How do you remember a repressed memory?

Question

im now 14 years old.when i was 9, i accidentally found out my friends garage code.These days my friend tells me that his neighbor saw me open his garage and riding his bike.I dont believe its true.Is it possible i repressed it.I wanna find out for sure

Answer 1

Chances are, if this actually happened and your friends aren't just making it up (but why would they? What would they get out of doing that?) it is not a "repressed" memory (this term is from Freudian "hydraulics" psychology, in which the mind is compared with a steam engine!) but something you've just chosen to forget.

(Sorry about the long sentence...it makes sense...really!)

I do not follow Freud. Most psychologists and psychiatrists and even Freudian psycho-analysts, do not. We believe there are two levels of mind in terms of memory: (1) Things you remember simply by thinking of them (What did you have for dinner last night?) and (2) things you haven't remembered yet but can simply by recalling them to your mind.

Since you are in charge of your mind, have a talk with it and ask it to make this incident a conscious one if it really happened. If you still don't remember it, it was probably one of the millions of events you have chosen not to remember, simply because you don't want to clutter up your memory.

And if your so-called friends are really scamming you about this, it may be time for you to find some better-quality friends!

--  Dr. Bob

Answer 2

Maybe he saw someone else. I really don't think that you would forget that kind of thing. Don't worry about it. If anything like that ever happens to you again, then you could talk to someone about it.

No worries!

Answer 3

Why should that bother you? It was ages ago. Unless they still have the same code...

It's not really possible to repress a memory like that... it's not traumatic or dangerous or anything. What you're facing seems to just be false accusation.

Confront your friend's neighbor, with your friend of course, and demand explanation. If you didn't do it, you didn't do it. Maybe it was some other kid who just looked a TINY bit like you.