At first, hidden memories that can't be consciously accessed may protect the individual from the emotional pain of recalling the event. But eventually those suppressed memories can cause debilitating psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or dissociative disorders.
Why memories may become repressed. Peck says that those who disclose their experiences and are met with negative responses are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This may increase the chances of repressed memory.
Repressed memories can come back to you in various ways, including having a trigger, nightmares, flashbacks, body memories and somatic/conversion symptoms. This can lead to feelings of denial, shame, guilt, anger, hurt, sadness, numbness and so forth.
Childish reactions may be a sign that you're dealing with repressed childhood memories. It could be that you throw tantrums, speak in a child-like voice, or are stubborn about small things. These regular regressions are all indicative that you have memories you haven't unlocked.
Most unresolved childhood trauma affects self-esteem and creates anxiety. Did you suffer a serious childhood illness? If so, you were likely isolated at home or hospitalized. This meant being removed from normal social activities and you probably felt lonely, maybe even worried about being different.
Unhealed childhood wounds can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, including feelings of fear, low self-esteem, insecurity, PTSD, and difficulty forming trusting relationships.
Adults who have experienced childhood trauma usually have heightened levels of anxiety. They may worry excessively and have trouble managing their anxiety. It can lead to persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, and difficulty experiencing pleasure.
Clinicians also believe that the mind's act of repressing memories continuously exerts both a mental and physical burden on the individual. This is experienced through symptoms such as insomnia, low self-esteem, anxiety towards certain people and/or situations, and confusion.
What is Trauma blocking? Trauma blocking is an effort to block out and overwhelm residual painful feelings due to trauma. You may ask “What does trauma blocking behavior look like? · Trauma blocking is excessive use of social media and compulsive mindless scrolling.
These are memories of experiences that were so traumatic that they overwhelm one's sense of self, thereby making it difficult to deal with them while they're happening. "Such memories might come back when the person is in a safe enough space to process them – when these memories are not a threat to their survival.
Repression vs.
Where repression involves unconsciously blocking unwanted thoughts or impulses, suppression is entirely voluntary. Specifically, suppression is deliberately trying to forget or not think about painful or unwanted thoughts.
Despite widespread belief in the phenomenon of repressed memories among laypersons and clinical psychologists, most research psychologists who study the psychology of memory dispute that repression ever occurs at all.
Intrusive memories
Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the traumatic event. Reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again (flashbacks) Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event. Severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event.
Use trauma-focused talk therapy to help recover repressed memories. It's a slow process, but talking out your experiences and feelings can help you slowly unravel memories that are hidden in your mind. Your therapist will listen as you talk about your current issues, as well as your past.
A child who has experienced this type of trauma and holds much shame may show us behaviours such as: envy, anger, and anxiety, effects of sadness, depression, depletion, loneliness, isolation and avoidance. They will highlight to us their inadequacy, their powerlessness and at times their own self-disgust.
Re-experiencing and dissociation
PTSD is common in patients with a history of childhood trauma. However, when trauma occurs in childhood, the flashbacks may well be experienced as a flood of emotion, disconnected from the narrative in which the trauma originally arose.
Children who have experienced complex trauma often have difficulty identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, and may have limited language for feeling states. They often internalize and/or externalize stress reactions and as a result may experience significant depression, anxiety, or anger.
Physical Health
Children who are exposed to abuse and trauma may develop what is called 'a heightened stress response'. This can impact their ability to regulate their emotions, lead to sleep difficulties, lower immune function, and increase the risk of a number of physical illnesses throughout adulthood.
Reemergence - A Message from the Trauma Holding part that you're Safe Enough now to Process. Reemergence of memories usually means that there was some form of trauma, abuse, neglect or emotional hurt that was experienced years ago, but was repressed because you were not in a safe or stable enough place to heal it.
Traumatic memories rerouted and hidden away
Memories are usually stored in distributed brain networks including the cortex, and can thus be readily accessed to consciously remember an event.
Repressed memory occurs when trauma is too severe to be kept in conscious memory, and is removed by repression or dissociation or both. At some later time it may be recalled, often under innocuous circumstances, and reappears in conscious memory.