Re:For some, experiencing trauma may act as a form of cognit...
by Sileni on Friday August 24, 2018 @04:59PM
(#17837861)
Counterpoint; trauma is so difficult to forget that the relatively small footprint of forgetting random, unessential facts just doesn't compare to the benefit of being able to forget something you would otherwise get into PTSD-style thought-loops over. Don't think about the time a close relative passed away; think about the types of torture John McCain went through. Do you think he could have come back and been the man he was if he couldn't lock some of his memories away?
And there is no "initial phase of emotional reactivity". It's a continuous spectrum of reactions and reactions to those reactions. Real trauma is like being hit by a train, or getting cancer. Yeah, you'll recover, but you'll never quite be as healthy as you were before the event even if your recovery is miraculous.
Re:For some, experiencing trauma may act as a form of cognit...
by 1000units on Monday August 27, 2018 @03:17AM
(#17849932)
It's a continuous spectrum of reactions and reactions to those reactions.
That's life, period.
Yeah, you'll recover, but you'll never quite be as healthy as you were before the event even if your recovery is miraculous.
I'm not quite a former war prisoner, but I'm objectively a more effective person in many ways because of what I went through. I am worse off some ways, too, sure. But again, that's life. Little comes free.
I want to remember.
There are some things I have to work hard to properly remember. I'm not sure this difficulty remains productive after the initial phase of emotional reactivity.