# Why the invasion of childhood memories?



## peacedove (Aug 15, 2004)

All day long I have little flashbacks of scenes from my childhood. They are all either pleasant memories or emotionless, but why do they just pop up like that. I feel I could remember everything if I worked at it... like it's abnormally accessible to me. Could it be?

I know others have mentioned this. What could be the reason?


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## Guest (Feb 5, 2006)

Can't offer any advice but I mention this in a number of my old posts so, if nothing else, you're not alone in thsis.


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## Dreamland (Jun 1, 2005)

Don't read too much into these memories. They're part of the irrational thought patterns associated woith anxiety/DP.


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## bedina (Nov 20, 2005)

I have strange flashbacks from my past as well... not from my childhood, but from my past app. 5 years. These are very interesting and frightening... cause they are not important happenings from my past, but little meaningless pictures, smells, voices... like a stranger in the streets or something.


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## Guest (Feb 5, 2006)

Are these flashback memories negative ? if so try to consciously attract and identify with the positive memories to change your mind energy.


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## peacedove (Aug 15, 2004)

bedina said:


> I have strange flashbacks from my past as well... not from my childhood, but from my past app. 5 years. These are very interesting and frightening... cause they are not important happenings from my past, but little meaningless pictures, smells, voices... like a stranger in the streets or something.


I get that too. I guess the childhood ones just capture my interest more.
Do you think everyone gets these? I know everyone has memories but do they just pop up all day long like that?

Dreamland, irrational thought patterns? Could you explain a little more?


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## moonDust (May 18, 2005)

i have just the same


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## lies (Nov 14, 2005)

everybody has memories, and even without dp
memories pup op quit a lot
i think that's very normal
maybe just with dp, you don't get the feelings
with the memorie
i actually don't have a lot of popping up memories
xxx


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## Guest (Feb 6, 2006)

peacedove said:


> All day long I have little flashbacks of scenes from my childhood. They are all either pleasant memories or emotionless, but why do they just pop up like that.


I've been getting this a lot recently. Pointless memories so why are they coming back all off a sudden? Beats me!!!


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## Milan (May 29, 2005)

I get this all the time and I believe everyone does but they simply don't focus on it. They never bother me and you shouldn't get upset with the flashbacks. Nothing is wrong, it's just anxiety making you over react to the experience. In this state anything can set your fears off. Sleepingbeauty's flesh eating microbe shots had me going for a few minutes :shock:. Most people simply experience the thought and move on.


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## julie13 (Oct 6, 2005)

This is what Dianetics talks about- an insanely fascinating book by the way, and NO im not a scientologist, i just appreciate different philosophies. Its basically a study of the brain, and it says that we have a time track in our minds that records everything that we have ever been though, and it is completely accesible. Sometimes things around us, whether it be a sight, a smell, anything, can trigger these memories from the past and pop! there they are in your head, completely random.

Same thing with some body pains. Say you were at the gym years ago and while bench pressing, you strained a muscle in your back while listening to "Cryin" by Aerosmith.
Four years later, you are driving in your car, and you hear "Cryin" by Aerosmith and suddenly your back starts to ache...this song has just triggered the psychosomatic illness in your back.

For those of you interested in these kinds of things, Dianetics is an amazing book- and I am by no means a scientologist (they don't believe in psychiatric drugs, so Im out!!) 
But pick it up, its filled with these kind of facts.


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## Methusala (Dec 22, 2005)

'Dianetics' is the founding book of a dangerous cult called 'Scientology' that is banned in Germany and has been investigated and castigated numerous times. It's also well known for systematicly harrassing and intimidating critics of any type. A number of people associated with it have died under mysterious circumstances.

Some well known Scientology critic sites are:

http://www.xenu.net/
http://www.lermanet.com/
http://www.whyaretheydead.net/

Scientology is what some call a 'therapy' cult, and for that reason is particularly dangerous for those with mental illness. This is even more so for those with dissociation because hypnotic methods are used on cult members.

The methods and beliefs of the book support an OCD and trance inducing search for a state of perfection called 'clear.' This is achieved by paying the cult for unlicensed therapy like sessions called 'Auditing.' These expensive sessions involve a fake lie detector like machine and procedures from hypnosis.

The book claims humans would be perfect if not for the effects of a primitive part of the mind. These effects are supposedly elimanted by doing many of the expensive 'auditing' sessions.

These facts are covered in a Salon.com article: http://www.salon.com/books/review/2005/ ... index.html

'Flashes' of memory from childhood have been studied extensively by peer reviewed research such as at http://www.issd.org and can be the result of trauma and dissociation.

