How to Recover Repressed Memories From Childhood & Abuse

Unlocking repressed memories: a quick overview

Trauma has a funny way of curbing your perception of life. A lot of the time our minds push away the memory of traumatic events so that we are able to function somewhat within society because life’s demands do not rest. This is called repression, and we can thank the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud for making this the focus of the psychoanalytic theory.

Freud’s theory was that people find some events too much to deal with so they dissociate while it’s happening. This dissociation causes memory loss, and most are only left with flashes of the event, of which they might experience flashbacks (which is a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD).

It has been questioned whether or not we truly forget, and Freud was determined that those repressed memories can be resurfaced into our conscious memory when triggered. Crews, F then came up with the term “memory wars,” which was circling the debate of repressed memories.

Repression is one of the many defense mechanisms that our bodies are born with, and we can use self-hypnosis for repressed memories to assist with the issues this defense mechanism causes. These function in a way to help us cope with trauma, stress, anxiety, and much more. There might not be any concrete evidence that we repress memories, let alone resurface them, but in recent studies of psychological science, clinicians have found that repressed memories and traumatic events like childhood traumas might have an effect on our current perceptions and behavior patterns.

There are various techniques and different types of hypnosis that have been developed to facilitate repressed memory recovery. The idea is that a recovered repressed memory might enable the resolution of a repressed traumatic event that is affecting you subconsciously.

Can you bring back repressed memories?

As we have mentioned, there might not be any concrete evidence that memories are repressed, so the same goes for recovering those repressed memories. However, there are many psychoanalysts who would beg to differ. There have been many different methods developed, all aimed at recovering hidden memories, but the most common methods are hypnosis or age regression techniques – the letter being suited for things like childhood abuse.

Other methods include guided imagery, somatic transformation theory, brain spotting and going into a trance state.

How do you tell if you have repressed memories?

Repressed memories have a way of leaking out into our everyday thoughts and behaviors, and most of us go through a large chunk of our lives without realizing this. Signs that you have repressed memories might show themselves on the surface as a tendency to self-sabotage your endeavors, or feeling anxious all the time with no obvious cause.

A fear of abandonment, dissociative disorders, perpetual emotional outbursts, and mood swings can also be a sign that you have some form of repressed memory, as well as having intense reactions to certain people, or even just maintaining a job for a certain period of time. These are all symptoms of a greater experience that is calling out to be addressed.

What happens when you remember repressed memories?

When you begin to remember repressed memories, it might not be the most enjoyable situation because a lot of the time it is like the trauma is being relived through the memory. suddenly all the memories that your mind held back to protect you come back and you are consciously aware of them. Whether this happens in increments, or all at once, it can be painful for many people to deal with.

these resurfaced memories can set you on a course of intense emotions, unstable opinions, and possibly even a fright r flight reaction as you grapple with the memories, and attempt to integrate the experience, that you once blocked out, into your perception of life.

How to Recover Repressed Memories of Abuse

In this section, we will teach you how to bring out repressed memories from your subconscious, into your conscious memories. When you recover repressed memories of abuse in any form, then it can help make sense of certain behaviors and avoidance tendencies.  Here is a list of things hypnosis can help with in regard to memory.

1. Find Comfort with a Support Group

Support groups are amazing for a number of different kinds of things, especially abuse. there are many different kinds of abuse, and so there are many different support groups that have other people dealing with similar issues. You can find comfort that you are not alone, and listening to their stories might open you up a bit more to remember your own.

2. Seek Help From a Therapist

Often we repress memories of the abuse so much so that we don’t know which way is up. A therapist can help you make sense of your memories by offering triggers in the hopes a memory pops up. They will make use of a number of triggering methods like asking questions that might somehow link to the event, or using guided imagery.

3. Find a QHHT Practitioner

With QHHT you can retrieve lost memories by going back to the timeline of where the abuse took place.

