Memories are such an integral part of who we are because they are the underlying filters through which we view the world. My choices are informed by my experiences. If I can't remember those experiences, it is as if the experiences did not exist.
I firmly believe that this is why ailments such as Alzheimer's are so devastating. The person that you knew disappears in part, or parts. The person that you were changes, becomes childlike, innocent, but unaware of current events and past formative experiences.
There are entire sections of my life that I do not remember because of the amount of Epilepsy medications and the combinations/types of those medications that were prescribed. I am not ungrateful for the medical assistance. My life was dependent on those medications. I was lucky enough to see the disappearance of Epileptic activity in my brain by the age of 15.
There are times now when I remember bits and pieces of the truths of those years (six to fifteen years of age), including some bad things that I did, or were done to me, or both. It is tempting to spiral into contemplation of those things, even though the meds gave me so many years of unsuspecting and admittedly blissful unawareness.
As an adult, with a balanced worldview including time spent far, far away from home--I'm glad that I did not remember these things as a child, or a young adult. I was not ready to handle the shift of worldview. Knowing what I know now, I am able to navigate some of the fallout of harder times and move through those recovered memories in a way that is healthy.
Most of this type of navigation - moving through the events and dynamics of our pasts in order to get to a healthier present - is not precisely about "getting over it." Working through any part of our histories is about getting through the new data, using it to inform our choices in a way that is also new.
I work with data every day - some has positive impacts and some has negative impacts. The important thing is to keep working, no matter the implication of the subject matter at hand. Be present in the moment, and give your best effort to living a life of integrity.
Be well, fellow Introverts.
