Lovelyish

Wow.. Interesting!!!

I don’t think I’d forget anything, especially the really terrible stuff.  The bad is what made me who I am, if I forget all that, I think I’d lose part of myself.

From what I heard of this pill, the tests were done with very simple types of association memory. The original intent was to use it as part of therapy, not to erase the memory exactly, but to ease the association with the feelings of negativity. I guess I’m saying, used correctly, the pill would not make you completely unable to remember the event, as if it never happened, if it’s a very strong memory.

It would probably take years of therapy and pills to erase something complicated or long term. A relationship isn’t one memory, it’s tons, and I’m thinking you’d have to really commit to spending a long time completely erasing. I can’t think of anything I’d really like to erase. But I would put forth that effort to get some memories back… 

how could they have it so it erases only one specific memory?

 I love this movie.  Let me erase memories left by a cheater.

I would erase the memories of being taunted and bullied as a child.  I used to be really friendly and outgoing, but I was made fun of so much that now I’m extremely introverted.  I struggle with everyday social interactions, which I attribute to being bullied.  I would give anything to be self-confident again.  

Jimmy

Nothing, because all the bad stuff has made me who I am today. I don’t wanna change that

I can think of one definite horrible memory I would love to have obliterated… but the fear that other memories would be affected would scare me away from it.

I love this movie so much; I’d want to forget the one night I got drunk and told my mom off.

If I’m recalling what I want to forget, then it wouldn’t be forgetting.

There is nothing I need to forget. Makes me, me. BUT invent time travel. Then you’re talkin’!

@HaleyHailstorm - Same here. I used to be a super confident kid, but years of being put down (occasionally by my own brothers) has made me rather shy and introverted. I often wonder if I’d be different if I somehow “forgot” that those things happened. Then again, I worry that I’d be a different person in a bad way. Then… I remember all the times I didn’t try something or take up an opportunity that came my way, because I felt completely lacking in confidence and also, shy and fearful of attention. (Really, I hate being the center of attention, I always feel it’s terribly negative…)

I am trying to wrap my head around how these pills would work.  Would they just erase the memory or would they also erase the emotions, behaviors etc that you developed because of a memory?  As someone with PTSD that has had repressed memories come back, I can tell you just because you forget something does not mean that everything is magically better.  I spent years wonder WTF was wrong with me until my memories came back.  I’d wonder when and how I had become so distrustful of people, how I started to doubt my abilities and self worth.  I didn’t understand why I was sad, angry, paranoid or nay combination of the three all the time.   I’d rather keep the memory so that I can understand what I need to work on to move forward with my life.  As painful as some memories are, it is better to understand why you are the way you are than to be confused.

@MysticalInverseDrummer@xanga - If it worked the way she described it, I can understand how it would be beneficial.

Can someone please point me to the source for this information?

It’s scary, and really really strange, i was typing a letter to my ex boyfriend (on and off for the past four years, the only things in our way is his maturity, we know we’re soulmates.) (also i don’t know if i’ll ever let him see any of the letters i’m writing) and i was talking about basically this exact same thing just less than 12 hours ago, the thought of erasing memories, i brought up the spotless mind reference and everything, and explained to him the four things of my mind i wish i could erase, him aswell.

I dunno, the irony and coincidence seems too perfect, maybe this is a sign. Who knows? I would really like to learn as much as i can about this process though, if anyone can pass me to some articles about this drug or therapy it would be much appreciated.

Interesting, even if I wanted to forget or erase something from my past, as great as it may sound to do so, it wouldn’t bring me the same benefit for the present and future as it does now. I’ll keep everything I can get, the good and the bad because both of them help build me into the person I am in the present, and the person I will be in the future. Although, frankly, I find it hard to believe that a pill like this can exist, moreover, how would it work? I’ve never seen the movie Eternal Sunshine, but I might consider watching it just for pure curiosity. This was an interesting post, even if it might not be real, it’s good to think about this hypothetically. 

rape, but I would be too scared to take the pill…it might change my life in horribly dramatic, extremely negative ways. It might erase the wrong things. It might cause Alzheimers….

@voodoo_flower_child@xanga - 

I actually remember learning about this in my neuropsych class a year ago. They have to intercept the memory early so that it doesnt have time to form really. They have a way to tracking the creation of neural pathways that forms at the start of a memory so they can interrupt it. last time i checked it was less successful on really old memories. the purpose was to create an out for people who experienced a high traumatic incident, like a rape, and to intervene before the memory became disruptive in their life. 

Wow. I don’t know about the science of the pill doing exactly that, but if I could erase a memory… I don’t know if I’d want to. There are things I don’t like thinking about, or things that get me down – things I know I shouldn’t think about lest I get trapped in one of those endless, regretful “what if” cycles, but at the same time, that’s part of who I am, and part of what I’m supposed to learn from. Something I can use to better understand and empathize with others, too.

@Erika_Steele@xanga - The initial research was done by Joe LeDoux and Karim Nader, a couple of years before Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The way the pill works has to do a lot with how memories are formed. I guess in theory the pill in therapy is actually not to erase PTSD memories, but to lessen the intensity or them. They can erase memory in rats, and possibly short term memory in humans, but long term I’m not sure. I don’t know much about the effectiveness, I’m not a physician or anything. 

Here is a link to an article describing it in more detail. http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/feb/03/research.highereducation

@MysticalInverseDrummer@xanga - thank you.  I’ll look into the link.

… Oh.

All of my negative memories have molded me into the person I am today. I wouldn’t want to forget them.

Once in middle school I was called to the nurses office…I NEVER got called out of class so the teacher must have known what it was for. The nurse basically said “Oh someone said you smell but dont worry, it was not one of your classmates. Im not allowed to say AKA “It was one of your teachers.” I think it was because someone noticed I wore the same pair of jeans like 3 days in a row because I just bought the jeans and I wanted everyone to notice how cool they looked. A kid probably said I smelled and it got to the nurse. The nurse asked ‘if I had a washer or dryer at home” and I said “ya” nothing was wrong with my home. The nurse sent me on my way and I went to lunch. I remeber going into the snack line and I started crying out of control. One of my friends asked what was wrong but I didnt say. Since then I have been very self conscious about myself. I wonder “What is everyone thinking about me or if I smell?” I am 22 years old and I dont like to stay over night at friends places. I was an innocant 7th grader (the quiet type not hurting anyone) being told that someone out there was bothered enough by my “smell” that they had to call me out of class to tell me.  I loved my school. After that day I felt that I didnt have anyone anymore when I moved (not the reason why I moved, ex-step dad was in the military). I dont think they notified my mom. Whether I needed to know or not, that day is one of my worst hated days of my life.