Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: neilep on 19/03/2008 12:05:06
-
Dear All,
(giz -a-job ?)
I wonder what your take is on regressive memory ?.....we've all seen those ' documentaries ' where people have apparently been hypnotized and have had their memory regressed to an earlier state !......to a point in time even before they were born !
In MY opinion...I think it's a load of hoo-ha and that the mind must be generating these memories....
I have often wondered that if people believed in this then could they be regressed to a point when they want to swing through the trees ?
What do you think is happening when a person is being regressed....?...is it drama ?
Have you ever had your memory regressed ?.....
-
I'm a believer in reincarnation, but not in memories of previous lives. I'm sure that regressive memories are actually memories of things we have seen, read, heard or dreamed in the past and, to all intents and purposes, forgotten about.
-
I'm somewhat surprised that ewe believe in reicarnation.
How do ewe account for the growth in population if we all come back as someone else ?...where do all the new people come from ?...
Sheepy
Reincarnation Asker
-
I'm not sure about this. I imagine that in a state of hypnosis you may be able to recall things that you wouldn't be able to otherwise, but I also think that many of these things could be made up - Not on purpose, I hasten to add - but as a result of suggestion. It's relatively easy to convince people to remember things that never happened, and they will not think they're imagining it.
One scientist I spoke to was very concerned about the use of regression to look for evidence of childhood abuse - people could be forced to experience a traumatic - but false - memory. It can seem very real. This is not to say that this kind of therapy always suggests false memories, just that it's a possibility and does happen.
I do not believe for a second that people can be regressed to previous lives.
Reincarnation - I'm not a believer, but then I don't believe in any kind of detachable 'soul'. I personally don't think it's supposed to be taken literally - if you do good things in your life, the world will be that little bit better for those that come after you. If you do bad things, the world will be that little bit worse.
-
One scientist I spoke to was very concerned about the use of regression to look for evidence of childhood abuse - people could be forced to experience a traumatic - but false - memory. It can seem very real. This is not to say that this kind of therapy always suggests false memories, just that it's a possibility and does happen.
False Memory Syndrome (FMS) is something that concerns me also as I have mentioned here in other threads.
I personally know a family that was almost ripped apart due to false memory syndrome. This family had 2 daughters - one aged 9, the other 14. The 9-year-old became withdrawn and sullen at school. Her teachers became worried and, rather than discussing things with the parents first, they informed social services.
The SS looked in their little book and saw that the girl's symptoms could be the result of abuse. They arranged for her to see a psychiatrist.
It has to be said that the parents were a bit concerned about their daughter's behaviour, but didn't think it serious enough to warrant examination by a psychiatrist.
After several sessions with the psychiatrist the girl was suddenly removed from the family and taken into care. Allegedly she had remembered being abused by her father in the attic.
The police were involved and the father was questioned at length by them on several occasions. The mother was also interviewed but no specifics were told to either of them. As you can imagine, this put them under considerable strain and their marriage began to suffer.
Eventually, the full details were made available to both the father and mother, and that is when it became clear that the father could not have committed the assaults. When he was young he had bitten by a rat in his family's attic and had developed a phobia about them. It was on his medical records. Not only that, but the daughter had "remembered" things about the attic that simply were not true.
All accusations against the father were eventually withdrawn, but no action was taken against the psychiatrist who nearly wrecked a happy family.
The real reason for the daughter's withdrawn behaviour also eventually came to light. She was being bullied at school.
I have heard many other stories similar to this, but I was actually friends with this family while it was all going on and saw first hand just what damage can be done by FMS.