Recollection and Reminiscence

1. How would you begin the process of recovering your memory? Who would you turn to, where would you search, and how would you proceed?

To begin, I would start with my family. The only group of people who would know who I truly am, how I act, and what I do will always start with the people I’ve been with my entire life. I would go to my parents to find out about my past, what I’m doing in the present, and what I aspire to be in the future. I would look up to my brother and my sister to find out how I acted and learn about everything I’ve ever done with my family. After I learn about who I am again, I would go to my significant other for help. She would take me to places we’ve gone and help me relive those moments we shared together, such as a walk in the park, a picnic, or even traveling across the United States. Being able to go through the same process may even allow my brain to recollect past memories. Then of course, I would play with the Internet. Every bit of information is on the Internet these days and the only way to learn about the current world is to use technology.

2. Please describe the emotional journey you imagine you would be going through as you attempt to reconstruct your life. Imagine the feelings you would have.

Having retrograde amnesia, I would be dazed, confused, and depressed. Not knowing who people are, where I live or who I am can make anyone break down. I would take my time to absorb what had happened and return to my family for help. I would dedicate my time to figuring out everything, even if it meant that I wouldn’t like it now. Having the patience and confidence to rebuild my own physical and emotional state would very demanding, so I would seek out more help from my closest friends. Having guidance from my significant other and my closest friends will help me understand what kind of person I was. Hopefully while I’m going through this journey I don’t give up. I have a very strong tendency to push through boundaries and work harder. Even at times, I’m sure I would doubt my existence in other peoples’ lives. I would feel guilty of forcing others to help me when they have other things going on in their lives. I would try to make others quit while I try to help myself, but knowing my family and my friends they would never leave me behind. The key to happiness is being able to achieve self-actualization. The only people who can help you get there are your friends and family.

3. Suppose you were able to pick and choose the memories you wanted to recover from your life. What types of memories would you choose to retain and what types of memories might you decide to edit out of your remembered experience? Positive, negative, painful, happy, angry, frightened, etc. Please elaborate and explain some your decision making process.

Unlike many others who would want to edit out memories, whether they were during embarrassing situations or even painful events, I would not give up anything. Of course, no one enjoys negative moments in life, but what I get out of my past memories are experience. I have learned to accept experiences whenever they happen because they teach you something new and help you grow as an individual. No matter how embarrassing or scary they might be, it gives you the opportunity to learn from them or laugh about them at the dinner table in the future. Other categories that many would question about would be traumatic events. It is true that no one wants to experience something that will haunt him or her, but I feel that through a series of dedicated trials (such as asking for advice or meditating), anyone can get through them. Everyone has the ability to overcome fear.

Moments in life that I would like to keep forever would be celebrations and major events in my family’s, friends’, and my life. Things such as birthday parties and vacations are some memorable events that I’d like to keep. I’d also like to retain my graduation from high school (and hopefully my graduation from college!) and the day I adopted my first dog because as a younger adolescent, I was like a thousand fireworks going off when it happened. Even moments in life where I stumbled and made a fool of myself are worth a million. I feel that there are more memories that I’d like to keep then lose, not that I have had more happier memories then sad ones. Being able to be content and satisfied with who I am as an individual is what makes the decision making process of choosing my memories so important.