Freud made this discovery in the late 1800's but due to both peer pressure and his own problems covered up this fact with various strange theories. This relationship between memory flashbacks, OCD, dissociation, etc stayed mostly covered up by various obfuscating theories until the 1970's or so. This is covered in the books of Jeffery Masson and others. 'Dianetics' was written in the 1940's and has stayed on best seller lists because the cult itself buys copies of the book.

In my opinion, the 'Dianetics' book is the work of a mentaly ill person who proposes dealing with mental problems by an impossible an OCD and DR type search for human perfection. Searching for impurities in one self and trying to eliminate them in a quest for perfection is a part of mental illness for many people.

Hubbard, the cult founding author of the 'Dianetics' book had a son who had emotional problems and tried to become perfect with Dianetics. That son killed himself. Hubbard also created para military and intelligence branches of the cult. He dubbed himself an admiral over this private army with their own uniforms and commanded them from his yacht while evading the IRS.

No wonder Scientologist Tom Cruise was jumping all over Oprah's couch.

M


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## Methusala (Dec 22, 2005)

By the way, if you haven't seen the video clip and pics of Cruise displaying what looks like possible mental illness symptoms, here it is:

http://www.tvgasm.com/archives/miscella ... 000824.php

M


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## julie13 (Oct 6, 2005)

Thank you Methusala, You have proved that you have not read ONE of Hubbards books. There is ABSOLUTELY NO HYPNOTISM used in Scientology, they are strictly against it, in fact.

Next time you start ranting and raving, do your research.

I think the people on this site are smart enough to not get "brainwashed" by a simple book. I think its smart to explore all philosophies and religions without being afraid that one day you'll be forced to drink poisionous kool-aid.


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## Methusala (Dec 22, 2005)

Gee Julie, it seems a little odd that in this post you claim to know that 'There is ABSOLUTELY NO HYPNOTISM used in Scientology' when in the previous post you claimed to have no experience with the cult other than having read 'Dianetics.' How can you be so certain of that after reading just one book?

Everything I said about Scientology is plain fact backed by links. Why do you characterize my post as 'ranting and raving?'

I was once involved in a cult like situation. In that situation, when one doubted the supposed special wisdom of the cult, the person was always told they hadn't studied hard enough. It sounds like your saying something similar here by angrily accusing me of not having read any of Scientologies books. Hubbard also made a similar claim in the opening of 'Dianetics', that if the reader gives up studying his book, it's because he didn't understand it and didn't study hard or long enough. Thus disagreement or stopping involvement with the book is never an option.

Finaly, I disagree with your claim that it is smart to explore all philosophies and religions without concern about being coerced in the future. Hundreds of people were killed by mass murder and suicide in South America after joining the Jim Jones temple in 1978. I think in that situation fear and concern about coercion could have saved many peoples lives.

Here's a quote from the Salon.com article detailing the hypnotism aspects of Scientology 'Auditing':

Auditing is the repetitive reliving of the engram-creating experience with the aid of a Dianetics auditor and while in a mild hypnotic trance. (The auditor is instructed to say "When I count from one to seven, your eyes will close." Hubbard maintains that the resulting state is "vastly different" from hypnosis because the subject isn't "asleep" and knows what's happening around him, but this just doesn't sound that different from what most hypnotherapists do.)

Here's a quote from the Salon.com article on not giving up studying the book until one 'understands':

"Dianetics" begins with a stern admonition: "Important Note: In reading this book, be very certain that you never go past a word you do not fully understand. The only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he or she has gone past a word that was not understood." This seems a bit punctilious, as everyone knows that one of the main ways people learn the meanings of new words is by hearing or reading them in context.

Perhaps you could share some more with us about how Scientology is campaigning against mentally ill people taking medication or going to psychiatrists.

M


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## julie13 (Oct 6, 2005)

I have read every Hubbard book there is, I think it's fascinating.

I wish i could be a scientologist - being happy enough to jump on couches with NO medication??? sign me Up!!!!!

But unfortuantly, I have taken the route of psychiatric drugs, and its not easy to come off of them. Had my doctor warned me about becoming so addicted to them, I never would have started. But he didn't, he just kept handing them out like candy. 
Sounds like the American Medical Association could be viewed as a "cult" as well...


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

julie13 said:


> I wish i could be a scientologist - being happy enough to jump on couches with NO medication??? sign me Up!!!!!


