Last year I was talking to my parents and the topic of a creepy kid who used to live on our block came up. His younger sister was a teen mom and I remember saying I would not be surprised if he had abused her.
The moment I hung up the phone I remembered he had touched ME inappropriately. I was 4. He was like 10.
He was most recently arrested for shaking his baby to death.
While the initial realization was disturbing. At the age of 4 I was not bothered by this. It is what it is. I kinda wish I had been able to leave that sleeping dog lie.
Have you ever had a repressed memory you later recovered?
I was 8, but still kicked him in the sack. Then he started going after neighborhood boys. I actually have regrets I couldn’t protect them too. That’s how messed up abuse is.
I’m just glad these things are taken more seriously these days. Hopefully it’s been a bit of prevention, but might also explain the increase in school shootings too.
Not recovered, but there are a few that I know are gonna be bad news if I do remember them. Right now they are completely blocked from my memory. Im not sure I want to go digging for them as the speculation and subsequent phobias stemming from that time period are bad enough.
When I was 10 almost the entire city I lived in flooded, and then a bunch of buildings downtown burnt to the ground and the fires couldn't be fought because of the flooding. I have tons of memories from that time period but I blocked out the actual evacuation process until I was 22 and the town I was going to college in was also experiencing a record flood.
The tornado sirens blaring, the police cars driving up and down the streets with their loudspeakers repeating "you must leave now, this area is under mandatory evacuation," driving past water bubbling up through storm drains, and in some areas through water that threatened to get into the floorboards of my dad's truck. All of that was blocked out.
I don't know I'd say repressed memory but I've had really old memories pop up randomly. Thankfully happy memory. One comes to mind now that I wish I could recall on command. It was over 10-15 years ago now. But last year I was on a walk when the memory hit me and I felt such intense joy in that moment it brought tears to my eyes.
I was like, "I had no idea I still had that memory". It was something with me and my younger brother. It'll probably hit me again in a few years. For me I know if I daily do things to clear my head, calm my mind, and just live. That's when my creativity goes
I've written full stories that popped into my head while I was on a long walk. Similar time memories go off
You really can't repress something like that. It is part of your inner dialog. It's like a sound way off in the distance that you don't really hear. On some level your mind does pick up on that sound. But it's not loud enough to become a major part of your over all thought processes. When remembered what happened that event went from a sound in the distance to a major part of your over all thought processes.
When I went through therapy do deal with things that happened as a kid the goal was to develop the mental and emotional coping skills I didn't have, bring the memories forward and work through them. Because those memories where part of my internal dialog and creating issues. Despite the fact that where that sound off in the distance that I didn't really hear.
I suffered abuse as a kid. It was all "normalized" growing up. I didn't know any different or that things could be different. I remembered in a way that was not critical of my multi generational "care/abuse givers". In the last 5 or so years I was finally able to interpret these memories as toxic, and not sweet sentimental BS. My brother has real problems. He's alcoholic and hates me for not pretending the BS was a gift from Santa Claus
I have a vague memory of when I was quite young, about 3-4, where a few of the neighborhood kids a couple years older than me were playing doctor. I was the patient. All I can remember is laying on my stomach on some sort of bench naked while they examined and probed me. I'd totally forgotten about this until I read a question on GAG a while back where someone asked if they'd every played doctor in their childhood.
I never like to go digging in my past for exactly this reason. I have few memories the period of about 5-7 and the few times I've gone digging the few images I've gotten are enough to deter future walks in that alley.
Looks like you were bothered subconsciously at that time. Otherwise, why would you remember a single event at early childhood so clearly after all these years?
It was crazy and shocking to remember. I was pretty upset for a few days but I pretty much have reconciled with the fact it didn’t bother me then, I should not let it bother me now.
I think and hope he is serving a long sentence for what he did to his baby.
I have more repressed which I need to let go of, yet finding the way to talk about this is difficult, and whenever I do I have the feeling of overwhelmed!
Yes, this definitely has happened. Usually it’s when I was too young or inexperienced to see the full picture of what was happening. Later as an adult it flashes by my mind for some reason and I see it in the proper context
I have not, but the possibility of it happening in the future exists, especially considering I do not remember the majority of my childhood and teen years, which is oftentimes a trauma response.
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