Temporary Amnesia & Memories

A friend of mine had a case of temporary amnesia. She woke up one morning in a sort of trance, asking the same questions over and over again: “What day is it?” “Where am I?” Her mind would not let her find any answers. My friend’s husband took her to the hospital, and about six hours after the episode began, she came to her senses. She remembered nothing of the time that she had lost. Thank God, the temporary amnesia happened at home where her husband could take care of her.

After a CT scan came up negative, the doctors said that my friend had a case of temporary amnesia. There was nothing wrong with her mind, but it simply was not working correctly. Apparently, temporary amnesia only happens one in a life-time, and does not lead to any other problems. It is like pressing the reset button on the computer; the mind of the person simply takes a short break, and then starts over. The day after the episode, my friend sounded normal, and she has completely recovered. She was quite unnerved by losing those six hours of her life and by the whole experience.

There are times when the idea of temporary amnesia seems like a good thing. It might be nice to be rid of some of the bad memories from the past. In the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Jim Carrey’s character wants to be rid of painful memories of a failed relationship. He pays for a procedure to have these memories erased, wiped clean from his mind. Carrey later regrets this decision, and spends the whole movie trying to get those memories back. In the same way, my friend with the temporary amnesia was deeply disturbed at losing those six hours of her life.

Judaism teaches that memories of the past, both good and bad have value. Our task is not to forget the past, but instead to learn from it. When the Torah says that we are to care for the orphan, widow and stranger, the reason given is that we were slaves in Egypt. Remembering the pain of slavery helps us to see the necessity of reaching out to those who are suffering.

Remembering the past is also essential in order to change our behavior in the future. On the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we do a lot of remembering. We recall loved ones who passed away during the service of yizkor, which means God will remember. We blow the shofar during the service of zichronot, which means rememberance.

The work of the High Holidays involves recalling what we did wrong. We sit in services all day on Yom Kippur, not eating, so that we can remember our mistakes of the past year. Recalling our errors provides us with the opportunity change direction and to become a better person.

At McGill University, there is a scientist, Karim Nader, who is seeking to manipulate memories in order to help people. According an article on the McGill website, survivors of a traumatic experience relive the painful memories over and over again in their minds. “These flashbacks can be so debilitating that many sufferers find it hard to maintain relationships and hold jobs.”

The scientist made a remarkable discovery. If a common blood pressure drug is administered while the person is having a flashback of the event, the memory is actually changed. The person still remembers the traumatic event, but now it is “re-branded with the emotional weight of an ordinary bad memory, one that is not debilitating.” The scientist said that the goal is not to erase a memory but “we just want to turn down the traumatic memory so it’s not so overwhelming and can then be treated with traditional forms of therapy.”

According to the scientist, a memory can be “re-branded,” so as to no longer be an impediment to our lives, but rather something we can overcome. Traumatic memories may require drugs and therapy. Many other bad memories from the past can be re-branded too, by seeking to repair our mistakes, find reconciliation with loved ones, and not repeat the same harmful acts again.

Embarrassing, bad and even painful memories are an inevitable part of life. As my friend who lived through a bout of temporary amnesia knows, our task is not to erase or ignore the past. Instead we should look to “re-brand” our difficult memories and learn from them.