Recently I was out with a friend and while talking we realized both of us really liked that Jim Carey movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The problem was, we both knew the movie, really liked it, but could not remember the title of it. For at least twenty minutes we worked to remember the title of the movie, we knew the key words but could not recall the correct order, various combinations were laid out over and over again. Finally, an hour later, after moving on to other topics of conversation it just appeared in my memory; I blurted it out triumphantly.
This came to mind recently when I read this article from the New York Times, Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory. This article piqued my interest because it discussed the possibility of erasing memories, the subject of that unforgettable movie. Neuroscientists have created a drug that can be administered to the brain and block a chemical that facilitates the retention of certain memories. Experiments with rats and mice have shown that, by using this drug, the animals can "forget" conditioned behavior and memories.
The research is still in it's early stages of course, but the scientists are optimistic, they think this drug could potentially be very beneficial. They view it as a way to erase traumatic memory, or block an addiction or a troubling psychotic condition. This, of course, raises all sorts of red flags and potential problems. Awful, horrible things happen to people everyday, is there something of value to be gained from it, the experience itself, the memory that remains? How can selective memory and trauma be erased without have a significant impact on collective memory and experience? These questions will have to be answered of course, among many others.
Of course the movie does not deal with horrendous torture or a severely traumatizing recollection. The idea is the same though, the elimination of pain through erasure of the experience that caused it. The movie deals with it profoundly and I won't give away the end, but who hasn't seen it already? Jim Carey's character wants to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend, thinking that what he perceived as being so good, so beautiful, will haunt and skew the rest of his days; because he cannot be that happy again. He no longer wants to revisit the moments they shared, the experiences they had. I think this movie does really hit a lot of people because many people feel that same urge, that compulsion to forget, to not have to compare yesterday to the harsh reality of their today.
This came to mind recently when I read this article from the New York Times, Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory. This article piqued my interest because it discussed the possibility of erasing memories, the subject of that unforgettable movie. Neuroscientists have created a drug that can be administered to the brain and block a chemical that facilitates the retention of certain memories. Experiments with rats and mice have shown that, by using this drug, the animals can "forget" conditioned behavior and memories.
The research is still in it's early stages of course, but the scientists are optimistic, they think this drug could potentially be very beneficial. They view it as a way to erase traumatic memory, or block an addiction or a troubling psychotic condition. This, of course, raises all sorts of red flags and potential problems. Awful, horrible things happen to people everyday, is there something of value to be gained from it, the experience itself, the memory that remains? How can selective memory and trauma be erased without have a significant impact on collective memory and experience? These questions will have to be answered of course, among many others.
Of course the movie does not deal with horrendous torture or a severely traumatizing recollection. The idea is the same though, the elimination of pain through erasure of the experience that caused it. The movie deals with it profoundly and I won't give away the end, but who hasn't seen it already? Jim Carey's character wants to erase the memory of his ex-girlfriend, thinking that what he perceived as being so good, so beautiful, will haunt and skew the rest of his days; because he cannot be that happy again. He no longer wants to revisit the moments they shared, the experiences they had. I think this movie does really hit a lot of people because many people feel that same urge, that compulsion to forget, to not have to compare yesterday to the harsh reality of their today.
Today is not all that bad for most and memory of course is subjective, it is not necessarily a reflection of a past reality. What we remember being so great perhaps wasn't, and times of trial and strife are not always as harsh as we recall them being. The temptation to block certain memories is alluring, 'ignorance is bliss' and all that. For most people though (those without severe mental trauma, psychological problems, etc) memories are the evidence of our existence. We need them, all of them, the good and the bad.Our memories makes us, mold us into our present and future selves, for better or worse.
I could, perhaps do without the memory of tearing my underpants on the monkey bars in front of the entire school though.
Ray, I highly recommend this episode of Radiolab for more on memory and forgetting.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/episodes/2007/06/08
I'd use it to forget Andrew Landsman. Right?
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's also a good segment from the This American Life TV show (it might be the same as the Radio Lab one, though).
ReplyDeleteI once thought I wanted to erase someone from my memory. I even went so far as to throw away journals. But a few years after the heartbreak, I look back on that time and I don't remember being sad at all. I just remember all the stuff I did to distract myself from being sad. I know I cried for most of it but oddly enough, I can't remember that part at all. I just remember it as one of the best times of my life.
I think I saw the American Life segment, (it might be the same as the Radio Lab one.)The whole thing comes down to recent memory and long term memory. Long term memory gives perspective and a removal from the immediate emotional responses.
ReplyDeletePart of the Radiolab episode talked about how the minute you remember something and play it back in your mind it immediately becomes distorted. Of course people remember things the way they want them to be but I love the idea of never having a "pure" memory.
ReplyDeleteVery true, I touched on this in my post.
ReplyDelete"...memory of course is subjective, it is not necessarily a reflection of a past reality. What we remember being so great perhaps wasn't, and times of trial and strife are not always as harsh as we recall them being"
Memory is part of our narrative, a point I touched on a several posts ago, but I'll stop advertising about my blog, on my blog.