Dr. Robert Scaer on trauma and Brain State Technologies

Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

People with traumatic brain injuries may experience physical, cognitive or personality changes that affect their work and relationships. In this program from the University of Washington, hear stories of people who are rebuilding their lives and readjusting to family, careers and everyday life.




Via: University of Washington

Rewriting Fearful Memories by Bringing Them Back to Mind

Bringing an old memory back to mind would, you might think, strengthen it. But not so - when memories are recalled, they enter a surprisingly vulnerable state, when they can be reshaped or even rewritten. It takes a while for the memory to become strengthened anew, through a process called reconsolidation. Memories aren't just written once, but every time we remember them.

This system allows us to rapidly update our memories with new information, for a more flexible and adaptable brain. It also means that the very act of remembering provides a valuable window of opportunity, during which memory can be manipulated. Click Anywhere in This Sentence to Continue Reading...

Via: Not Exactly Rocket Science

Feelings' sway over memory: New research suggests that emotions can strengthen and shape memory.

Where were you during the terrorist attacks of 9/11? For most, recalling this information is easier than remembering, for example, the details of Wednesday morning last week. This phenomenon--along with more than two decades of experimental evidence--has led many psychologists to posit that emotions can enhance memory and recall. Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading >>>>>>>

Destabilizing Old Memories With Novel Information

What if one day we could disrupt unwanted consolidated memories like those of old traumatic experiences or even unforgettable heartbreaks and replace them with novel and more pleasant ones? Sounds like a tagline from the 2004 Oscar-winning film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind doesn't it?

Published in this month's issue of Learning & Memory, a study by Winters, Tucci, and DaCosta-Furtado over at the University of Guelph, Canada have managed to bring us one step closer to making this seeminly far-fetched idea a reality...Click anywhere in this sentence to continue reading...

Via:  Science Blog