Forgotten Information

Where does the information go that we “forget?”

 If your brain believes the information is important—based on its tracking of your history, it likely will move it into long-term memory. The rest is purged, out in the electronic universe perhaps. Consolidation—a label for the brain moving information into long term memory, occurs during sleep. If sleep is cut short, some of what you might prefer to have retained is lost. Information loaded from Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs involving mental, physical, emotional, or sexual trauma—especially if it occurred prior to the easy use of language—may be buried so deeply in the brain’s subconscious, it may be recalled only as pictures, sensations, or feelings. Some memories may be buried so deeply they may be recalled only with the help of a skilled therapist—if at all.