymore. Even though my mind will work itself to one every now and then and then I physically cringe in pain, It will leave me soon.

Hope that helps. But I'd also say you could try seeing a psychologist or hypnotist if you aren't willing to spend the next year or two trying to come to peace with your psyche, like me. sweatdrop

[fayebelly]

I really don't suggest trying to supress memories! Sure, they're painful! But your brain isn't that clever... One day something will trigger this memory and all that pain is going to come back and you'll have no coping strategies...

Whatever is so awful that you want to supress, you should really talk to someone you trust about... Tell them what happened, how you feel, etc. Even go and see a qualified psychologist!
You need to cope with this memory, not forget it... Whenever something awful happens to a person, if they tackle it head on, it'll make them a MUCH stronger person... Plus, if you supress every memory you don't want, you won't remember anything... Our memories make us who we are!

Also, I suggest you steer clear away from hypnotherapy... It can be very theraputic for some people as it's basically a series of relaxation techniques... But when you're in a very suggestable state, any slight implication on the part of the therapist of a bad experience (may be an accident, may be a way of getting you nice and traumatised so you give them more money... It happens), and you're at risk of being MORE traumatised than you were before with something that didn't even happen!

There are countless stories about children accusing people of sexually abusing them after hypnotherapy, despite the MOUNDS of evidence against this...

[patchz]

You can repress memories, but that does not mean they will not come back should something trigger them. You can not even avoid those triggers because it could be something as simple as a smell, or the way the light hits an object and the memory could come flooding back.
Since it is doubtful that it is a good memory that you want to forget, the real trick is getting the memory to loose it's power over you. Learning how to cope with a memory is far more productive, and will in the end be a much better way of handling that memory. A shrink can help you thru hypnosis to cope with bad memories. Most people have at least a few memories they wish they could make disappear, but getting a better handle on the memory is far better then just burying it.

[Dread and Freedom]

Running away is probably not the best option.

[webwiz1986]

I hit the fast forward button, getting it all out of my mind. My faith also helps me realize that any thing that I have done or has happened to me is in the past, no longer a part of my present condition. I may have to take responsibility, but thats the way life goes.

[Zhialao Xou]

Almighty Toilet Plungerre

I don't know why you would want to. If your brain is repressing memories, it's doing it on its own, and it's just going to bother you later on in life.

LOL AT YOUR SIG