We All Have Memories That Awaken The Soul

There are memories that suddenly awaken our souls and give us a familiar, almost naughty smile. But no, how therapeutic is it! For in difficult moments there is nothing like finding the key to our memories and letting ourselves, little by little, be taken back to the joys of the past. It gives us strength in the present. It is often said that memories capture incredible moments that no photograph would ever be able to capture. For no electronic medium can evoke scents, a breeze of joy on the skin, the  feeling of a kiss or a hot sunset.

After wonderful moments, there are unforgettable moments. It is they who make us laugh, who awaken our souls and show us that everything that once sat in the mind still lives on in the heart.

One aspect we need to keep in mind about the memory is that despite what many believe, it is not a bottomless coffin. It is not a place of infinite capacity, where we store data, images and experiences that completely correspond to reality and hide them away. The memory is actually like a canvas, able to create, bring out new colors, transform and even erase.

Memories and the lock of our conscience

William James is a renowned philosopher, psychologist, and brother of Henry James. To him, memories and conscience are like a key and a lock. Let’s look at an example. When we listen to a song, our memory immediately travels to a moment in our past. We do not need a time machine. It is an involuntary memory, just one of many that occurs almost without us being aware of it, during the day.

We are sent for a few seconds into the blurred memory. In that moment, it can have positive or negative effects, until our conscience quickly then calls on us and “pulls” us back to the lock of reality. This rapid but intense journey is embedded in our own conscience. It is far from completely disconnected from reality and useless.

We spend a lot of our time remembering things and awakening our past. Neuroscience explains why we do it. For memory is the eternal journey that invites us to our island to evaluate the past, act in the present, and plan our future. All of this is built into our conscience, into the thriving, chaotic and distinctive “everything” that characterizes each and every one of us.

The need to be architects of our present to create positive memories

“Positive experiences create good memories”. This is something everyone is aware of. It’s not exactly rocket science. But it is also clear to us that  we do not always have the opportunity to create happy, happy or pleasant experiences. Sometimes luck is not with us. There are disappointments, changes of direction on our path, traumatic experiences and even gray days.

One aspect we mentioned at the beginning, and which we will return to now, is memory and its not always faithful reflection of facts. The same reality experienced by two people can be remembered in different ways. Because we all interpret and perceive what we see differently. Therein lies the magic of human memory. The brain is not a camera or a copier. The brain is a great interpreter.
But this fact is an incredible weapon that we can use for ourselves. Keep reading! We explain why.

The memory and the emotions

We can all be architects of our own reality and use our memory and emotions to continue on our personal path with greater confidence and strength. To do this, you should consider these strategies.

• The selective memory that allows us to heal wounds. Let us show an example. You just broke up with someone. One way to confront grief is by avoiding focusing our memory on negative or traumatic events. By doing this we become prisoners of suffering. It is about acceptance, about being able to end that part of our lives, and about allowing the good memories we have experienced to have more value than the negative ones. Only then will we see it as a  “life worth living.”
• The memories we have when we suffer from depression can be a double-sided sword. According to an interesting study published in the journal  Frontiers in Psychology , inviting a patient with depression to recall happy memories of their past can backfire.  In these cases, it has been seen that the brain is unable to activate its “reward circuits”. Depressed people are characterized by a state of mind in which they are unable to enjoy memories or positive experiences.

So in dark moments, before we return to our “coffin”, it is best to “build the present”, to connect with the present and be able to understand that sometimes it is enough just to change a thought we have, to could create a new feeling that is able to enhance our reality. S helpful sometimes need of change engine just a vital spark. A positive and hopeful feeling.