techniques for delving into memory Overcoming Trauma Through Embracing Past Memories

Delving Into Memory — Overcoming Trauma Through Embracing Past Memories

Memories create our identity and bind our experiences together.   Past traumatic events leave scars that hinder our progress.  Yet, there lies a pathway to overcoming trauma through embracing past memories.  It requires tools for exploring the subconscious and techniques for delving into memory.  Are you ready for this journey?

The human mind is a maze.  Our memories are connected in mysterious ways.  They often lead to hidden in the recesses of our subconscious.  However, with the right techniques, we can navigate through this labyrinth.

Our memories are more than stored information.  They are a blueprint of our experiences that shape our thinking and identity.  We are the sum total of our memories.  Without memories, we have no experience.  And without experiences, we have nothing to identify with.  (1)

Learning how our memories affect our worldview is important.  Techniques for delving into memory are the tools that provide insight and understanding.

Exploring The Rewind Technique

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Exploring memory involves a deliberate focus.  It requires the exploration of our past experiences without emotional interference.  To deal with memories effectively, we must master the ability to reach an altered state.  We must learn how to observe memories from a detached perspective.  To rewind memories means to review them from a safe point of view.

A detached perspective gives us distance from the emotional attachment to the memory.  This vantage point gives us the ability to identify, control, and analyze the memory.  If we do this, then we can adjust the emotional volume or impact of memories.  (2) This is one of the best techniques for healing trauma.

Being able to adjust the volume of emotions is an important skill.  It is not about dwelling on the past or being burdened by painful memories.  Rather, it is an opportunity to revisit moments to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our journey.  The techniques for delving into memory invite us to take control of the subconscious.  This allows for self-discovery and personal growth.

Understanding the Science Behind Memory Delving Techniques

The idea behind this technique is to create a separate point of reference.  We do this by calming the mind and being selective in how we approach past events.  We detach awareness, creating a safe space to observe memories without emotional attachment.  This mindset enables us to revisit events in great detail.  But the separate vantage point keeps us from being overcome by emotional attachment.

When the mind uses a creative visualization technique or similar process, it enables us to detach ourselves from the memory as we “rewind” it.  In this way, we can detach the emotional aspect which is triggering a fear or terror response.

We can condition the mind to maintain this partition of detachment.  This doesn’t erase the experience.  It eliminates the emotional aspect of traumatic events.  Since memories shape our identity and influence our actions, when we take an active part in managing them, we create a path to a healthier mind.  It is the path of overcoming trauma through embracing past memories.

Tools for Exploring Your Subconscious

We recommend methods for exploring memories found in many ancient cultures.  These tools use breathing and creative visualization to alter awareness.  The Shamanic Journey is likely the origin of these methods.  They are part of the Hero’s Journey.  (3) This quest is an age-old spiritual process.  The tool we cover in this article comes from this tradition.

Techniques for delving into memory help separate the emotion from the event.  It is a process of visualization that detaches us from the emotional attachment.  Modern psychology calls this age-old method the rewind technique.

We’ll explore a variation of this tool that is used with the Shamanic Journey.  By mastering these tools, we leverage the value of our memories.  It opens up our perspective to a wealth of experiences and valuable insights.  What exactly are these benefits?

Benefits of Exploring the Subconscious Mind

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Exploring the mind is like exercising our muscles.  When you exercise, you build strength, insurance, and resilience.  It is the same with the processes that exercise the mind.

Memory Improvement Through Delving Methods

These tools not only improve our cognitive abilities and use of memory but also enhance our self-awareness to heal past traumas.  This enables us to delve into the depths of our experiences with clarity and purpose.  When we free the mind from past burdens, it gives us more options in life.

One of the benefits of exploring the subconscious is that it builds familiarity with our psychic structures.  Familiarity improves our ability to recall memories.  Memory improvement is a skill that comes in handy when delving into our past.  Memory recall helps unlock the power of our minds.  It’s one of the benefits of the techniques for delving into memory that extends to every aspect of life.

Overcoming Trauma Through Embracing Past Memories

Traumatic events can leave a lasting impact, causing people to fragment memories in order to protect themselves.  However, in embracing past memories and acknowledging the pain, we create an opportunity for healing.

By revisiting and understanding the root causes of trauma, we can unravel the knots that bind us.  Ultimately, this process frees us from past trauma.  Embracing past memories allows us to reclaim our power, reshape our narratives, and enhance resilience.

Another one of the benefits of exploring the subconscious is the ability to adjust memories.  Once we can analyze memory from a detached perspective, we can then adjust the volume of any emotions attached.  This comes in handy when we are dealing with harmful memories.   Overcoming trauma through embracing past memories is a powerful path for self-development.

