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r/NoStupidQuestions•5 mo. ago

TheresJustNoMoney

What would it take to be able to develop a method to safely and flawlessly remove specific traumatic memories from our minds?

I believe traumatic memories can definitely cause anger issues and cause the person with those anger issues to pass those traumas on to younger people.

If a method to remove specific traumatic memories was made available to The Wider world, would the world overall become a better place or what would happen?

Anyways, what would it take to develop a practical method to remove specific traumatic memories?

 

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[–]Popular-Local8354 1 point 5 months ago 

An ability to fuck with the brain and not kill the person 

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[–]AgentElman 1 point 5 months ago 

The trick is to replace the traumatic memory with a non-traumatic version of the memory. We can do this now.

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[–]mndsm79 1 point 5 months ago 

Full understanding of how memories are created and stored on an organic programming level, and how the information is transferred. Basically- if the brain is a computer made of squishy brain meat and memories are files- how do we delete files without killing the entire system or running the HDD through a meat grinder.

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[–]JacobsBigD 1 point 5 months ago 

Someone once told me about a French psychologist that developed a therapy method which involves toys and symbols that ultimately get you in a trance-like state. He somehow manages to get you back into reliving your traumas, but on your own terms, tricking the mind into believing you've fixed those moments. The question is, if it works, is the mind tricked, or is it as real as time travel for it?

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[–]boxandbellows 1 point 5 months ago 

Check out Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Pretty good guesswork in that movie.

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[–]chairmanskitty 1 point 5 months ago 

You can't flawlessly remove something that is a part of you. You can only replace it with something that isn't you (yet).

I don't remember where I learned what "embellishment" meant, but I do know what it means. Likewise a trauma victim doesn't need to remember their trauma to "know" to act in a toxic way they can pass on to others. You can't just remove the episodic memory of the event, you have to replace all the habits and beliefs and sensory-motor associations with something else.

Because what could it mean to "remove" someone's anger at having to give up control? What would that person feel instead? This is the core question you have to answer when treating trauma using modern techniques. "Removing" trauma technologically just puts the power to decide the answer in the hands of the person programming the technology.

This means that a world where you can technologically "remove" trauma is a world with mind control technology. Making this available to the wider world means handing mind control technology to dictators and cult leaders. After all now, why not "remove" all the "traumatic" memories and habits of disloyalty and independence? You're home now, you can be safe with your state-as-family.

So what would likely happen in the current world is that various dictatorships would essentially "lock in". Russia and China (and at this point probably the US, honestly) would use it to "cure criminals of their trauma-driven bad habits", and then slowly keep redefining "criminal" until everyone is compliant and loyal. People would no longer perceive oppression, because oppression is trauma and trauma is wiped. This would likely be disastrous not just in terms of people's freedom and happiness, but also economically and geopolitically as armies of fanatics are used as disposable pawns.

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