Re: Why does the brain remember?

Thanks for cheering me up as I was feeling a bit 'down' when I got up this morning but your post has given me a good chuckle.

Re: Why does the brain remember?

I think everything is buried in the subconscious. I was told by my mother that when I was about 2 years old I fell into a weir in Walkern in Hertfordshire. My grandfather had to jump in up to his waist fully clothed to rescue me. I had no memory of this but in 2008 during our trip to UK, I visited Walkern and asked around if their was a weir somewhere. Most of the people were relatively new to the area but eventually we met an old fellow mowing a church lawn. He pointed me at some thick bushes across the road and I grabbed a camera and pushed my way about 50 metres through until suddenly I saw a green encrusted stone weir! My reaction was fear! I have swum all over the world. Never been afraid of water but my instant reaction was to pull back in alarm. It made me wonder how far back the subconscious memory goes.

Re: Why does the brain remember?

My friend sue told me she remembers being in her pram and she was swaddled and must have been tiny , she was watching the leaves on the trees . The memory is very strong

When I was about 2 or 3 my mum told me I put my foot into a very hot oven tray that she had dropped onto the floor , apparently I stepped in it as she went to get a cloth . My foot was badly burnt but I have no memory of this at all. You would think it would have ingrained in my memory .

Re: Why does the brain remember?

When I was in hospital aged 4 or 5 to have my tonsils and adenoids out I distinctly remember the doctor coming to the boy in the bed next to mine using a long pair of forceps pushing them down the boys throat and removing the boys tonsils. His tonsils were like a pink conker on a long fleshy string.

My parents also made me chose between leaving my teddy or my golliwog for the benefit of other children when I left hospital.. The whole experience was very traumatic.

Re: Why does the brain remember?

I was born in Nov 1936, so l must have been either 3 or
4yrs old at the time, but l still remember sitting on the
floor of our living room, with all my uncles and ma and pa
and grandpa standing and sitting around an old wooden
radio listening to a person talking!
I remember him ending his talk with the words WE ARE
AT WAR ! and my uncles all standing up and talking to
each other, and l remember my uncle Ted saying ' well thats
it then ' and then l was put to bed!
Soon after that l noticed my uncles ( there were 3 of them )
were dissappearing but l cant remember being told where
they had gone?
On another note, l can still remember my national service
army number which is or was 23437584 gunner Ray SIR!!

Regards Donkeyman!

Re: Why does the brain remember?

When my husband lost his arm in an industrial accident back in 1987 he says he has no recollection of the accident happening. I think his brain must have shut down so it could work on his survival perhaps?

He does however get 'phantom pains' where he feels his hand like its tightly wrapped, severe shooting pains and severe pins and needles, the strange thing is his arm that isn't there anymore, the hand he feels is almost up by his elbow if that makes sense.

I do wonder if that tight feeling and shooting pains is the last thing he remembers before he passed out.

His arm was trapped in a rolling machine which dragged him in but thankfully it twisted his arm off and snapped before it took his head in. My husband wouldnt be here now had it not snapped off.

The severed arm was covered in fibres very tightly as the fibres continued to wrap around it whilst the machine was rolling.

Horrific I know and I'm sorry if I've upset anyone but the post got me to thinking why he doesn't remember such a traumatic event.

While he 'feels' the hand and arm he hasn't got every day thankfully the sever phantom pains aren't there every single day, they come out of the blue.

Re: Why does the brain remember?

Hi Carol, Mind like a sieve these days but one number I have never forgotten is my Women's Royal Air Force number. Probably because during training I had to recite it so many times when addressing NCOs and Officers before speaking to them. I can't for the life of me ever remember my NI number, credit or bank card number but I will never forget that one.