Childhood memory that resurfaced years later
I have a question about childhood memories. Recently, I started thinking again about a specific memory from my childhood that I had not thought about for a long time. I remember the place, the people involved, and the event itself, but I am unsure how reliable the memory is after so many years.
What makes this difficult is that knowing whether this memory is true or not could change the way I understand many things about my life and past experiences. Because of that, I find the uncertainty very hard to deal with.
Have any of you experienced a childhood memory resurfacing later in life? How did you deal with not knowing whether the memory was completely accurate?
@optimisticPeach7146
😔
I'm sorry that you are struggling with this 💙
And I genuinely hope that you get the support you need!
Thank you🥀🥀so much
@optimisticPeach7146
It is not uncommon for someone who experienced a traumatic event to have questions or even doubt what had happened. I am not an expert, but from what I understand is that sometimes we minimize an "event" in order for us to handle the emotions.
I can relate to this phenomena. Five years ago I had my first flashback of the CSA I suffered at the hands of an extended family member. This abuse was repeated off and on for a few years. To give you some perspective, this happened over 50 years ago. Since that initial flashback my mind became more curious,and slowly more memories of the events were revealed.
Now since it has been 5 years I have intermittently been overwhelmed with anxiety, disappointment, anger, frustration etc ..
Therapy was definitely helpful as well. One thing I learned from the original recall memory of the trauma and how my body now feels, I can draw a line from what I experienced to it's effects I still feel today.
It explains so much about how I feel, what I am as a person today. When there's an understanding, there's also an element of compassion for the "me" that didn't understand what was happening.
Hope this was helpful for you
My situation:I am 20 years old now, and these thoughts have only come to me recently. What makes me doubt myself is this question: why did these thoughts appear only now? Why didn't they affect my thoughts or behavior in the past?
My situation is somewhat similar to yours. The person involved is still around and remains close to the family, as he is also one of my relatives.
Reading your experience was helpful because I have been questioning myself a lot and wondering why I am only thinking about this now.🌹