Green Xenon Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 Hi: What is the neurological mechanism by which psychologically-intense memories are repressed? Apparently the memory of the event does form, and vividly so. However, access to such a memory is usually prohibited. How does the brain deny access to emotionally-tagged memories? Thanks, Green Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemur Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 My guess would be that when the memory starts to get triggered by a cognitive association, the emotional intensity of it emerging leads the person to supplant it with another thought or process. A person could start singing to themselves or even aloud, for example, to divert themselves from a memory or thought that is too intense to deal with. I believe this is why psychotherapy works to reduce the trauma of such memories and thoughts so that they can be expressed in a less intense way and therefore cause less distress and avoidance-behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now