Little to no memory of my childhood/teenage years 8 Reasons Why People Deny Childhood Trauma and Its Results Though you might find it strange you cant remember certain key events parents or older siblings have told you about, your lack of memories may only seem significant because others have suggested you should remember. I think I might know why, but if I say why it would ruin someone's life and I don't want to do that. People who have experienced trauma and abuse can find themselves stuck in vicious cycles for years. It also enables you to make new connections and store new information and memories that are more relevant to your present life and developmental stage. Should You Talk to Your Crush After Being Rejected? Whether you lived through a turbulent childhood or enjoyed one that was perfectly pleasant, theres a good chance youll lose most of your early memories by the time you reach adulthood and thats absolutely normal. By using our site, you agree to our. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Why Can't I Remember My Childhood? Understanding the Memory Development Did you live through something deeply distressing, after all? Another reason for childhood amnesia is that our brains go synapse-wild when were babies. Originally published by Dr Joseph M Carver, PhD on December 17, 2008 and last reviewed or updated by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor on December 17, 2008. https://askthepsych.com/atp/2008/12/17/i-cant-remember-my-life/. According to Chin, this could be a sign that your brain has registered something familiar about the situation, and emotions are flooding in to alert you to potential psychological or physical danger. Even learning a language gives your memory an excellent workout. More answers below Christopher Richards It's important that we not take a catastrophic view that we can't remember our life and recognize that we're having difficulties with on-demand recall of our personal memories. These docs then suggested to their patients that something awful had happened in their early years and they didnt remember it. The experience of denial in our culture as a protective mechanism for our psyche can be very powerful, licensed clinical psychologist Erin Miers, PsyD, tells Bustle. Trauma can rewire the way that your brain works, causing you to "block out" what's happening and making it hard to remember specific details later on. Some people have plenty of memories from various stages of early life, but others remember very little of their formative years by the time they reach adulthood. Experts arent entirely certain what causes it, but memory researchers have come up with a few different theories. Encyclopedia of infant and early childhood development. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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