Traumatic memories of war veterans: not so special after all

Consciousness and Cognition
Elke GeraertsIngrid Candel

Abstract

Several authors have argued that traumatic experiences are processed and remembered in a qualitatively different way from neutral events. To investigate this issue, we interviewed 121 Croatian war veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) about amnesia, intrusions (i.e., flashbacks and nightmares), and the sensory qualities of their most horrific war memories. Additionally, they completed a self-report scale measuring dissociative experiences. In contrast to what one would expect on the basis of theories emphasizing the special status of traumatic memories, amnesia, and high frequency intrusions were not particularly typical for our sample of traumatized individuals. Moreover, traumatic memories were not qualitatively different from neutral memories with respect to their stability and sensory qualities. The severity of PTSD symptoms was not significantly correlated with dissociative experiences. Our findings do not support the existence of special memory mechanisms that are unique to experiencing traumatic events.

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Citations

Sep 13, 2006·Law and Human Behavior·Elke GeraertsHarald Merckelbach
Sep 14, 2007·Memory·Nicoline Marie Hall, Dorthe Berntsen
Dec 26, 2007·Memory·Elke Geraerts, Marko Jelicic
Aug 27, 2011·Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry·David G PearsonVictoria L Webster
Jun 29, 2007·Journal of Experimental Child Psychology·Heather L Price, Deborah A Connolly
Apr 24, 2010·Consciousness and Cognition·David C Rubin
Jul 6, 2019·Anxiety, Stress, and Coping·Derrecka M Boykin, Ellen J Teng

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