Two Ways Falsifying Memory Can Empower You
by Z Zoccolante

Our memories are a significant part of what makes us, uniquely us. If we lost them then who would we be?

We infer from memory that we’re the sum of our experiences. Past events teach us by forming our beliefs about the world.

If we grow up in an unsafe environment, we might experience, and thus believe, that people mean to do us harm. If we are teased in school, we might believe that we’re worthless or nobody likes us. If rewarded for our looks, we may conclude that our body’s the only thing of value we have to offer others.

Beliefs are insidious and we act them out daily in conscious and unconscious ways.

With the discovery of neuroplasticity, science has proven new pathways of change can be created in our brain. If we can alter pathways perhaps we can change memory. We could go back and rewrite details or create memories of events that never took place. If we can recreate memories maybe we can use them to heal our past wounds, traumas, or the times we felt disempowered.

Sound like science fiction? It’s not.

Elizabeth F. Loftus talks about this phenomenon in her article Creating False Memories. In it, she points out a few patients whose psychiatrists implanted false memories using questionable suggestive techniques. One patient recovered memories of abuse, the other of growing up in a satanic cult. In both cases the patients eventually realized the memories weren’t true, sued, and won.

Elizabeth says that without having someone to verify the story, it can be hard to distinguish between false and true memories.

MISINFORMATION EFFECT:

Her research dates back to 1970 when she began studying something called the “misinformation effect.”

Let’s say Joe witnesses a car accident that took place at a stop sign. Upon questioning, a police officer suggests that the accident took place at a yield sign. Joe’s memory can be distorted and when recalling the accident later, he’s convinced he saw a yield sign.

Misinformation can radically change our memory of events. We can be positive that we saw a gray car when in fact it was black. It’s even possible to remember fictitious details from a crime scene.

That’s why in forensic questioning the interrogator uses open-ended questions at the beginning of an interrogation (to get the person’s story), and then closed-ended questions at the end (to make sure the information was heard correctly). It works like a funnel with the beginning of the interrogation being the open end and the conclusion being the opposite, small end.

Now let’s explore memory.

Studies also prove that fake memories can be implanted, causing someone to remember an event that NEVER TOOK PLACE.

In this test, participants were interviewed multiple times regarding childhood memories. The study purposely added false memories to the interview questions.

Some of these false memories included being lost in a shopping mall, a birthday party with pizza and a clown, an emergency hospitalization, and a wedding event in which the person spilled punch on the bride’s parents.

In the first interview, none of the participants had any memory of the false events. However, in the next interview, 20-29% claimed they remembered the implanted memories.

True memories were remembered with greater clarity. The interesting part is that some participants elaborated on the fake memories.

Here’s an example from the participant of the implanted wedding memory:

First interview: “I have no clue. I have never heard that one before.”

 Second interview: “It was an outdoor wedding, and I think we were running around and knocked something over like the punch bowl or something and made a big mess and of course got yelled at for it. “

(Loftus, 1997)

Memory can indeed be implanted, and people can be coaxed into remember events that didn’t happen.

When a trusted figure, like a parent or auntie, corroborates a false memory, our minds have an easier time filling in details. Corroboration is powerful. Simply by claiming that you saw Billy do something wrong could be enough for innocent Billy to confess that he did the deed.

THIS GOT ME THINKING:

Much of how we see ourselves is rooted in what believe of our past. Memories shape us, but sometimes memories are uncomfortable or traumatic.

What if we could use false memory to help us rewrite our story? We’d be able to see the past as helpful and empowering.

How do we do this?

1) Create an alternate story of your past by implanting your current strengths into old memories.

Example: Let’s say a previous boss yelled at you and you felt embarrassed and powerless. You now have skills to advocate for yourself, but the memory still chips at your confidence.

Action: Recall the event. This time as your boss begins yelling, say something like, “I’d really like to hear your feedback, but I can’t do that when there’s yelling.”

Action: Take the same memory of your boss and treat it like a cartoon. Make yourself a superhero (in your imagination). Perhaps you lift up your desk and smash it through the 17^th floor window as everyone stares at you in silence and you walk peacefully away with a smile.
Action: Perhaps you imagine a bowl of huge marshmallows on your desk and the second your boss opens their mouth you shove a marshmallow in it. They continue mumbling, while you put on your headphones and turn back to your keyboard.

2) Add someone with you during a traumatic event.

Example: Let’s say your parents had screaming matches when you were a child. You remember a time when you were afraid, crying, and huddled next to the couch.

Action: Add someone to this memory so you’re not alone. Church counseling might ask, where was God? You might get an image of your hand being held or of someone safe sitting next to you.

Action: If God isn’t the person you want with you, then add yourself as an adult, or add someone you trust. Maybe you’re the one holding the hand of the little version of you. Cover their ears. Whisper that they’re not alone. Tell them that they’ll survive and move out, and have the ability to make different choices for their life.

The possibilities with memory are endless.

Forward Locomotion:

Homework: Take a memory from your past and implant a current strength within it.

1) When going back into your past, focus on implanting strength.

When we implant strength into our memories, we can alter how we view ourselves today.

We can see ourselves as strong and capable,
as someone who’s a clandestine superhero,
as someone who has pockets full of positive strengths.

We may be the sum of the lessons we learn, but it’s proven that memory is malleable. We can move our minds, in small ways, to serve our strengths.

With Love,
Z :)