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These are childhood memories.
Each of us was once a baby. But why do we not remember childhood memories from this period? This question worries not only scientists. But also ordinary people who are trying to understand how our personality is formed. Most of us cannot remember events that occurred before the age of 2-3, and this is not an accident. This is the result of complex processes that occur in our brain.
Why is this happening?
Reason 1: Brain immaturity
The baby’s brain is an incredibly dynamic system that develops at an incredible rate. In the first years of life, it forms millions of new neural connections that help the child learn and adapt to the world around him. However, the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for forming long-term childhood memories. Is not yet developed enough to effectively “record” information.
It’s like trying to record a movie on a computer that doesn’t yet have a hard drive. Even if the information gets into the brain, it doesn’t stay there for long. Over time, the hippocampus matures, and that’s when the first childhood memories we can recall emerge.
Reason 2: Lack of speech development
Language plays a key role in the formation of memories. When we describe events in words, they are better “fixed” in our memory. However, infants’ speech apparatus is not yet developed, so they cannot “encode” their impressions into words.
It’s like trying to save photos without titles or descriptions. Over time, these “files” become less and less clear, and the brain simply “deletes” them to make room for new information. This is why children begin to remember events better after they learn to talk.
Reason 3: Emotional instability
Emotions are one of the main “glue” factors for memories. When we experience something very vivid or important. These events leave a deep mark in our memory. However, in infants, emotional experience is not yet sufficiently structured. They may feel joy, fear or sadness. But these emotions are often “overwritten” by new experiences.
It’s like trying to write something in the sand while surfing. The waves of new experiences constantly “wash away” old memories. Leaving only fragments that can be preserved in the subconscious.
Reason 4: Memory “cleaning” process
The infant brain works like an efficient manager, constantly “cleaning out” unnecessary information to make room for new experiences. This process is called synaptic pruning. Neurons that are rarely used “die,” while those that are actively used become stronger.
It’s similar to how we delete old files from a computer to make it run faster. However, unlike a computer, the brain doesn’t have a “recovery” function. As a result, memories from early childhood are often lost forever.
Reason 5: Lack of self-awareness
For childhood memories to become personal, an understanding of oneself as a separate individual is required. Infants do not yet have this understanding. They are not aware of themselves as “I,” so their experiences are not “recorded” as personal.
Self-awareness begins to form around 2-3 years of age, and that’s when the first memories we can recall appear. Up until this point, everything that happens to a child is just a stream of impressions that don’t leave a deep mark.
Why don’t we remember childhood memories?
| Factor | Description | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Brain immaturity | The hippocampus is not yet ready to form long-term memories. | A baby’s brain is a computer without a hard drive. |
| Lack of speech | The inability to “encode” memories into words. | Memories without words are like photographs without description. |
| Emotional instability | Emotions are not yet structured enough to form memories. | A baby’s emotions are writings in the sand that are washed away by waves of new experiences. |
| The process of “clearing” memory | The brain removes unnecessary information to make room for new information. | Synaptic pruning is like deleting old files from your computer. |
| Lack of self-awareness | Inability to recognize oneself as “I”. | Memories without self-awareness are like a movie without a main character. |
Why are childhood memories erased?
From an evolutionary perspective, memory “cleaning” is a mechanism that helps us learn and adapt more effectively. If we remembered everything from childhood. Our brains would be overloaded with information that is no longer relevant.
This is similar to how a computer constantly “clears” its cache to run faster. However, unlike a computer, we cannot “recover” deleted memories. They remain in the subconscious, but access to them is limited.
Can I increase the memory capacity?
This question worries many, because memory is not just the storage of information. But also our ability to feel whole, to preserve our stories and experiences. Modern science does not yet know how to bring back lost memories from childhood. But this does not mean that we are completely helpless. There are methods that can help “reach out” to some fragments that may have remained in the subconscious.
One such method is hypnotherapy. During hypnosis sessions, a person can “return” to the early years of their life and try to recover hidden memories. However, there is an important nuance here: such memories are often distorted or “mixed” with other impressions. For example, a person can recall vivid images, but do they correspond to real events? This question remains open. Hypnotherapists often emphasize that memories obtained during hypnosis cannot always be considered reliable. They can be the influence of fantasy, other stories, or even films that we saw in childhood.
In addition to hypnotherapy, there are other approaches that can help improve memory in general. For example, meditation, regular brain training (such as learning new languages or solving complex problems), as well as a healthy lifestyle. All of which can positively affect the ability to remember information. However, even these methods do not guarantee that we will be able to “return” specific childhood memories.
The brain is not a computer where data is stored clearly and forever. Our memory is a dynamic system that is constantly changing. Memories are not just “stored” somewhere in the brain, they are “rewritten” every time we recall them. And every time we turn to the past, we seem to change it a little. So even if we can “reach out” to some fragments, they will no longer be the same as they once were.
A hypnotherapy specialist’s opinion on childhood memories
The opinion of a hypnotherapist gives an interesting perspective on how our memory works and whether it is possible to “return” lost memories. During our conversation, the hypnotherapist said that during hypnosis sessions, some people actually remember events from early childhood. These memories can be very vivid and even emotionally intense. However, the expert emphasized that such memories do not always correspond to reality. They are often distorted or “mixed” with other impressions that may have arisen later.
For example , a person may recall a scene from their childhood. But in reality, this scene may be a combination of real events, stories from their parents. Or even excerpts from films they saw as a child. The hypnotherapist explained that the brain is not an archive where data is stored in an unchanged form. On the contrary, our memory is constantly “overwritten,” and every time we recall something, we seem to change this memory a little.
However, despite this, such “recovered” memories can have value. They help to understand how a person’s personality was formed. What emotions and experiences influenced their character. For example, if during hypnosis a person remembers some traumatic event. This can help them better understand their fears or anxieties that accompany them throughout their lives.
The expert also noted.
That hypnotherapy is not a panacea, and it does not always give accurate results. However, it can be a useful tool for those who want to better understand themselves and their past. The main thing is to approach such sessions with the understanding that the memories that are “revealed” may be only part of the truth, and not the whole picture.
Should we trust such memories? Perhaps we shouldn’t take them as absolute truth. But they can be a key to understanding ourselves and our emotions. After all, even if these memories are partially fictional, they still reflect our inner world and how we perceive it.
The mystery that makes us human
Even though we don’t remember our first years of life, this period shapes us. Perhaps it is this “void” in memory that makes us who we are. Should we seek answers to questions that are perhaps better left a secret? Perhaps it is this secret that makes our lives so interesting and unpredictable.
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