Published January 14,2025
Subscribe
Erasing dangerous recollections and traumatic flashbacks might be a major step in treating many psychological well being points.
Scientists have developed a promising strategy: reactivating optimistic recollections to weaken unfavorable ones.
An worldwide analysis workforce carried out a multi-day experiment with 37 members, asking them to affiliate random phrases with unfavorable pictures. Later, they aimed to reprogram half of those associations and “intervene” within the unfavorable recollections.
In their printed paper, researchers said:
“We observed that this procedure weakened the recall of negative memories and increased the involuntary activation of positive memories.”
RE-CODING WITH POSITIVE IMAGES
The research used well-known databases of unfavorable pictures, resembling accidents or harmful animals, and optimistic pictures, like calm landscapes or laughing youngsters.
On the primary night, members obtained reminiscence coaching to affiliate unfavorable pictures with meaningless phrases. The subsequent day, after these recollections have been strengthened by sleep, half of the phrases have been re-coded by linking them to optimistic pictures.
INTERVENTION DURING SLEEP
On the second night time, the members have been performed audio recordings of meaningless phrases throughout the non-rapid eye motion (NREM) section of sleep, an important time for reminiscence consolidation. Brain exercise was monitored with electroencephalography (EEG).
The theta wave exercise, associated to emotional reminiscence processing, was noticed to extend in response to auditory reminiscence cues, particularly for optimistic cues.
In follow-up surveys, members have been discovered to be much less profitable in recalling unfavorable recollections combined with optimistic ones. The optimistic recollections related to these phrases got here to thoughts extra usually and have been seen with a extra optimistic emotional outlook.
NEW HORIZONS IN TREATMENT
The researchers concluded, “A non-invasive sleep intervention could alter negative memories and emotional responses. Our findings may offer new perspectives on treating trauma or pathological memories.”
While the analysis continues to be in its early levels, it reveals promise. Ongoing research are exploring how extra advanced recollections will be regulated in real-world settings and the way lengthy these results can final.
Source: www.anews.com.tr