Hurting Memories and Beneficial Forgetting: Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, Biographical Developments, and Social Conflicts

Memories are indispensable for individuals as well as social groups. Forgetting not only means loss of functioning but also loss of identity. Memories can also be hurting and cause problems, as research on posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) has shown. This is true for individuals as well as social groups and even societies. Memories and especially negative memories can escape the control of the individual. Many political conflicts can only be understood when taking history and memories into account.

In this volume a comprehensive scientific overview is given on the development of "hurting memories" in individuals and societies. Consequences are described, i.e. from mental disorders in individuals, like PTSD or other neurotic disorders, to societal tensions and conflicts, from South Africa to Northern Europe. Additionally, "beneficial forgetting" is discussed, from treatments of individuals to reconciliation between social groups. The contrasting of "hurting memories and beneficial forgetting" can help to understand, that memories can have positive and negative results and that it is difficult to decide when to support memories and when forgetting.

Bringing individual and societal memories in coincetion - the benefit is a new perspective on the interactrion between individuals and societyPointing to possible negative consequences of memory - the benefit is a new perspective of an important but under recognized scientific and clinical problemPresenting modes of treatment and reconciliation for individuals and social groups - an overview which can't be found elsewhere

1. Neural Signature of Emotional Memories and their Effects on Emotional Responding

2. Memory and Meaning

3. Retraumatization and Sensitization

4. Pathological modes of remembering. The PTSD experience

5. Prejudices, stereotypes and symbolized thinking as condensed memories

6. Paramnesias, suggested and false memories and their individual and societal consequences

7. Pharmacology of learning and forgetting

8. Not remembered trauma – lifelong symptoms

9. Sexual childhood abuse and enduring personality change

10. Spectrum of posttraumatic mental reactions and disorders

11. Working with unconscious and explicit memories in psychotherapy

12. Exposure and eye movement desensitization

13. Narrative psychotherapy

14. Wisdom psychotherapy

15. Memories as cause of political conflicts and wars

16. Coping with hurting memories in large social settings - how truth commissions work and what they achieve

17. Forgiveness in post-apartheid South Africa