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Erasing Details Of Bad Memories
An anonymous reader writes "People can be trained to forget specific details associated with bad memories, according to breakthrough findings that may lead the way for the development of new depression and post-traumatic stress disorder therapies. New study (abstract), published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, reveals that individuals can be taught to forget personal feelings associated with an emotional memory without erasing the memory of the actual event."
The drug Midazolam (trade name Versed) is already used to induce anterograde amnesia before certain unpleasant medical procedures. This is used where the effects of an anesthetic are undesirable or impossible.
Sometimes this causes problems - it is often abused by the health care industry to sometimes horrific results. In the worst cases, people are put through what can only be called torture under the assumption that the drug will block their memories of the event, and even though their conscious memories of it are gone later, they suffer PTSD type symptoms after the fact. The tales of people who've had bad experiences in that regard are bone chilling. This isn't universal of course, and used judiciously the drug has beneficial uses. But it is not always used wisely.
Also, there is some evidence it can cause permanent or semi-permanent memory impairment in the elderly, as it interferes with the mechanisms of memory formation.
Meanwhile, this is really nothing new: Alcoholics figured it out thousands of years ago. Mastadon trample your kids? The chieftan fucking your wo-man? The bastards in Sales pissing you off? Great, have a fucking drink.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Firstly, my sincere congratulations, and respect, to you and your wife, for surviving that ordeal. I won't go into my story here, no need. You two were able to see justice via the court system, an ordeal in itself, not every innocent victim gets to have that chance, and that outcome. When bad things happen to people, you are no longer the person you once were, you are now changed forever by the experience. No going back. My advice: Theres a lot of good in this life, though sometimes you need to look for it. Accept that you've been changed, but do not allow it to turn you bitter. If you do, it's allowing those who commited the crime to still have control, which will keep you a 'victim'. That is what you CAN control. Good luck to you and all other 'former' victims, with moving forward in your lives. And , one more thought. "Don't let the bastards of life determine the outcome of your life. Don't allow them that power." ;-)Firstly, my sincere congratulations, and respect, to you and your wife, for surviving that ordeal. I won't go into my story here, no need. You two were able to see justice via the court system, an ordeal in itself, not every innocent victim gets to have that chance, and that outcome. When bad things happen to people, you are no longer the person you once were, you are now changed forever by the experience. No going back. My advice: Theres a lot of good in this life, though sometimes you need to look for it. Accept that you've been changed, but do not allow it to turn you bitter. If you do, it's allowing those who commited the crime to still have control, which will keep you a 'victim'. That is what you CAN control. Good luck to you and all other 'former' victims, with moving forward in your lives. And , one more thought. "Don't let the bastards of life determine the outcome of your life. Don't allow them that power." ;-) We are stronger than we realize. It takes time to see that.