Erase Bad Memories Forever? Photo by Sasha Wolff
I’ve made some big mistakes in my life. One mistake in particular stole a chunk of years and left me only with the strewn wreckage of bad memories. These memories, innocently enough, are triggered by mere words.
For example, the word sunrise should invoke the rich, shimmering colors of daybreak into the mind’s eye. But if you used to watch each morning’s sunrise with someone who has become estranged, the word will remind you of loss and even betrayal.
Tragically, one of the most serene and beautiful exhibits of nature becomes a source of anguish, and an innocent seven letter word now carries a payload of painful memories that sears your soul every time you hear it.
Been there. Done that. Bought the t-shirt.
Okay, now let’s imagine the word sunrise no longer exists to you. The memories associated with the word sunrise stay dormant because they are not invoked, and dormant memories become forgotten in time.
So I’m testing a hypothesis. I believe that by learning and adopting a new language, you and I can eradicate memories of the past by replacing words that trigger bad memories with new words and a new vocabulary.
When your entire vocabulary has been replaced, and you think and dream in a new language all the time, any bad memories that were linked with old words and phrases wither away and die. It’s like the rebirth of the mind. The new language burns clean and sanctifies the mind of any vestiges of a painful past.
It’s like a frontal lobotomy without an incision.
I look forward to thinking and dreaming in Spanish, and perhaps my theory will be proven true for me. I will document my progress along the way.
P.S. If you’re not ready to learn a new language, but would like a new way to eradicate bad thoughts and habits, try my new game Addiction & Subtraction.
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