2023.05.22
How to Avoid Remembering Bad Memories
How to Avoid Remembering Bad Memories2023.05.22
Takeshi
Yamada
Psychologically, there are two main reasons why we might suddenly recall unpleasant memories:
1. Incorrect coping methods
2. Problems with how the event is remembered
Detailed Explanation:
1. Trying not to remember can actually make you think about it more, so itʼs better to think about something completely unrelated.
Example: Playing Tetris when you feel a bad memory coming on can reduce how often you recall it.
2. Thereʼs an imbalance between "sensory memory" and "semantic memory," where sensory memory is too strong, preventing effective semantic memory formation. This is especially true for events that feel life-threatening.
(Unfortunately, there isnʼt much you can do about this...)
It seems like common sense, but thatʼs the explanation from psychology.
Hiroyuki
Yamamoto
In this world, there are plenty of tools to help us remember things, but there arenʼt any tools to help us forget or not recall bad memories. If there are techniques for this, Iʼd love to learn them.
Yukihiro
Kajita
Iʼll install the Tetris app on my smartphone.
Tomoe
Ota
Regarding the second point, there is a psychological method called memory reconsolidation.
You can think of the unpleasant memory as a misunderstanding and consider what a different perspective might be. Or, you can view it as someone elseʼs experience to see it objectively, which can weaken sensory memory and reduce emotional response. By repeatedly experiencing the memory without emotional response, the memory can be rewritten.
Yuji
Tsuchiya
How can I get rid of the unpleasant memory of "not being good at Tetris"?
Hiroyuki
Yamamoto
Maybe you can only repay the debt of Tetris with more Tetris.
Yuji
Tsuchiya
If I donʼt do well, it might turn into a trauma.
