Why Are Trauma Memories So Different From Other Memories? How PTSD Affects Memory
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2022
- When you have a traumatic experience, your brain physically changes in structure and electrical activity. And one of the big symptoms that we see with Trauma and PTSD is changes in memory. There are 4 ways that traumatic memories differ from regular memories. In this video we’ll talk about how PTSD and trauma change your memories and 3 things you can do to soften or treat traumatic memories and their painful symptoms.
Normal memories change every time you retrieve them, retell them and store them. That’s one reason why two people who experience the same event might remember it very differently. Every time a non-traumatic memory gets retrieved (or remembered) they change just a little bit when they are stored, so in that way they can soften over time and we are able to create new meaning around them.
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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
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Out of all the self help videos I watch on youtube, this channel actually feels like I am in therapy.
What a great compliment to Emma!
me too
That is my case as well..... She is a blessing to us suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety
Amen she's the best!!! 💓
I have experienced PTSD from miscarriage, it was a sudden miscarriage and I was 12 weeks along, I didn’t even know what a miscarriage was really. After that painful experience I had PTSD for years with any women’s heath visit. No one took it seriously, I pray one day that physicians take miscarriage more seriously. Thank you for your video. It’s very helpful to me!
"Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you."
Thanks for spreading awareness of the brain changes that take place Emma!
What an intelligent, compassionate, insightful, and clear-spoken professional. I cherish these videos.
Thanks Aaron, you're a gem :)
I agree, she's great.
Please help to me and blessings and hillingto me .i can not make it . 🙏❤️
@@mitrabiswas509 Sending you hugs, Mitra
Mee too.
And the fact thst brain scans are not a regular part of treatment is ridiculous and American medical protocol needs to be revamped on how we treat brain issues..
Thank you!!! 👏👏👏 My neurologist told me I was having "functional neurological disorder" aka "it's all in your head", then a different doctor actually did imaging and realized I have several potentially fatal vein blockages en route to my brain 😳 It would be great if doctors actually did their job.
@@AngDevigne so how do they fix that?
bump
@@Thrillnow Not sure if you were asking how do they fix Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) or Chronic Venous Insufficiency, so I answered both.
FND is treated with a combination of emotional and physical therapy. FND is generally diagnosed in people who already have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, so the idea is that repeated trauma damages the brain's ability to send the correct instruction signals to the nerves of the body, although the physical structures are all in tact. This is what they refer to as a "software versus hardware" problem. The goal of the therapy then is to "reprogram" the brain and muscles to send and receive the correct signals, respectively.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency is treated with some combination of 1. Medications (for me that means one that helps me make enough blood to get through my veins and one that ensures my heart beats normally to actually pump it through), 2. Supportive garments like compression wear, braces, taping, etc, and 3. Surgery in extremely debilitating cases like MALS which essentially constricts the main artery between the upper and lower halves of the body, or Nutcracker Syndrome where the blood supply to the kidneys is cut off.
This falls under "supportive garments" but I feel it warrants its own explanation: One of my first methods of treatment was to get rid of shoulder straps.
The "brain vein" being crushed for me is the subclavian, or "under the collarbone" vein, and I am hypermobile, which means my collarbones and top ribs sublux / dislocate daily (yes, it hurts as much as you think it does and makes it extremely difficult to breathe) but I felt it important to mention because more women than I realized develop some level of stress on this vein due to bra straps digging into their shoulder tissue. It's not usually bad enough to majorly restrict blood flow, but in people who are hypermobile or have very large breasts it absolutely can or potentially lead to blood clots. This is part of why deformations or permanent indentations in the shoulder are part of the criteria for a medically necessary breast reduction.
Thank you for asking this question! Hopefully, the drastic difference in treatment illustrates why imaging is important. Talk therapy wasn't going to un-crush my subclavian vein nor was it going to make my kidneys function correctly! 😅 It's actually kind of startling how many people, especially women, develop brain damage from their kidneys not working properly, then go to the doctor only to be told it's all in their head because someone failed to do the right tests.
I think it comes down to cost of such a limited resource. Relying on self report and observations is significantly more resourceful.
*Never let one failure from the past hold you back in the future* 👉🏻 *MUST READ FOR YOU*
“As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.
He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. ‘Well,’ trainer said, ‘when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.’
The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.”
*I LOVE YOU* 💝
It's called learned helplessness. I also tale people the elephant story.
