Other Severely deficient autobiographical memory

[guest]

The University of Toronto is currently conducting a new study looking at something called Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM). According to their web site, it "refers to a lifelong inability to vividly recollect or re-experience personal past events from a first-person perspective."

I feel like this is me to a tea. I was reading a news article about a lady who was diagnosed with SDAM who said that her mind is blown that people can actually recall/reexperience what it was like as a child to be reaching for something from a shelf as if they were in their body as a child. My mind is blown, too. Can people really do that? Or remember dialogue, what they or others were were wearing, weather, things in the room?

I'm a young professional (no chance of dementia), and I'm diagnosed with PTSD. I didn't realize my memory was crap until my therapist told me that it was (in nicer words) and that it's a normal reaction to developmental trauma. But now I'm wondering if it's possible that I have SDAM. Or I suppose it could be a combination of developmental trauma and SDAM impairing the development of my right hippocampus.

I took the SDAM memory survey and am very curious to see where this research goes. It makes me sad that I don't have memory.

 

[Stitchin]

Me too. It's of my life is a blank space. It's like I have no roots, no past, I relate..

 

[Beans]

Me three! Trauma, dissociation and internal disorganization all go together. One of the usual effects of "successful" trauma therapy is the individual gaining a coherent narrative. Sigh. One day...

 

[guest]

I'm sorry to hear both of you experience something related to this. This is different than trauma-related memory issues, though I don't believe it's mutually exclusive, either, if that makes sense.

I would love to hear from more people, particularly people whose memory is intact - and for them to describe their experience of memory. Can you reexperience certain memories from you life through the first-person? Can you feel/remember what it feels like to be in your child body? What types of details from memories do you have - weather, clothing, dialogue, things in the room? When asked to imagine a sunset, is your imagery quite vivid or is rather dim and non-defined?

 

[digger]

Link to the study for those interested - Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory (SDAM)

I would love to hear from more people, particularly people whose memory is intact

Are you asking from personal curiosity or from a research angle?

 

[guest]

Personal curiosity only. I have no links to the research whatsoever. I did find some hope having read about this disorder as a possible explanation for my experiences, and chose to participate in their online survey in hopes that I might get more answers one day.

I am troubled by my memory issues, and hearing from other people about their experiences will help me to understand better what the "normal" experience is. I know there is no normal per se, but those afflicted with this syndrome do not experience memory from the first-person perspective, and I'm wishing to find out what it is like to have that experience. I hope that makes sense.

 

[Monse]

Hello! I am 29 years old, and I just learned about this and did the survey as well. I never understood why my sibilinos would tell me how they can relive their childhood in their minds and I couldn't. They are able to describe what they were wearing, the weather, smells, etc... all I see for the small memories I have are as if I am standing in a corner, watching. But I am not sure if those are even really my memories or just what I made up from photos and the stories my relatives tell me. I never really stopped to think about it until last night. I have 3 kids, the youngest is 3. I don't remember his first bath, his first word, when he started walking, let alone the other 2 kids' memories. I was told by my mother I was raised in a very lovely environment, that I was loved and never suffered any head trauma. I am also very I terested to know more about this study. There should be a Facebook groups or something.

 

[anonymous]

It appears, after taking the test (no results that I see just through the questions and my answers), that I've got both situations going on. I've got a photographic memory for some memories which come through dreams and that's what I have heard. It's odd. I'll have dreams about this where I vividly remember what was said. I actually have one memory/dream recently where I remember a three-way conversation between my mother, stepdad, and me. Except I don't remember what people wore or the smells. So everything else in the dream is vague except hearing and vague surroundings. Then I'll have nada on something else where I have a memory through a dream and everything is super vague without any details.