How to remember repressed childhood memories

You might have had a rocky childhood that has blank spots missing within your memory. Healing childhood trauma in adults is possible! Family members might speak of events that you just cannot remember at all. This is a sure sign you have blocked these memories out, but the good news is you can try these methods if you want to learn how to recover memories of childhood. Keep reading for some epic methods for how to recover repressed childhood memories.

1. Get a Professional to Practice Age Regression

Oftentimes, memories from our childhood get repressed because they are either too traumatic, or they are too distressing to deal with with the lack of understanding you have at that age. A hypnosis therapist will use this form of hypnosis to regress you to the age you were at when the trauma happened. That way they hope to trigger the lost memories.

2. Do guided meditations

There are many different kinds of guided meditations that help with a number of different things. You might have some memories from your childhood that you want to unlock for whatever reason and meditation that guides you through your thoughts might be your best bet.

3. QHHT sessions!

QHHT is one of the best techniques for anyone to use.It is best done by a practitioner who is trained in the art, but you can also train yourself. This technique can help unearth a number of memories from your youth (like child sexual abuse or the loss of a family member) that might need to be dealt with now that you are grown and experienced.

How to unlock traumatic memories

Traumatic events are not always of a sexual or abusive nature. Sometimes they can be in the form of a burglary, or loosing a loved one. The following techniques are best if you want to know how to access forgotten memories, or how to unlock repressed memories.

1. Group Therapy

Trauma has a funny way of debilitating our lives even when we cannot remember what happened. A lot of the time people are afraid to speak about the event because they are afraid or they feel ashamed. Group therapy provides a safe place to open up to people who have gone through an ordeal just as traumatic. As you open up, the memories might become more clear.

2. Contact a Mental Health Professional

Going to see a therapist should never be seen as a weakness, but a tool to help us function better, no matter the reason. A mental health practitioner will be able to facilitate your own understanding of the event. They may use various techniques like hypnosis, visualizations, or trigger words.

3. Book a QHHT Session!

We are not biased in saying QHHT is your friend when it comes to trying to remember what happened during a traumatic event. The practitioner will induce a state of hypnosis

Tips for unlocking repressed memories

Learning how to remember repressed memories comes with a lot of pain and anguish as you now face the situation you originally hid from subconsciously. Here are some tips for when you have learned how to regain repressed memories.

1. Recovered Memories are not necessarily False memories

Some scientists and clinicians believe that memory that is lost cannot be retrieved, and that memory retrieval causes the mind to create false memories, making it hard to discern between the real memories and the false ones. With enough triggers, the brain can muster up anything it wants, and with minimal scientific evidence to support the idea, they are steadfast in their belief. But, there are many more psychiatrists and clinical psychologists who believe in memory repression and retrieval.

The American Psychological Association, APA, has said that it might be possible, but very unlikely.

2. Be Prepared to Feel a Lot

Uncovering your hidden memories might not be the most pleasurable experience. Your mind hid the memories as a defense mechanism because they were most likely due to a traumatic experience, like child abuse or a bad car accident. retrieving the memories not only brings back the knowledge of what happened but all the feelings that come with it.

3. Center Yourself after a flashback

Flashbacks can be unnerving. In order to not let it swallow you whole, we recommend taking some deep breaths in, and take note of your current surroundings, and reminding yourself that you are safe from harm.

4. Take It Slow

Never rush through your progress. Make sure that you welcome each memory with a grounded mindset.Try not to uncover too much at once, and rather allow your brain to process each memory as it comes.

Key takeaways on how to uncover repressed memories

Learning how to recover lost memories is not an easy road ahead. It might cause you pain and heart ache, and leave you wondering why you wanted to remember in the first place. Hold fast, because awareness is the best technique to resolve the experience and integrate it into your perception of yourself and, in turn, your approach to life.

Resources

• https://www.recoverydirect.co.za/signs-you-might-be-repressing-negative-childhood-memories/

• https://www.healthline.com/health/repressed-memories#takeaway

• https://colossalthoughts.com/6-steps-to-recover-your-repressed-memories/

•  https://colossalthoughts.com/6-steps-to-recover-your-repressed-memories/