I have complex ptsd. My traumas are layered from childhood to my adult years. Lots of assaults, grief and loss. It’s overwhelming at times. I did 8 months of EMDR to help alleviate the traumas
Can relate to the not knowing about childhood sexual abuse. I didn't know at all until I started taking care of myself. Then it came back and the only memory for a solid majority of the month was that traumatic memory.
I had the same experience. I had no idea why I was so terrified of sex and and of men until I had a breakdown and started having flashbacks
Have either one of you blocked out most of your childhood and ‘remember’ that you had a good childhood?
@@pattiw6402 I can recall both good parts and bad parts before the traumatic event. I acted differently around one parent than another based on mood, tone, orders, obligations that must be met, etc. My mom acts mild to moderate authoritarian but my dad is authoritative.
I do recall as a kid acting very friendly and playful to my mom as a kid so I'd say perhaps most of the scarring memories were sealed away till I'm actually ready.
@@ythatesfacts Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thankyou for posting this. I am a train driver and i was recently involved in an incident with a suicidal person. My memory of the incident is fragmented. Instead of having a memory like a movie it feels more like i have just a handful of photos of it. It an unusual experience and i was feeling bad that i couldn't remember it correctly. I thought i wasn't paying attention well enough, i should have seen her sooner and i was too slow applying the emergency break. It make sense now why my memories are disordered and fragmented.
I hope you are doing OK and have received positive support to help you.
I know that you did everything you could in an awful circumstance
this is a most relaxing background . i prefer it because i watch these before bed . certain ones i really need to keep listening to over and over trying to sink it into my brain . i really appreciate you . thank you
I have PTSD, and although I have ongoing therapy, you provided some new and helpful information. Thank you for your detailed descriptions.❤
Thank you for this. I’ve lost two babies in the second trimester in a year. When I found out my second one’s heartbeat was no longer I couldn’t breathe and had a panic attack. I’m so fearful of pregnancy again.
My mother was murdered 30 years ago. I still deal with the trauma and memories of that day today. I've also seen a lot of not so good stuff as a kid. Probably why I have bouts of anxiety and panic.
🧡
Very sorry to hear that and the pain you have endured. My stepfather killed himself and it was me who found him , it also made a deep imprint in me. Hope you find help, healing and support 🙏
My brain suppressed memories until a massage triggered them and poof things came back 20 years later. Absolutely awful. Smells trigger things now. A lot of my memories from the age of 15 down are hidden away now.
Thank you. I wasn't sure if I actually had CPTSD (currently reading a book on childhood CPTSD) but now I believe I do. I have very few memories prior to age 12. I've had weird flashbacks of my grandfather who died when I was 5, but no one will tell me anything. When I get a triggered memory of my mother hitting me, I will often still flinch, throw up my arms involuntarily in defense, and I can still feel and taste her rings hitting my teeth. I am now 60.
Thanks for sharing, sorry to hear about your experience. I have CPTSD too , it's no easy , hope you find help and support 🙏
Memory loss and sudden resurgence also happened to me. When the memories came back, it was so weird and I felt like I couldn’t trust my memories.
when the memory of my abuse came back it was so painful I felt like needles were going through me in the most sensitive places... that memory will forever be seared into me
Thank you for your content! It’s simple and helpful.
you have a gift to make complex concepts really simple ..much gratitude to you !
So gentle and informative ☺️🙏 Thank you
These videos on traumatic memories are SO good, SO helpful. Thank you, thank you! After a long and concerning plateau in healing, they are giving me so many ideas for ways to help myself and determine when and why I need to try counselling again.
Thank you so much for making this video 🙏
I am so grateful for you and how you're so loving to share your knowledge with the world thank u so much. I have bipolar ptsd and anxiety and your videos have really healed me. I send your videos to my friends and they benefit from them too. I love you God bless !!!! You inspire me. I'm in school studying to be a psychologist :)
Thank you for videos, I have suffered from bleach washing the body.and doing terrible things to myself since I was 6 years old, the stuff is unspeakable on u tube. I have been abused physically and mentally.it’s in my mind and thoughts and punished myself for years and the only Good in my life is being a born again Christian, from drugs and drink 🍺 and addictions to new start in my live . I enjoy your videos very much. Thank you for me and all the people watching. Jamie
Thank you for the video again 💙 I'm currently in the process where I have to re-visit my traumatic memories, so this was interesting to watch 🌸
Fascinating, thank you. Empowering information 🙂
Great video thanks for all the help you have given me.
