5 Signs of Emotional Amnesia, A Trauma Response

Are you or someone you know experiencing gaps in emotional memory or a disconnect from past feelings? This could be a sign of emotional amnesia, a common response to trauma. Emotional amnesia is a defense mechanism against overwhelming emotions associated with a triggering and traumatic memory, unlike general amnesia, which primarily affects factual or autobiographical memories. Left unaddressed, this trauma response can ultimately lead to greater emotional dysregulation, even long after the traumatic event has passed.

In this video, we explore five key signs of emotional amnesia and how it manifests within a person. Understanding these signs can help in recognizing unhealed trauma and taking steps towards mental health recovery.

Disclaimer: This video is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The content discussed in this video should not be used for self-diagnosis of OSDD, CPTSD, PTSD, or any other conditions. If you believe you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition, please consult a qualified healthcare professional for a comprehensive evaluation and appropriate treatment.

#trauma #mentalhealth

Writer: Chloe Avenasa
Editor: Michal Mitchell
Script Manager: Kelly Soong
Voice Over: Gabriel Miles
Animator: sadsamrain
Youtube Manager: Cindy Cheong

References:

[cookiemurk]

0:46 memory fragmentation
1:19 Avoidance behaviors
1:56 emotional numbing
2:58 re-experiencing flashbacks

[erkashoko]

My mom died when I was a 14.
My mind basically erased her.
I only know her through stories people tell me...
Emotional amnesia sucks. I want her back!

[Northbunny]

I never knew there was a word for this… I just thought I had bad memory 💔

[trinaq]

I always love how soothing the narrator's voice is, even when they're talking about difficult, emotional topics.

[deviedorillo]

This video was... something else.

I actually do have emotional amnesia due to having a very challenging life. A lot of people accused me of being "heartless" and "ignorant" while they know nothing about what I'm actually going through. When I was a teenager I thought I became too numb and it scared me so much. I thought I may have developed a very "dangerous" disorder and I had no one to talk to.

It's like not feeling anything. Then suddenly I feel a very intense wave of emotions hitting me like a truck and sometimes even affects my day to day life to the point I can't do anything for a few days and even weeks while also fighting the anxiety of falling back.

-To all the people out there experiencing the same thing, you're not a burden. You're not a stone cold monster. You're the broken person that had no one to hold on to and had to deal with all the pain on yor own and in silence. You're strong and you have my love❤ Hope you can heal and move on🫂

[sunsetman]

my life is something resembling a patchwork of fragmented memories.

[monrenanmetal]

Been through few psychological traumas during my life. Still can't recover most memories even after years of therapy. Interesting how our brain protects our sanity even if it means becoming an empty shell of oneself.

[RoysMyBoy]

I've done many regrettable things as a child aswell as a teenager and was also a victim of abuse by teachers and classmates alike, which still haunts me today. While I've learned to manage the symptoms described, every now and then, it'll come back with certain triggers that I'm still trying to identify. Please pray for me! I could really use the support! 😓

[michelles]

It screws up your life even more. Spot on. My life is blank. I lost myself.

[fen]

This is the first time I've seen anyone talk about my problem. Thank you for bringing attention to it. Many people don't believe amnesia like that is possible.

My sick father and compliant mother did some awful things to me. It wasn't every day but maybe once a month, that they would stop acting like my parents and became monsters. I would cry about it the next morning and they would tell me I was having nightmares. I completely burned the memories of what they did, but I had symptoms of PTSD without a 'direct cause' according to the child therapist that saw me. It wasn't until I moved away from my parents and became financially self sufficient that suddenly the memories started flooding out of me. I confronted my parents and they basically stonewalled me, refused to talk about it. My mother said I have to forgive him, but he literally tortured me. I haven't spoken to them in years now. Luckily I discovered my self love and ability to care for myself before this happened, and my journey of self healing is renewed with a powerful purpose. Never shy away from thoughts or memories that seem impossible. Explore them and how they make you feel. You might just find that once you start pulling on a thread, the true nature of your life will suddenly be revealed.

I'm still looking for help, so if anyone is aware of a specialized therapist or their teachings, please let me know.

[ankitanandy]

i faced this when my child was forcibly taken away from me, fortunately now she rests in peace !

[KING_LIRI]

Me, shockingly realizing that being bullied for the majority of my school life has left me unable to socialize consistently:

[Richman]

As someone who’s been dealing with emotional amnesia and Depersonalization Derealization Disorder, I can completely relate. Depression and GAD feeds into it severely as well.
One of the things I’ve learned from this is that when healing, no matter how hard it is, you need to been stubborn, even to an asinine degree. I’ve realized that deep down, I crave being able to feel emotions, and that I’ve been unintentionally restricting myself from doing so. So accepting yourself where you’re at currently and fully truly embracing yourself is one of the greatest things you can do for yourself.

[PebetseCarvedForGreatness]

I know I suffer from emotional Amnesia.
I can’t seem to remember anything before 16
I experienced a lot of abuse from my mom. I only remember the pain I felt. But the pictures aren’t there.

[Aan]

Timestamps
1). Memory fragmentation 0:44
2). Avoidance behaviours 1:17
3). Emotional numbing 1:55
4). Disassociation 2:25
5). Re-experiencing flashbacks 2:56

Hope this helps you out. Hope you have a nice day. Sorry this is so late. 💙💙💙💙💙💙

[twistedcherry]

I came to a point where I couldn’t stop crying randomly. I finally admitted to having thoughts of being sexually abused by someone in my family. I told my self I made it up and that I was paranoid when things started clicking from my childhood. I denied it for so long that I started to become paranoid about my day to day life. Once I finally admitted the truth out loud, I felt a huge weight being lifted. Doesn’t mean I still don’t gaslight myself into thinking I made it all up from time to time. Just yesterday I was crying because I recognized a trigger that had been present most of my life but I never understood it. I was having trouble getting my crying and flashbacks under control, so I let the thought that it wasn’t real back in my head. I was able to stop crying, but I also realized I stopped feeling anything at all. Dissociation might be a tool to survive, but I’m ready to start feeling. I now have the tools and supports in my life to process what happened to me when I was little. Isn’t amazing what the brain can do to protect you?

p.s. if you find yourself even having trouble remembering flashbacks write it down immediately afterwards. My mind would always erase the ptsd episode until I practiced what to do

[ehxjsjd]

everyone's voice on this channel is so smooth and the jazzy backdrop omg the VIBES... Also the mental health advice has help a lot and now im seeing a therapist which is great.

[storyteller]

I have something close to this, but instead of incomplete, it’s more so just gone entirely, memories struggle to stick, the impact remains, but the feelings it made you feel become more distant the longer you go by, in a way it helps, especially if your situation isn’t too bad, but it'll make you question what you are feeling, why you are feeling such, be frustrated at times, or even angry at yourself or the people in the memory through correlating how they seem to regularly be tied to your forgetfulness.

Besides that, the other two are normal, numbing helps disassociating from it, and usually, the emotion spike is from small tid-bits that interconnect with your forgotten trauma’s situation, for me at least.

[sandiletwala]

All the traumas and bad things that have happened to me led to me becoming emotionally numb and serious all the time cuz in my opinion there's nothing to smile or laugh about these days

[jking]

This is definitely me, no diagnosis needed.