Should We “Hit Delete” on Bad Memories?

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Canada’s CBC Radio has produced a one-hour documentary for its “Ideas” program exploring the science, therapeutics and ethics of our burgeoning capability to erase memories.

The program summary states, “Some neuroscientists believe they are on the verge of being able to delete memories. It could mean a cure for people who suffer from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). But at what cost to the individual and at what cost to society? Dick Miller delves into the science and the ethics of memory deletion.”

Interviewees include various Canadian soldiers, assault survivors, advocates for victims of violent crimes, psychiatrists, neuroscientists and psychologists.

Hit Delete (CBC Radio Ideas, September 24, 2014)

6 COMMENTS

    • I absolutely agree, B. Right now child molesters already know to ship abused children off to the psychiatrists to be defamed and tranquilized to cover up their child abuse. 85% of those labeled as “schizophrenics” today, were actually dealing with child trauma issues, not a “genetic” disease.

      Is there a chance in hell, the child molesters won’t ship abused children off to the psychiatrists and neurologists to have bad memories deleted, if this becomes an option. No.

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  2. Brain damage does ‘work’ , unless the neuro scientists are talking about something different. I believe everyone has a capacity to be distressed – its there anyway; its how we deal with it.

    Naturally enough the researchers like all bio researchers want to stay in work.

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  3. They have been working on a pill to erase memory:

    http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(13)01589-4

    It is extremely dangerous to make such an intervention. What if the symptoms of the trauma persist but the person doesn’t know where does it come from.

    They keep blaming the brain and the brain only but they know too little of the brain’s complexity and it’s relation to the whole body.

    What about those people who receive the heart of someone and all of a sudden start having feeling of the donor?

    I would never do anything like this.

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  4. It can be difficult to explain where a lot of trauma comes from because our emotions come from our very early years, before we can establish our memories.

    But if the old trauma shows up as PTSD it still has to be dealt with. Its inside in the person and can crop up as a fear of something in the present.

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