A phrase attributed to the philosopher and psychologist John Dewey is: “we naturally remember what interests us and why it interests us”. Some may agree with the statement, but the truth is that not all of our memories show clear utility or a way in which they benefit us in any way. It is very common, for example, to keep clearly unpleasant or negative memories in some aspect that, despite the rejection reactions they produce in us, resist being forgotten.

It’s normal to happen, in fact. If anything characterizes memories, it is that they all appear without being called, without attending to rational criteria, and in a rather disorderly way. Our consciousness does not have absolute control over memory . In any case, it adjusts to the help it can receive from it, and conforms when the memories that are recovered are useless, distracting or in bad taste. It is the double edge of the brain’s functioning: it is so creative that, by force, it is to some extent unpredictable. For better and for worse.

Of course, it is a problem that we are not able to recover the memories that we need to inspire us, but it can be even worse if certain negative memories are presented to us in a persistent way , something that can happen even if we are not thinking about something indirectly related to that past experience.

The neuroscience behind the suppression of intrusive memories

In fact, it is not possible to affect the memory system to such an extent that the appearance of memories of a certain type is completely avoided. What you can do is influence the process of retrieving those memories, to make us less aware of them and not cause us so many problems once they have appeared. This is not only true for memories that pass into consciousness, as it can also be applied to any kind of unpleasant experience in progress.

Luckily, there are ways to deal with these little everyday conflicts with our memories. We know them, partly thanks to a study published in 2012 that can be read in the magazine Neuron . The researchers who participated in it were looking for the neurological keys that can help us forget negative or unwanted memories, even in cases of PTSD. These scientists reported on two opposite mechanisms that operate in parallel when it comes to making this type of evocation disappear from the map: suppression and substitution .

Deletion and Replacement

Suppression is a process that involves the inhibition of memories , while substitution helps to move new memories into consciousness to take the place of the suppressed part, even if these are practically invented. Despite working as a team, both mechanisms involve different neuronal structures .

While suppression involves the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, substitution arises from different areas of the same prefrontal lobe, an area of the brain associated with planning and targeted strategies.

What does this study teach us?

The previous study provides evidence on the possibility of intervening in the emergence of unwanted memories . On the one hand, we can block their appearance by suppressing them, and on the other hand, think about other things. Or, what is the same, through the conclusions of the study it is suggested that, in many cases, some mental training is enough to achieve a certain degree of control over the recovery of past experiences.

More to the point, the techniques that are useful in shortening the life of negative memories use the logic of suppression and substitution. Basically, it is about exercising control over the focus that is being directed at and moving it away from negative experiences. This may seem like a very simple answer, but it’s actually not that simple. In the end, suppressing a thought is partly about recognizing that it is there, that it exists. Therefore, the best thing you can do is to practice and improve your command of attention.

What are the techniques for eliminating negative memories?

Both traditional meditation and Mindfulness have proven effective in removing intrusive memories. Both are forms of “mental training” that affect the connections between different neural tissues, and appear to facilitate attention control while minimizing the effect of unpleasant sensations, according to some studies.

How do I tailor that to my case?

The good thing about attention control methods is that they can take a variety of forms. There are many ways of meditating and it is relatively easy to find one that suits each case. Moreover, these practices are associated with an increase in the quality of life not only in terms of negative memories: they also serve to sleep more easily, reduce stress and even treat chronic pain.

On the other hand, in order to know how to adapt Mindfulness as a tool to the different needs that arise, it is first necessary to learn the fundamentals of Full Attention.