DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?

While it’s certain that you DO retain memories that didn’t make it all the way to conscious awareness, it’s also certain that the unconscious mind is a fantasy machine.  It does not censor and is not interested in logic.  It’s also true that when there is a gap in recalled memory, the mind will automatically sort for probability and insert whatever it considers most likely.  This does not mean that the subject is deliberately lying; only that humans have a strong preference for certainty.  The entire process of inserting a fantasy often takes less than a second, entirely escaping the subject’s awareness.  Like the blind spot produced by the attachment of the optic nerve to the retina, the brain just “fills” in the missing information. 

We know that recalled memories are subject to influence by the interviewer.  Asking only open-ended questions does not guarantee that a memory is free of bias, distortion, or even complete fantasy.  Pieces of unrelated memories may also find their way into another memory.  How will you know if a brass sculpture on the living room table of your childhood home was actually there or belonged to a photograph in a magazine that you saw around the same time?  No matter how certain people may FEEL about their construct, remember that the feeling of certainty is (at least in part) the purpose of that construct. 

So how do we know when a memory has legitimate value?  That depends entirely on your purpose.  Much has been made of the validity of legal evidence produced under hypnosis and much of the criticism is valid.  Still, a victim or witness can often recall details that may lead to a suspect.  Is it enough to try a case on?  No.  Not without corroborating evidence.  But it can provide information that would otherwise be lost or overlooked.  So there is value in forensic hypnosis, so long as the information obtained is borne out by other facts.  How often have you had to force yourself to relax and mentally retrace your steps in order to find your missing car keys?  And how often did the realization that they fell out of your pocket at the curb just suddenly pop into your head while you were mentally walking through the kitchen?  Sure enough, there they are.  Although you obviously had no conscious awareness of dropping them, the unconscious mind knew exactly what happened.   

When doing regression work to uncover or explore past trauma, it’s generally safe to assume that there are distortions mixed in and that we cannot tell which “facts” are true.  But that doesn’t mean that they have no value.  The distortions themselves tend to tell a story; one that often provides a very direct route to resolving a longstanding conflict, discovering internal resources and strengths, and permission to lay a troubled past to rest.  More often than not, the narrative that emerges makes sense of events in a way that allows for growth, forgiveness, and acceptance.  In that case, it doesn’t really matter whether a story is “true” or not.  It serves its purpose; to finally be able to leave that story in the past – where it properly belongs.