Love the hair and thank you for your generous advice.❤
Thank you Emma- May you and your family be well and safe.
Same to you!
Thanks for the wonderful and priceless videos.God bless you😊
Thank you so much! And thanks for talking a bit slower, than it is so much better to follow and understand.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
You have helped me more than any Therapist I've ever had. So thank you for that.
I agree!!!
Thank you for talking about this. I have quite a few traumatic memories, unfortunately, but this finally explains some things that happen with me that I never had answers to. Pretty much all points talked about were a little eye opening for me.
Glad it was helpful!
Same here. Could have been my words.
I have been emotionally neglected my whole childhood and I don't have many memories from my childhood. It doesn't have to be "big" things that has happened, for me it was constant feeling of loneliness, responsibility, abandonment etc. I think some call it cptsd.
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Can’t wait for the ways to help correct these things💚🙏🏼💚
thx as always doc
thank you for your existence
This is fascinating
I was bullied growing up, and I struggle with PTSD from that now.
I would love a link or the title to the “next video” you refer to. TH-cam just dumps you out into your “panic attack” video, not necessarily the one you are talking about. So grateful for your efforts. You are helping so many people work through long lasting issues!! ❤
It's not published yet, it comes out next thursday at 12pm
Thank you! You are amazing!
I 100% should have waited for the next video to come out before I tried to watch this one….such incredible information to get started with understating what’s happening. I need to learn what to do next with this new found awareness!
Thank you Emma! ♥️
❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏 I learn more and more and more! Thank you.
This was great info😢 and sad to say my brain has done this. I don’t remember a lot of my childhood just small small portions. I wonder what my brain is trying to protect me from😢
Memory is really interesting, memories are fluid and easily influenced by our current state and lens. Missing memories are really common and don't necessarily indicate abuse, it could be a bunch of other things like when a memory isn't retrieved often, it fades over time, the brain just doesn't need it any more. But for some people with abuse, those memories seem to be forgotten or blocked.
@@TherapyinaNutshell I may be wrong, my understanding of memories is the gist of our memories is what we retain the most. And also what you said in the video added on. I have had people for many moons say I am wrong. I have and do say cool. Then I ask if they would like to play a memory game. We talk about something or they talk with someone else. Than write down their conversation and seal it in a envelope with the date on the envelope. Around three months later get together and talk about the same subject. Open up the envelope to see how well it match's up with what was just said. Then the rationalization usually happens.
Your videos are the best.
Your hair looks amazing! You are more beautiful each day ❤ and thank you for what you do
Amazing how memories can change like that.
cbt takes a memory, retrieves it, relabels it, re-stores it 💕 sounds hope to me . thank youuu🙏💗
Love this.
Thank you Emma
This is the most helpful therapy resource I have come across online, but I have to say it's a bit triggering to be drawn into something that's so real and relatable for me, but be left hanging for ways to treat or self sooth at the end. Please reconsider this format if the second part won't be available for some time. I love the content and appreciate your work so much!
She has whole courses you can do and are readily available if you check out the links and also gives links to therapists to work with. Whilst listening is helpful Emma is clear to say that it isn't therapy.
you aren't going to get to far without Christ
@@katrinaweaver8486 Read the room. Your religious crap wasn't solicited.
@@katrinaweaver8486 Good luck with that. Christ didn't magically save them the first time. It's a bad idea to hope for magic again.
Another excellent video, though I'm wondering what position you played in the soccer team now (an example of how the brain can work in mysterious ways!)
Emma… wow. Thank you so much, I’ve never realised that sexual trauma could try to resolve itself in the way you described but it makes so much sense
Yeah, there's a lot of factors for why sexual trauma often shows up as early sexual activity, risky sexual activity, or unhealthy sexual activity. Some of it has to do with attempts to calm the nervous system, and seeking love and validation, or changes in hormones, but any of these could be the brain's attempt to heal unresolved trauma.
Thank you 🙏🏽 so much
It's so hard to read the whole of the book The Body Keeps the Score because it hurts so much, but I'm trying all of the time.
You could try “healing trauma” by Peter Levine instead- more skills less triggering. It took me a really long time to get through the body keeps the score, but in the long run it was worth it.
