My T feels that it is better to learn to replace old memories and bad stuff with good stuff now - to live in the present. If the past comes up and gets in the way we handle it but instead of trying to learn why Christmas is so depressing for me since I was around 10 we decided to have me tell him what my dream would be for this christmas and after I told him - he told me to "make it happen". And I have - I am going to start building positive memories to replace those missing bad ones. Why dwell on the past - if it come up, deal with it but why try to remember bad stuff? It only causes more stress and depression to remember bad things - at least to me.