Techniques for Recovering Suppressed Memories

If you have suppressed memories, you don’t know what they are until you discover them.  When using the rewind technique to explore unknown territory, don’t do it alone.  It is best to be supervised by a trained clinician.

The subconscious mind hides memories to protect us from the emotional impact of something.  These memories may be from real events or dreams.  Dreams or nightmares account for a significant portion of these memories.

The exception to being supervised is when we use lucid dreaming methods.  Lucid dreaming is one of the techniques for recovering suppressed memories of dreams.  To do this requires a mastery of the lucid dreaming process.  If you are a master at lucid dreaming, then you will have acquired the grounding to be able to view the dream without the normal emotional impact.

Understanding Techniques for Healing Trauma

The more we understand about the techniques, the easier it becomes to use them.  The more we use them, the more we understand our minds and past experiences.  This gives us insight into how traumas affect our thinking and values.

So, techniques for delving into memory are processes of personal development.  By honing memory tools, we unlock the potential to overcome trauma and heal ourselves.

Uncovering Forgotten Memories Through Delving Within

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As we use the rewind technique, we will also discover memories we’ve stored in the subconscious.  Many of these will be fragments of early childhood.   Some of these are also connecting memories that link similarities that span several years.  Remember, our memories do not define us but rather serve as the stepping stones towards growth and resilience.

Uncovering forgotten memories through delving into the subconscious is a bonus.  These forgotten snapshots are often pieces that connect to other memories.  Sometimes, these connections can run deep into our early childhood.

Embracing Techniques for Healing Trauma

Once we master one of the methods, like turning down the volume, we can move on to other methods.

Shamanic Journey is one of the first techniques for delving into memoryThis process involves the use of creative visualization.  It is one of the first psychological tools ever created.  This tool is useful for overcoming trauma through embracing past memories.  The typology is powerful for dealing with past traumas.  Entering an altered state is accomplished through rhythmic drumming and creative visualization.  This enables you to travel a symbolic landscape of the psyche.

During a Shamanic Journey, you meet spirit guides, power animals, or ancestral spirits.  These entities offer valuable insights and guidance to help heal past traumas.  By establishing a connection with your spiritual allies, you gain access to wisdom.  It opens the door to understanding that can empower and guide your healing journey.

Traumatic experiences fragment aspects of your soul, leaving us feeling fearful and incomplete.  Shamanic practitioners believe that these fragmented parts can become lost in different realms.  Through the Shamanic Journey technique, you find and reintegrate these lost fragments.  This process can restore a sense of wholeness and accelerate healing.

Trauma not only impacts our emotional and mental well-being but also our energetic body.  Shamanic Journeying identifies and releases negative energies.  These manifest as harmful thoughts and values that hinder your energetic field.  By working with your spirit guides, you clear blocks and restore balance, promoting healing on multiple levels.

Mindfulness Meditation.  This practice enables us to focus on the present moment.  It encourages us to acknowledge thoughts and feelings without judgment.  By becoming more aware of our thoughts, survivors of trauma develop healthier coping mechanisms and find solace in the now.

Automatic Writing.  The power of the written word should not be underestimated when healing from trauma.  The automatic handwriting technique for delving into memory directly accesses the subconscious.  This is a therapeutic outlet for emotions that might otherwise remain concealed.  By putting your thoughts onto paper, you can gain insights into your feelings.  You can process painful experiences and promote self-reflection.

Physical Exercise.  Physical exercise has long been recognized as a powerful tool for healing trauma.  Regular exercise releases endorphins, improves mood, and reduces stress and anxiety levels.  Physical activities such as yoga, running, or dancing help us reconnect with our bodies.  Reconnecting promotes well-being and enhances mental resilience.

Art Therapy.  Art therapy offers a compassionate and creative way to explore and express emotions related to trauma.  Through various art forms like painting, drawing, or sculpting, we learn to express feelings.  Survivors can externalize their experiences to gain perspective.  This new perspective helps them find healing in the artistic process.  Art therapy encourages self-discovery and personal growth.  Plus, it’s fun and serves as a powerful tool for emotional release.

The Techniques for Delving into Memory

The tools that get this job done are simple but powerful.  You can use them on your own, but working with a partner is recommended.  If you have underlying psychological issues, consult your physician before using this technique.  Use them with care.

Exercise One: Exploring Positive Memories

This exercise is one of the primary tools for exploring your subconscious mind.  Let’s summarize this simple process.

