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Sunday, November 29, 2009

so THAT'S why

In the DID book, the author is talking about somatic flashbacks (body memories). She explains that our conscious memory is termed explicit memory. It is the kind of memory we use for recalling facts and events or any information from the past that is consciously available.
Implicit memory, however, is the memory in which you know something but do not remember how you know.
"...behaviors and attitudes that have simply become "a part of you." Because implicit memory is thought to be involved in the processing of strong emotions, it is understandable why some traumatic memory might be experienced primarily as emotion or physical sensations rather than as concrete vocabulary."
That is what happens EVERYDAY. My body experiences a lot that I don't fully understand. I feel sensations and pain and... Then I feel emotions... fear, anger, panic, disgust at myself, homesick, etc.
"As we make sense of our lives, we fill in the blanks of our memories and create an ever-changing narrative of who we are in the midst of our life experiences. It appears, however, that traumatic memory does not change significantly over time, which is one reason flashbacks and unexplainable bodily sensations can create such a sense of panic as they begin to emerge."
Yep!!That's it. It so confusing to FEEL all that while I am in the present, but not... but...
I wish I could explain this better...

1 comment:

  1. I think you are doing a good job of explaining it. I can't say I fully understand, but I think it's helping me to gain understanding.

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