Bad With Faces And Names

[Alphabetzy]

Ever heard someone say "I'm bad with names but I never forget a face"? Well I'm bad with both. People I've met multiple times still have to introduce themselves to me. I couldn't pick people I've known for years out of a crowd even if I know they're in there. It's so embarrassing and I'm sure it's not winning me any points with people I genuinely respect and admire. Has anyone else with a history of childhood abuse/neglect or with a CPTSD diagnosis experienced this?

It's like there is fundamental software missing, like I'm incomplete. It makes me angry. It's pretty clearly associated with early childhood trauma that shouldn't have ever happened. It's too late to fix it. The brain isn't that plastic...early childhood is such a delicate time. I want justice for that little girl and the woman I could have been. It makes me an island. I have a very basic disconnect from other human beings and all I want is to feel a part of the world around me

 

[sun seeker]

Dissociation? That can be one of the symptoms. Not saying there can't be other reasons.

 

[EveHarrington]

Have you tried "games" to make you remember?

Like when you meet someone you repeat their name and make a comment about part of their physique.

"So nice to meet you Allison! You've got such beautiful long blonde hair!"

You can vary the game to suit your needs. Substitute anything in your mind that may help you remember. It can also serve as a grounding tool of sorts.

As with anything, it can/will get easier with practice and hopefully your memory will improve over time.

I don't believe the brain is perfectly elastic but I think we can make great strides if we work at it.

:hug:

 

[Friday]

It has a name! :D 2 actually. Both common-use & Latin. It's called FaceBlind, or Prosopagnosia.

Prosopagnosia - Wikipedia

 

[Alphabetzy]

Have you tried "games" to make you remember?

Like when you meet someone you repeat their name an...

I'm familiar with what you're talking about, but I think those exercises are to help remember people you are meeting. That is not the struggle I'm having. This happens with people I've known for 15 years, people I've grown up with. Sometimes my own brother, a person who looks exactly like me. Sorry if I was unclear

 

[Snowflake]

Hmmm I have difficulty with names-the face can look familiar but the name forget it. Never thought it could be related to my trauma just assume I was forgetful .

Just read your post above -I can remember family and coworkers. Beyond that forget it.

 

[EveHarrington]

I think there is a facial recognition problem that people have. (I think it's a recognized medical issue.)

I'm not sure if it's tied to trauma as I don't know much about it.

Have you heard of the disorder before? I'm not sure what it's called.

 

[EveHarrington]

Does any of this ring true with you?

Prosopagnosia - Wikipedia

It seems that there can be recognition problems due to issues in development which means that there could indeed be a tie to childhood trauma. (Guessing here as I haven't seen actual studies.)

 

[Eagle3]

I have that...can't recognize faces well, and people have to be in a specific context for me to recognize them. I can't find my own mom in a grocery store if I don't remember what she was wearing that day! Its why I trained my first dog to find family members in stores for me. I don't recognize my therapist outside of the dojo or the office. My best friends can walk right past me and its a toss-up whether or not I'll recognize them. Yes, this is very frustrating, but it is what it is, and I've developed some tricks for masking the fact that I didn't recognize someone outside of familiar contexts. As for names, forget it, I'm doing good to remember my own!!

 

[Gs172003]

Hmmm I have difficulty with names-the face can look familiar but the name forget it. Never thought it...

I am the exact same way. If it's not somebody I work with all the time or have been around for any length of time... Aint happening.

 

[Alphabetzy]

Does any of this ring true with you?

That's it. I was surprised how much digging into the article I had to do until the first mention of trauma...

"Other less common etiologies include carbon monoxide poisoning, temporal lobectomy, encephalitis, neoplasm, right temporal lobe atrophy, trauma, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease."

Maybe I should be more careful about attributing things to trauma!

 

[Gs172003]

That's it. I was surprised how much digging into the article I had to do until the first mention of...

Keep in mind it does say " less common "