1.  Select and Document Memories
2.  Explore and Expand Memories
3.  Analyze Memory Full Memories Fragments and Snapshots

1.  Select and Document Memories

In order to create an environment to view memories free of emotional attachment, we need a detached frame of reference.  The ego or mind is like a wild horse.  It is naturally hesitant and fearful of anything unfamiliar.  It is also fearful of things that harmed it in the past.

Using The Rewind Technique Process

To begin, sit comfortably and close your eyes.  Some people prefer to visualize themselves floating above their bodies.  Or, you can use the Shamanic Journey method and start the process by visualizing an imaginary landscape.  This puts your mind into a mode where you can view memories from a detached state.

Some prefer watching their memories from a safe place like from a balcony or mountain top.  Or, if you prefer, you can pretend that you are viewing your life through a TV or video screen.

Start by searching your memories for a positive childhood memory.  If this is the first time using the process, grab the one that comes up first.  You’ll repeat this step no more than five times each session.

2.  Explore and Expand Memories

Ask yourself the who, what, where, and when questions about each memory.  Who else was there?  What was happening?  When did it happen?  Can you identify colors, clothing, or other things?

If the memory is more than a fragment, go to the beginning of the memory.  Can you push it back further in time?  What happened before this memory?  It may allow you to see what happened prior.  Memory capacity is more significant than we think.  You’ve probably got other data stored you don’t realize.

Go to the last part of the memory.  Can you push the memory further?  What happens next or afterward?

The more you do the exercise, the longer it will take for you to find a new memory.  This is part of the process.  Memory improvement through delving methods will expand your memory.  It will enable you to find memories that you forgot or repressed.

When you search memories with this technique, you’ll likely find bits and pieces or incomplete snapshots.  Later, in the analysis phase, we’ll see if it is possible to expand these snapshots or find other connections.  Most people will find that memory will crystallize around these events.  They will find concealed associations with events, people, or emotions.

Remember, search for positive snapshots, not negative ones.  We want this initial trip down memory lane to be a positive experience.  The reason it’s important to start with positive memories is the mind is like a wild horse.  We want to establish a pattern that the mind will follow without resistance.  A wild horse will buck you off if it’s not comfortable.  We want the mind to feel safe with the techniques for delving into memory.

This way, it will be easier in the future when we address the negative memories.  The more positive memories you find, the farther back in history you will go.  So, this process will become something the mind looks forward to doing.  That’s what you want—a friendly, cooperative mind.

Be sure to take it slow, one memory at a time.  Focusing on one memory at a time is hard because other things will appear once you start using the tools for exploring your subconscious mind.

Remember to Document as You Go

Document things as they come up.  Don’t wait until the end of the session, or you’d like to miss some things.  You don’t need to write complete sentences, just keywords, topics, pictures, and feelings.

You may need to think about this and doodle it in your journal.  Some people take a break or two between each memory.  The goal is to find at least three but no more than five.   If you find over three, that’s great.  Look for positive memories only.  Steer away from negative memories at this point.

Write as much detail about the memory as you can in your journal.  The techniques for delving into memory will increase in their effectiveness the more you use them.  So, explore this snapshot with all your senses.  What five senses are immediately apparent in the memory?  Explain the different feelings in conjures and why you frame it as a positive memory.

Don’t worry about spelling and grammar.  Make sure you are using a paper version of a journal.  Your handwriting will be an important part of the analysis phase.

Limit your time in the exploration phase.  We recommend 15 to 20 minutes for this part.   There’s a lot of ground to cover, so don’t do too much in one round.  It’s the same strategy for eating an elephant.  How do you eat an elephant?  You eat an elephant one bite at a time.  If you follow the guidelines for the time limits, you’ll get the most out of the exercise.  Positive memories are the key to memories as tools for healing grief and trauma.

The Best Practice of Using a Journal

Use a journal to record as much detail as you can.  Don’t start without having paper and pen ready to document.  Things can go fast when using tools for exploring your subconscious.  It’s important part is that you use a pen or pencil on paper.  We don’t recommend using a digital journal, and there are several reasons for this.  Your handwriting will reveal emotions you cannot hide or didn’t know were there.  It also slows down the process.  It helps to keep you from missing important data.

When you write, you slow things down, and this is helpful.  Reviewing these memories is the essence of the rewind technique.   Reliving and slowing down the pace will make sure you do not miss anything important.  This technique for delving into memory creates a record of your progress.  You’ll want to document the memories, feelings, and connections to other memories.  You don’t have to write complete sentences, just the key points, words, etc.

