If you were told that it was possible to forget your bad memories, you would probably be excited to know how to do it. Good news, researchers have found a method that could make this hypothesis credible. The online media ScienceAlert devotes an article to the recent publication of their work.
A team of scientists based in China and the United States conducted a multi-day experiment with thirty-seven participants, asking them to select negative images and then associate them with made-up words. Over the following days, the researchers reprogrammed new images, this time positive, in order to make them interfere with the original traumatic images.
Scientists came to this interesting observation. “We found that this procedure weakened the recall of unpleasant memories and also increased involuntary intrusions of positive memories”they write in their study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Swap the image of an open wound for a black sand beach
On the first day of the experiment, participants were asked to select negative images (such as human injuries or dangerous animals) and associate them with words invented for the occasion. The following day, after having slept in order to consolidate the memories acquired, these volunteers were invited to associate positive images (such as sublime landscapes) with the invented words remembered the day before.
During their second night of sleep, meaningless words were whispered into their ears. These terms were spoken during the participants’ deep sleep phase, known for its crucial role in memory storage.
Using questionnaires completed on subsequent days, participants were found to be less able to recall painful memories. Better yet, positive memories even came back more easily to the volunteers’ minds, indicating a greater positive bias. “Overall, our results may offer new insights relevant to the treatment of pathological or trauma-related memories”explain the researchers. This method could make it possible to find medical solutions to help people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders or mental illnesses.
We must nevertheless remain modest about the possible reproductions of this experience. The researchers who conducted the study themselves say that it is not reasonable to compare a real traumatic experience with associations of images and words carried out in a laboratory. But this process of replacing negative memories with positive ones holds great promise for the future.
Source: www.slate.fr