@@TherapyinaNutshell Thank you, I will.🥰
Fourth round of your assistance;
Thankyouthankyou
and again
Thankyouthankyou.
Ripped a tendon under my foot,
has complicated the reorganizing
on my life.
My brain has erased most of my life.
Have intense triggers that are a bit confusing.
It is helpful to remember
that I can see a weather forecast
to know
what is coming
yet still,
always surprised when lightning strikes.
Thank you
Thank you.
In the book the author also recommends IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. I've been doing it for the last 7-8 months to help me with childhood trauma - it's very good modality.
Psychedelics can also be very effective when treating trauma. MDMA or Psylocybin assisted therapies showed very promising results (tried psylocybin on my own many times, it's something not to be messed around with and you have to really prepare for it. It's vital you try to integrate the experience. Without it there's little healing).
Thank you for stressing the importance of being very careful with psychedelics. I have too many friends trying to get their hands on any thinking it's some kind of miracle drug... only to fall in deeper with depression.
Recently has a traumatic experience with a loved one almost passing and had almost constant daily panic attacks. It subsided somewhat since, but I feel I don't have control. I've had quite a few traumatic experience in the past 15 years that time passes and I often forget why I ever suffered. But then another experience hits and memory recall makes the feeling return so much worse.
cheers my dudes
Your an angel, God bless you.
I have severe ptsd from all sorts of trauma. I'm not in a safe environment and have no one to talk to about my trauma.
Hi Emma, you mentioned implicit and explicit memories but did not explain them. Do you expand on those differences in another vlog, and what is the link to the next video on this topic that you referenced?
Your content on trauma is really good and informative. Thank you for sharing this. I am trying to process my childhood trauma now. Its extremely difficult but all of this info helps me better understand and process.
I learned to leave my body when something bad happens since I was child now I’m 35 and I can’t remember crap!
❤❤❤ i will forever clap for others until it's my turn 🎉🎉
Do you offer personal therapy/counseling?
Would subconsciously blocking out traumatic memories be a way the brain copes with trauma? What you are describing is my experience to a t. I've been suffering from anxiety, bipolar, depression and PTSD due to being molested as a child and being raped in prison in Florida. My beautiful fiance has been invaluable in helping me get through my anxiety attacks, depression, bipolar moments and my PTSD attacks.
I think that blocked out memories might be so painful that if we could recall them while we're going through other bad stuff we might die. it's definitely a survival and protection instinct. its not something that we choose, but they always come back again
Yes. Dissociation.
YOU LOOK SO GOODDD AH
I experience memory loss and don't know why I get triggered, especially at night. And trying to stay within my window of tolerance is hard. The Body Keeps the Score is a great resource and where I found treatments, like EMDR, that worked for me.
Pregancies for many is traumatic hence post partum depression. I recall seemingly miniscule sensory detail dwn to the deluge of emotions
For number 4, can this happen with a narcissistic parent? I remember so little about my childhood and even as a grown adult, I have a hard time with memory. I realized this is a coping mechanism awhile ago so I’ve accepted it.
Memory is really interesting, memories are fluid and easily influenced by our current state and lens. Missing memories are really common and don't necessarily indicate abuse, it could be a bunch of other things like when a memory isn't retrieved often, it fades over time, the brain just doesn't need it any more. But for some people with abuse, those memories seem to be forgotten or blocked.
My dad is narcissistic too.
i wish i had a therapist in my area to help me... but i tried two times. first time when i was a teen but she didn't tried to hear me the therapist and my mother both told me to study and blamed me for being "bad child". and next time i went a few months ago after 10 years, first day i talked and second day i was so scared i told random stuffs like i am sad my friends are not talking and stuff. she blamed me for being sad, and told me if they stop talking i should always go and talk with them ! i have trauma i am kind of dumb i know. but not dumb enough to believe what she said is good advice.
This may come off as a weird and stupid question: Can a long affair from your partner be considered as a trauma? It really messed with my head for years.
Yeah, if it was traumatic to you, it was. Definitely can be. Sorry to hear it.
For sure , there are many small and big shocks that can be traumatic. It also is highly individual, an accident can for one person be quickly processed and for another person it can make a deep emotional impression that haunts them for years.