You’ll probably create several of these journals.  You should have one to record your dreams first thing in the morning.  And you’ll have one for this exercise where you investigate memory.

You’ll find correlations that appear in other parts of your spiritual exploration.  These synchronicities will appear in your dreams and daydreams.  They will surface in omens that arise in ordinary reality.  The Universe is trying to communicate with us.  We must learn to open our spiritual eyes and hearts to perceive them.  It is one of the keys to using memories as tools for healing grief and trauma.

3.  Analyze Memory Full Memories Fragments and Snapshots

The last part of the exercise explores the links you found when expanding the memory.  Many people find they can spend 20 minutes easily on this part.  You may have discovered additional memories that open up other connections.  Be sure to keep documenting everything.

You will probably find links to dreams and daydreams as you explore these connections.

Finally, find three pictures that correspond emotionally to these memories online.  The emotional attachment you associate with the memory may only be a small portion of the actual memory.  Ask yourself more questions:

— Is there a pattern in these memories?
— Are there similar topics or themes?
— Are the memories or associations related in some way?
— Do these memories appear in your dreams?

Once we put memories in perspective, things will start to bubble to the surface.  These positive snapshots help us understand what we value.  These are the things we need more of in our life.  At this point, we understand the importance of memories for framing reality.

Exercise Two: Exploring Negative Memories

We do not recommend moving to the second exercise until you have worked with this first exercise at least four or five times.  In one month, you should be able to find between 20 to 50 positive memories.  If you can’t find at least five positive memories, take a break.  Don’t try searching for negative memories yet.

Our fears associated with memories will often surface with little effort.  But be careful to explore them until you have experience looking for positive memories.  Once you have a solid foundation, you are ready to venture into the darker territory.

This technique for delving into memory teaches us how to direct our attention.  This way, we do not become stuck or bogged down in harmful thinking patterns.

Seeking negative memories instead of positive ones is scary for many people.  So limit your exploration time to 15 minutes.  If you have suffered a major emotional trauma, don’t do this alone.  Working with a partner or trained psychological professional is highly recommended.

Write your immediate feelings, but don’t dwell on them, or you will get bogged down or sidetracked.  We don’t need to live on our fears.  We want to identify them to reduce their influence on our lives.

At the end of this session, return to your list of positive memories.  Don’t let your discovery of negative memories also trap you in a victim mentality.  Bring your focus back to that of the survivor and victor.  You do this by bringing positive memories back to the forefront.

This second exercise faces what we fear.  It doesn’t mean the trauma didn’t occur.  It means we move from being a victim through surviving to a victor.  It will have a profound effect on our outlook on life.

The Confusion Of Techniques for Recovering Suppressed Memories

Do not confuse the Shamanic Journey or the rewind technique for the use of hypnosis.  Hypnosis is used to implant false narratives and memories.  There is a huge difference between a hypnotic state and a detached perspective.   Creative visualization techniques can be led but they do not involve inducing a hypnotic trance.

By the end of these exercises, you will have two lists.  One list will contain memories of pain and trauma.  The other list will contain positive memories.  Sadly, many people have more negative than positive memories.   But numbers do not matter.  In the process of healing, the quality of the positive memory matters.  Positive memories will triumph over negative ones.

We recommend you work with a partner on the same journey or with a counselor when dealing with grief and trauma.  Techniques for recovering suppressed memories can reveal deeply held connections.

Realize that when you recall any memory, you are reliving the event.  Memories are not stagnant scripts; our imagination and experience continually alter them.  These elements adjust the emotional impact.

So when you enter a traumatic memory, a partner or counselor can help you keep one foot grounded in the present while you work to adjust the volume.  A partner or counselor is similar to the role of the hypnotist.  However, instead of implanting suggestions, they will help you work through the issues.  They can make the process less stressful.

In Conclusion

These techniques for delving into memory are powerful inner work tools for your spiritual journey.  We learn our memories can either help or hinder us.  Memories color our worldview and create vital aspects of our identity.  So, this journey down memory lane can be a real epiphany.  We understand what we value, and fear is a continuum.  You can’t see the real value until you contrast the extremes.  Tools like the rewind technique for exploring your subconscious will help remove any obstacles to your growth.

We welcome your feedback on this process.  Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have comments or questions.

This exercise is one tool we use in our blended learning process for our learning sessions.  Check out our virtual learning options if you want an individualized virtual learning course.

References

(1) Understanding the dynamic and destiny of memories.  National Laboratory of Medicine
(2) Reducing intrusive memories after trauma.  National Laboratory of Medicine
(3) Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.  Wikipedia