Hurting Memories and Beneficial Forgetting

Preface

List of Contributors

Part One: Basic Aspects

1. Spectrum of Persisting Memories and Pseudomemories, Distortions, and Psychopathology

1.1 Memory Distortions and Beneficial Forgetting

1.2 Spectrum of Psychopathological Memories, Thoughts, Images, Associations, and the Like

1.3 Features and Development of Pathological Memories

1.4 Conclusion

References

2. Electrophysiological Signature of Emotional Memories

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Studying Emotional Memory in the Laboratory

2.3 ERPs and Memory Retrieval

2.4 Electrophysiological Correlates of Emotional Memory Retrieval

2.5 ERPs of Emotional Memory After Long Retention Intervals

2.6 Adrenergic Activation and the ERP Old/New Effect for Emotional Contents

2.7 Neural Generators of the Parietal Old/New Effect for Emotional Pictures

2.8 Conclusions

References

3. Pharmacological Approaches to Understand, Prevent, and Mitigate Hurting Memories. Lessons from Posttraumatic Stress Disorders

3.1 Trauma and Psychological Models of Traumatic Memory

3.2 Neurobiological Underpinnings of Trauma Memory Encoding, Consolidation, Retrieval, and Extinction

3.3 Principal Pharmacological Strategies to Mitigate or Prevent Traumatic Memory: Results from Empirical Studies

3.4 Conclusions

References

4. Memory and Social Meaning: The Impact of Society and Culture on Traumatic Memories

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Szechuan Earthquake

4.3 World War II

4.4 Spanish Civil War Memory

4.5 Analysis

References

5. Retraumatization: The Vicious Circle of Intrusive Memory

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Trauma and PTSD

5.3 The Phenomenology of Traumatic Memory: Basic Principles of Psychobiology and the Fear Network

5.4 Empirical Studies on Retraumatization

5.5 Conclusions: Toward a Definition of Retraumatization

References

6. Pathological Modes of Remembering: The PTSD Experience

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Trauma Versus Life Event

6.3 Acute Stress Reactions

6.4 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

6.5 General Risk Factors for PTSD

6.6 Cognitive Abnormalities and Memory Disturbances in PTSD

6.7 The Role of Metacognitive Appraisals

6.8 Dysfunctional Cognitive Strategies

6.9 Conclusions and Implications for Therapy

References

7. Hurting Memories and Intrusions in Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorders (PTED) as Compared to Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)

7.1 Embitterment and Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder

7.2 Revival of Events and Intrusions in the Context of Injustice and Embitterment

7.3 Differences Between Memories and Intrusions in PTED and PTSD

7.4 Conclusions

References

8. Symbolized Thinking as the Background of Toxic Memories

8.1 Introduction

References

9. False Memories

9.1 The Wilkomirski/Dössekker Case

9.2 Memory as Reconstruction

9.3 Personality and False Memories

9.4 Psychotherapy and Pseudomemory

9.5 Accusation and Recrimination

9.6 Criteria for Recognizing False Memories

References

10. The Constitution of Narrative Identity

10.1 What Does Identity Mean?

10.2 Collective Trauma and Narrative Identity

10.3 Individual Narrative Identity

10.4 The Case of Mrs. P

10.5 The Case of Mrs. B

10.6 Some General Remarks on Dreaming

References

Part Two: Clinical Aspects

11. Implicit Memories and the Structure of the Values System After the Experience of Trauma in Childhood or Adulthood

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Aim of the Study

11.3 Subjects

11.4 Methods

11.5 Results: Terminal Values

11.6 Results: Instrumental Values

11.7 Conclusions

References

12. Moving Beyond Childhood Adversity: Association Between Salutogenic Factors and Subjective Well-Being Among Adult Survivors of Trauma

12.1 Introduction

12.2 Trauma Survivors and Salutogenesis

12.3 Methods

12.4 Results

12.5 Discussion

References

13. Working with Unconscious and Explicit Memories in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy in Patients with Chronic Depression

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Representations of Early Attachment Experiences

13.3 Insecure Attachment, Loss, and Depression

13.4 Psychodynamic Treatment of Pathological Grief and Depression

13.5 Changes of Reflective Abilities and Attachment Disorganization in Depressed Patients After Long-Term Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

13.6 Conclusions

References

14. Overcoming Hurting Memories by Wisdom and Wisdom Psychotherapy

14.1 Vulnerability and Resilience to Negative Life Events

14.2 Memories of Negative and Traumatic Life Events

14.3 Wisdom in Reconciliation with Hurting Memories

14.4 Wisdom Psychotherapy

14.5 Conclusions

References

Part Three: Societal Aspects

15. Healing of Psychological Trauma from Military Operations by Transformation of Memories

15.1 Historical Background

15.2 Symptoms and Epidemiology of Military-Related Psychiatric Illnesses

15.3 How Deployment-Related Mental Disorders Are Dealt With in the Bundeswehr

15.4 Case Report

15.5 Discussion

References

16. The Creation and Development of Social Memories of Traumatic Events: The Oudewater Massacre of 1575

16.1 Culture and Memories

16.2 The Destruction and Massacre of Oudewater in 1575

16.3 The Production of Collective Memory

16.4 Time for Commemoration

16.5 Conclusion

References

17. Conflict Avoidance, Forgetting, and Distorted Memories by Media Influence on Family Memories: Grandpa Was No Nazi and No Communist

17.1 Distorted Memories of the Political Activities of Family Members

17.2 Study of Family Memories in Poland

17.3 Intergenerational Conflict About the Past

17.4 The Inclusiveness of Polish Family Memory

17.5 The Impact of Media Frames

17.6 Conclusions

References

18. Acting Out and Working Through Traumatic Memory: Confronting the Past in the South African Context

18.1 When Memory Kills: Acting Out Traumas

18.2 Reenactment of Trauma

18.3 Transgenerational Transmission of Traumatic Memory

18.4 Working Through the Past

18.5 Conclusion

References

19. Empathy, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa

19.1 Enduring Effects of Discrimination

19.2 Survivors and Psychological Care

19.3 Perpetrators of Evil

19.4 The Role of Empathy

19.5 Conclusion

References