How can I forget about the bad memories of my past?

Try not to associate any activities that trigger those bad thoughts or experience memories that your talking about stay clear of those dreadful painful things we have all been there make new positive memories that will over time replace those bad thoughts and memories you keep this up and your on the right road to recovery to quit abcessing about the past bad experiences that your thinking of try some spiritual techniques do some research find your triggers that’s the main thing you must do to begin the path of resolve and recovery my friend take it easy think solutions

try and take your mind of it! you can get a pet or plant to take care of. you can go hiking or swimming. you can take up drawing or painting! anything you want to do! remember to take care of you! self care days are very important for a healthy mind and body.

It is important to work through your issues and talk about them in order for them to be forgiven and/or forgotten. It may be the case that they cannot be forgotten at all, and that someone will simply heal from the wounds that were provided and still hold that memory. The memory can change over time and the feelings about it can also change with education on their issue and why they feel that way and how the memory has impacted their life decisions, who they are as a person, and what they struggle with presently. The person may want to seek counseling if this issue persists.

Trying your best to live in the now is one of the most helpful things so live by. Know that you are not bound to your past and things of the future are not dependent on bad events in the past. Journal or use another outlet to vent how you feel about what had happened. You can write bad memories of the past on a plate and shatter it has a form of closure or write it all on a piece of paper and burn it. All are very freeing activities and work for many to feel a sense of closures. Also if there are relationships that you feel that are reminding you of the past you can reach out to those people for that to help you move on if you feel that is an option for your situation.

Throughout our lives we accumulate memories we’d rather forget. For people who’ve experienced a serious trauma, such as combat experience, domestic violence, or childhood abuse, these memories can be more than unwelcome — they can be debilitating. Scientists are just beginning to understand the complex process of memory. But there’s still a lot they don’t understand, including why some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and others do not. Research into intentional forgetting has only been going on for about a decade. Prior to that, memory research revolved around retaining and improving memory. The topic of erasing or suppressing memories is controversial. Recent researchTrusted Source into “forgetting pills” is frequently challenged on the grounds of medical ethics. For some people though, it could be a lifesaver. Keep reading to learn what we know so far about intentionally forgetting things. How to forget painful memories 1. Identify your triggers Memories are cue-dependent, which means they require a trigger. Your bad memory isn’t constantly in your head; something in your present environment reminds you of your bad experience and triggers the recall process. Some memories have only a few triggers, like particular smells or images, whereas others have so many that they are hard to avoid. For example, someone with a combat-related trauma might be triggered by loud noises, the smell of smoke, closed doors, particular songs, items on the side of the road, and so on. Identifying your most common triggers can help you take control of them. When you consciously recognize a trigger, you can practice suppressing the negative association. The more often you suppress this association, the easier it will become. Researchers believeTrusted Source you can also reassociate a trigger with a positive or safe experience, thereby breaking the link between the trigger and the negative memory. 2. Talk to a therapist Take advantage of the process of memory reconsolidation. Every time you recall a memory, your brain rewires that memory. After a trauma, wait a few weeks for your emotions to die down and then actively recall your memory in a safe space. Some therapists advise you to talk about the experience in detail once or twice per week. Others prefer that you write out a narrative of your story and then read it during therapy. Forcing your brain to repeatedly reconstruct your painful memory will allow you to rewrite your memory in a way that reduces the emotional trauma. You won’t be erasing your memory, but when you do remember, it will be less painful. 3. Memory suppression For years, researchersTrusted Source have been investigating a theory of memory suppression called the think/no-think paradigm. They believe that you can use your brain’s higher functions, like reasoning and rationality, to consciously interrupt the process of memory recall. Basically, this means that you practice intentionally shutting down your painful memory as soon as it starts. After doing this for several weeks or months, you can (theoretically) train your brain not to remember. You basically weaken the neural connection that allows you to call up that particular memory. 4. Exposure therapy Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral therapy widely used in the treatment of PTSD, which can be particularly helpful for flashbacks and nightmares. While working with a therapist, you safely confront both traumatic memories and common triggers so that you can learn to cope with them. Exposure therapy, sometimes called prolonged exposure, involves frequently retelling or thinking about the story of your trauma. In some cases, therapists bring patients to places that they have been avoiding because of PTSD. A multisite clinical trialTrusted Source of exposure therapy among female service members found that exposure therapy was more successful than another common therapy at reducing PTSD symptoms. 5. Propranolol Propranolol is a blood pressure medication from the class of medications known as beta blockers, and it’s often used in the treatment of traumatic memories. Propranolol, which is also used to treat performance anxiety, stops the physical fear response: shaky hands, sweating, racing heart, and dry mouth. Recent double-blind trialsTrusted Source in 60 people with PTSD found that a dose of propranolol given 90 minutes before the start of a memory recall session (telling your story), once a week for six weeks, provided a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms. This process takes advantage of the memory reconsolidation process that happens when you recall a memory. Having propranolol in your system while you recall a memory suppresses the emotional fear response. Later, people are still able to remember the details of the event, but it no longer feels devastating and unmanageable. Propranolol has a very high safety profile, which means it’s generally considered safe. Psychiatrists will often prescribe this medication off-label. (It’s not yet FDA-approved for the treatment of PTSD.) You can inquire about local psychiatrists in your area and see if they use this treatment protocol in their practices.

One of the techniques I use to move on from a situation I will no longer like to remember is meditation. Meditation helps clear the mind on focus on the now. I find that meditation may come differently for each person. The way I use it is breathing exercises. This helps me concentrate and appreciate what is happening in the present moment rather than dwell on the past. Clearing the mind allows you to move on from undesired past experiences. Another way I stop thinking about the past is physical activities such as yoga, walking, and hiking. These have all helped me in the past.

Everyone has their own personal story from their past that they would like to just forget about. This is very true for me as I have suffered from PTSD and anxiety, even as a very young child. I personally think that some of your bad memories will never go away, no matter how long ago it was. There are alternative ways to overcome these bad memories though. Throughout the past few months, I have really focused on myself and had lots of me time. This has benefitted me because I have realised that you cannot get rid of bad memories but you can accept them as they are, and continue to live your life. It is, of course not as easy as it sounds, but is it certainly possible.

I don't think we can ever forget memories. Good or bad. What we can do is recognize them and find a way to make peace with them. Therapy is a great place to work through those memories and find a way forward. Bad memories can be difficult and can often feel constricting if we don't seek resolution. It is important to honour how you feel and find peace with these type of memories so you can move forward. It's like sweeping dust under the carpet when you try to ignore or run from them. Just because you can't see the dust it is still there. Therapy is like a broom, it rolls up that carpet and sweeps it all out right into the dust bin.

It's undeniable, for various reasons, that bad memories are something that we would not want to remember if possible. Although, there is no direct way to take a memory out from your brain, if it is affecting you in the moment, you can always take a deep breathe and find an activity that you do like. Doing this will make a new memory. Sometimes, forgetting something isn't the best course. Although it may be painful sometimes and you want to let go of that hurt, those bad memories could have changed your past or your future and although you want to let it go, a part of it may have even made a piece of your soul. If you find yourself unable to forget, time will soften that pain, but embracing it could also mean growing and one day that bad memory will be a lesson.

Well, memories cannot be forgotten- that's why they are called memories. How we perceive them can be changed and that should help one to move on and go ahead in life. For as long as we see the memory as something bad/ as something that hurt us/ as something that broke us/ as something that changed our life, that's how long we will be enslaved to that memory. It is we ourselves who give power to the memory to affect us. Look at the memory as an experience, as a learning curve. Let not your past define you. You are not moving in that direction.