I think that's more cuz he's filthy rich, famous and in love with another rich famous and beautiful young girl...you should see all the scientologists in the subway everyday giving unsuspecting tourists "stress tests", they don't jump up 'n down so much.

besides, it's never too late to quit the meds if you want it bad enough!

oh, and intrusive memories are big for me too, I read about it and it's common w/anxiety states.


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## Guest (Feb 8, 2006)

Methusala said:


> 'Flashes' of memory from childhood have been studied extensively by peer reviewed research such as at http://www.issd.org and can be the result of trauma and dissociation.


Do you have a link to this on the ISSD site please Methusala?


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## Methusala (Dec 22, 2005)

Issd.org publishes 'the journal of trauma and dissociation':

http://www.issd.org/indexpage/JTD.htm

Back issues and indivdual article downloads are available for purchase.

Here is the abstract of a recent article relating the incidence of none traumatic memory flashbacks to dissociative disorders and a history of trauma:

Memory Fragmentation in Dissociative Identity Disorder
Page Range: 55 - 70
DOI: 10.1300/J229v06n01_04
Onno van der Hart PhD, Hilde Bolt MA, Bessel A. van der Kolk MD

This study examined the quality of self-reported memories of traumatic experiences in participants with dissociative identity disorder (DID) and compared them with their memories of non-traumatic, but emotionally significant life experiences. Systematic interview data were gathered from 30 DID patients in The Netherlands. All participants reported a history of severe childhood abuse; 93.3% reported some period of amnesia for the index traumatic event, and 33.3% reported periods of amnesia for significant non-traumatic childhood experiences. All participants who had been amnestic for their trauma reported that their memories were initially retrieved in the form of somatosensory flashbacks. This suggests that, like PTSD patients, DID patients at least initially recall their trauma not as a narrative, but as somatosensory re-experiencing. Surprisingly, however, DID participants also recalled emotionally charged non-traumatic life events with significant somatosensory components, a phenomenon that has not been previously reported. This finding raises important issues regarding basic memory processing abnormalities in DID patients.

Mp3 cd's of the entire recent issd conference are also available for purchase. It includes a wide variety of seminars from dissociation education for therapists to the latest research. This material is intended for therapists and researchers and thus must be approached with caution if it all by people with significant symptoms, as it can be very triggering and upsetting. I found this out first hand after attending a previous seminar.

A dissociation overview including memory issues is given in this seminar:

Trauma, neuroscience, attachment and the body (Intermediate)
flash:
Pat Ogden, PhD, Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD

And some more child memory specific material is covered in this one:

Shifting sand: Treatment of an adolescent girl with significant memory distortions
Veronica Gomez-Perales, MSW, RSW

There are a bunch of others touching on the area in various ways also.

http://atrium.issd.org/cdorder2005.htm

Professor Jennifer Freyd, the editor of the issd.org journal, wrote an influential and good explanatory book on memory and dissociation in 1996 called 'Betrayal Trauma.' This book explains various memory mechanisms and research. It also references and explains to a degree research on general memory problems and anomolies in traumatized people.

The first issue of the issd journal also provides a good overview of 100 years of studies on trauma, memory and childhood. There are also several other significant journals on this large topic.

M


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## peacedove (Aug 15, 2004)

Methusala said:


> Scientology is what some call a 'therapy' cult, and for that reason is particularly dangerous for those with mental illness. This is even more so for those with dissociation because hypnotic methods are used on cult members.


Yeah my mom was pretty freaked out when I asked her to get me a book by this Hubbard guy from the library a few years back. I think it was called Clear Body, Clear Mind or something. It was recommended on this holistic channel. I wanted to cleanse my body of toxins... never did go through with it though.

Would have been pretty pointless anyways cuz I'm on meds.


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## julie13 (Oct 6, 2005)

Clear body, Clear Mind is amazing... it was the first Hubbard book i read, well before I knew that Hubbard had anything to do with scientology.
I did the toxin cleanser when i was in college, before i was on meds, and it was unbelievable. There is nothing freaky in there, its all vitamins and natural stuff that you do to cleanse your body...
there is something called a niacin flush that i still do all the time, its crazy! you just have to read it, and before Meth jumps all over me for this one, the book has absolutly nothing to do with scientology, it doesnt even so much as mention anything spiritual or religious, just what kind of toxins are in the environment and what we can do to rid ourselves of them. Not a scary book at all, so dont go painting me as a sadistic cult member just yet.


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## Luka (Aug 30, 2005)

I'm with Methusala. I don't trust scientology and I hate the fact that all these famous people got into that. And I certainly don't like that shallow Cruise. Lunatic... My mother once ordered a book and she was again and again bothered by these guys. It's really hard to get them off your back.


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