Posted by DaisyM on June 14, 2004, at 15:13:09
In reply to Re: sorry, it takes a while...., posted by fires on June 12, 2004, at 22:09:34
I'm going to add my voice here...I've done a ton of studying on brain development and there is a great deal of research about how early trauma can actual change the shape and size of certain brain centers. We do lay down traumatic memories in a different way and we do protect ourselves by leaving them fairly inaccessible. Think about a non-traumatic memory, say a movie you've seen. You start talking about it with someone, who says, "Yeah, remember this part...and you say Oh, yeah, I forgot about that" and so it goes. Memory recall is a process.
I would have told you a year ago that I knew exactly what happened to me. Turns out I did, but there is a lot more that I blocked out. It makes one suffer to keep adding new knowledge to already hard to accept facts.
There are also, btw, protocols for therapists to follow when doing this kind of work. They ask questions like "what else do you want to tell me? or do you remember anything else?" not, "do you thinks such and such happened." They aren't supposed to suggest but they do clarify when the facts are presented, or reframe. They help you speak the truth and then believe it yourself. They also are not supposed to push. Letting stuff come in bits and pieces is important because the person remembering has to be able to handle it. It can be overwhelming and utterly devastating.
I know.
poster:DaisyM
thread:354179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040614/msgs/356625.html