I have limited memories from childhood. I remember lots about school but can't remember my bedroom growing up, toys I played with,,,not even my favorite doll that my mother says I took everywhere. I don't remember everything until I was age 11. Has anyone else experienced this type of memory loss? Have you recovered any memories? If not, how do you deal with it? accept the loss?

[YellowWallpaper]

I'm not sure how to support because I've only recovered memories via flashbacks - unwanted flashbacks. Perhaps it may help a bit here to remember that no one is able to remember everything from childhood.
Still, it would be nice to have some memories.
Cheers. Hope ya feel better.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

I have blackouts but I've had a lot of time erased from my memory as a child and it is still happening now. It's only scary for me because I know that during those blackouts some really serious things happened and when I begin to remember pieces it scares the heck out of me. But in general, the thought of losing memories from that time period are sad but not that scary. You were a child, it's very common for you to forget things like that. I can remember my Grandma always saying she couldn't remember when I would ask her things about when she was in her 20s and 30s. It's just what happens with time, our minds don't hold too much. But when it becomes an amnesia it does make things more scary.

I just always remember what they are. They are just memories. If I uncovered every moment from the day I was born until now that I have lost, what good would it do? It was lost for a reason and while I know I will have to uncover some memories to heal, I don't worry over it. Memories only have as much control as you give them in your life. They are only memories and can not hurt you unless you let them so there's no point in worrying over them when all they are is history.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

But of course finding out the reasoning behind it and how to prevent it in the future is something that should be focused on more than uncovering the past.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Readytostop

I have limited memories from childhood. I remember lots about school but can't remember my bedroom growing up, toys I played with,,,not even my favorite doll that my mother says I took everywhere. I don't remember everything until I was age 11. Has anyone else experienced this type of memory loss? Have you recovered any memories? If not, how do you deal with it? accept the loss?

in general no one is that perfect human that remembers every single thing from their childhood. most people normally only remember little snippets and normal people do have the normal memory loss of not remembering their childhood. All kinds of things come in to play with the brain and how it works - genetics, a persons own chemical make up, a persons own reactions to life, medications and their environment, what is important to that person at the moment that they experience events, type of medications they are on, type of trauma they go through and also the persons age when trying to remember things, along with things like physical health problems can cause memory problems as can just about every single mental disorder there is out there.

I have a few different kinds of memory loss. memory loss that you describe fit each one of my problems. my medication prevents me from remembering every single detail of my life, my physical health problems also prevent me from remembering every single detail of my life as does my bipolar disorder and many dissociative disorders and so does my PTSD.

I deal with it by informing my treatment providers of any problems. they then evaluate my health, age, medications and mental status, run tests. then they tell me what the problem is and how I can best recover.

Yes I have recovered lost memories... some with the integration of my alters, some through trauma work / therapy with my therapist. Some through medication changes and adjustments and some through just living my life and the memories came back.

I deal with what I cant remember by reminding myself that no one is the perfect human that can remember everything. that normal people do not always remember their childhoods, I inform my treatment providers when there is a problem that is concerning me and I go on with my life just like normal people do, by not worrying that every time I cant remember something that it may mean its my dissociative problems. I just take it one day at a time.

my suggestion to any one that may be having memory problems - consult your treatment providers so that they can do their jobs making sure the problem is indeed just a dissociation problem. they can also tell you the best way for you to recover those lost memories. everyone remembers repressed memories in their own ways and not every ones way is physically or mentally right for another person. only a treatment provider can tell you which way is right for you.

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Readytostop

I have limited memories from childhood. I remember lots about school but can't remember my bedroom growing up, toys I played with,,,not even my favorite doll that my mother says I took everywhere. I don't remember everything until I was age 11. Has anyone else experienced this type of memory loss? Have you recovered any memories? If not, how do you deal with it? accept the loss?

other things like poor diet, lake of sleep and stress can also prevent someone from being able to remember things.

here is some information about dissociative amnesia that may help -

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disord...e_amnesia.aspx

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-amnesia

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dis...CTION=symptoms

theres many more just by googling "dissociative amnesia"