Yes of course
In regards to the fourth quality of traumatic memories, would one say that these memories are held unconsciously? Or would the word repressed not be synonymous with unconscious? And how would one be sure that they are recovering a genuine memory, couldn't there be cases where therapists implant memories into their clients ( ex: satanic rituals in the 90's)? I am open to the idea of repressed memories due to my own experiences, though I've heard that the malleability of human perception makes recovering repressed memories difficult. Good video btw.
I wish I'd had you as my doctor instead of being told ' do we have to have this!'
Maa'm please me, I have been in anxiety since last two years having unsual thought not only in past but rather coming from present tasks what i use to do every day. For example my mind make me look at to the mobile battery again and again, similarly video's views. In addition i have been suffering from negative thoughts like if your mobile got broken what you would do. What i face is that i don't recognize which thought was/is normal. Can anyone help me getting me out of this. Thank you!!
Intense...
Question: is writing traumatic memories down, from perspective of a grown up, who starts to realise, childhood abuse was not their fault gonna help in the long run? It seems to bring immediate relief. I am not able to have therapy, because of the extreme distrust to both sexes. Thank you)
My Father passed very traumatically a few years back when I was 21. But I have late grief. I was fine for two years then suddenly it came on during University! I had a meltdown. Drank alcohol everyday. But now I’ve cut these out I’ve been better but I’ve started developing panic attacks, anxiety, fainting. I don’t know how to help this. I can’t afford therapy. It’s not fair 😢
But they can also make them.harder ..these emdr are not for everyone they can actually make it worse and re traumatize the person..esp child memories..our brains protects us in certain ways digging around in peoples brain when they are not regulated or some other health issue is present make them worse..
valid point
You have to go in ready for what's to come and also read up on what you're about to do. Going in without any knowledge of what's to come can absolutely makes things worse.
I been dealing with so much trauma of my past memories I had a hard time getting rid of it
What kind of medical title do you have so i know who im listening to if you truly have the correct information before i subscribe to you? Thanks
Is it at all possible that certain memories are classified as borderline PTSD memories?
Then throw sleep apnea on top of that...fun times...(Can you do a video on sleep apnea?)
I wish! I don't know anything about sleep apnea
How do I get my regular memory back after trauma of being in a 5-10 year abusive (mostly emotional some physical) relationship ?
How many videos do we see or hear about the effects of sexual trauma males go through. We see and hear of females and sexual trauma a lot. The belief a male should and can defend themself brings with it the possibility of deep grievance. Which over all is left out of the conversation. How many videos or talks of male sexual abuse have been presented in life ? With that being said nice video !
I just had a tramatic experience my sister just passed away from septic shock
I am so sorry. So sorry. I pray for God's comfort to envelop you and wrap you in His arms
The birth of a child can be traumatic!
8:45 repeating memories
What's the name of the part of the brain that shuts down when the traumatic memories are raging?
I just started studying again. Its been over ten years since i did it last time. I focus mostly on math, the hardest subject. But progress is soo slow, i keep forgetting things I learned. It's really messing with me
I learned in college that sleeping helps to store memories and that you study how you’ll be presented with the info in class (aka how will they test you. I started studying with making my own practice tests based on my teachers way and pretending to teach others the info (a pretend class), and would take a small nap after. It helped, and I hope this helps you too.
God bless you.
I have the same problem with language-learning :/ I was really good at it once, but gradually my memory has become worse and I completely get the frustration. You know you’re not stupid. But it just somehow doesn’t stick. It‘ll take us more time, but we’re still doing it and we should be proud of every progress.
You‘re not alone 💜
#1 and #4 seem to contradict each other?
The brave women of Iran are
sacrificing their lives on the
streets against oppression and
injustice. Please be our voice❤
There at 3:24, "I personally believe our brain is not out to get us." brings to mind that when you have an autoimmune disease your body _is_ out to get you. Nice to at least have my brain on my side. But wait, since it is a neurological autoimmune disease does that mean my body is out to get my brain?
…but how can I retrieve surpressed trauma memories?
I can’t remember anything right anymore I can’t remember things I can’t remember I can’t remember what going on
How likely is it a precoscious child with early sexual feelings was abused in his/her early years? For me, I have no memories until ages 4 or 5.
Memories are faulty bc our brain tries to fill in the gap
Please can I respectfully request that you change the example of a non-traumatic event as "such as the birth of a child"? The birth experience can be deeply traumatising, for so many involved, for so many reasons.
👍👍👏🏻👏🏻❤❤