What happens when the brain tries to protect itself by erasing memories? Dissociative memory loss is one way the human mind copes with trauma -- it causes gaps in memory that go beyond everyday forgetfulness. Dissociative memory loss is a complex and often misunderstood experience. In this article, we’ll explore what dissociative memory loss is, why it happens, and how it can impact activities of daily living. Whether you’re learning about it for yourself or to support a loved one, understanding is the first step toward healing.
What is dissociation?
Dissociation happens when your brain disconnects from your thoughts, feelings, memories, or even your sense of identity. It’s like mentally stepping away from yourself or your surroundings. While dissociation can sometimes be a normal response to stress, for some people, it becomes more intense and disruptive. Common symptoms of dissociation include: problems with identity, experiencing too much, experiencing too little, and other other changes in awareness.
Can a dissociative disorder cause memory loss?
Yes, dissociation can cause memory loss. Memory loss is a symptom of dissociative identity disorder (DID). Dissociative amnesia is memory loss caused by dissociation without the presence of any identity disruption.
What is dissociative amnesia?
Dissociative amnesia is memory loss beyond normal forgetfulness that cannot be explained by other medical conditions or by the use of mind altering substances.
What does dissociative amnesia look like?
Some people who experience dissociative amnesia can't recall anything, while others can recall some parts of a past experience but not certain essential parts. Others, have a suspicion that something happened without having any personal memory of those events or describe their memory as foggy.
Types of Dissociative Amnesia
Retrograde: Retrograde memory loss refers to the inability to recall any autobiographical information from a specific past period (note: this is not limited to memories surrounding a specific event). Typically people with dissociative amnesia are able to remember contemporary life events.
Localized: This is the most common type of dissociative amnesia. Localized amnesia refers to the inability to recall events that occurred during a specific/limited time period, often tied to trauma. For example, not being able to remember the hours or days surrounding a traumatic incident.
Retrospective: Retrospective amnesia refers to not being able to remember both traumatic experiences and everyday life events that occurred during the same time frame as the traumatic experiences.
Selective: In this type, the person remembers some, but not all, events from a certain period. For instance, they might recall parts of a traumatic event while being unable to access other parts of the memory.
Systematized: Systematized amnesia is memory loss that is tied to a specific category of information. In other words, someone might forget details about a certain person, location, or event only when it relates to a specific category of information. For example, an individual might have no recall of a sibling’s abusive behavior but remember other aspects of their childhood home.
Generalized: Generalized memory loss is a rare form of dissociative amnesia where a person loses memory of their entire life history, potentially including their own personal identity, general knowledge of the world, and even well-learned skills. Generalized amnesia has an acute onset and often presents with confusion or disorientation (dissociative fugue).
Continuous: In this rare subtype, the individual forgets each new event as it occurs, making it impossible to retain new information or memories.
What are the symptoms of dissociative amnesia?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5TR), symptoms of dissociative amnesia include:
A. An inability to recall important autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic of stressful nature, that is inconsistent with ordinary forgetting.
B. The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
C. The disturbance is not attributable to the psychological effects of a substance (e.g., alcohol or other drug of abuse, a medication) or neurological or other medical conditions (e.g., partial complex seizures, a transient global amnesia, sequelae of closed head injury/traumatic brain injury, or other neurological condition).
D. The disturbance is not better explained by dissociative identity disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder, somatic symptom disorder, or major or mild neurocognitive disorder.
Simply put, individuals with dissociative amnesia experience memory loss beyond everyday forgetfulness that is caused by a traumatic or stressful event. The memory loss negatively impacts their ability to function, and is not better explained by substance use or another mental health disorder. That said, people with dissociative amnesia may also struggle with related mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, or sexual disfunction.
What is dissociative amnesia with fugue?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5TR), symptoms of dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue also includes:
Apparently purposeful travel or bewildered wandering that is associated with amnesia for identity or for other important autobiographical information.
In other words, an individual experiencing dissociative amnesia with dissociative fugue has all of the symptoms of dissociative amnesia, and they also experience some memory loss surrounding their identity which causes them to travel or wander away from their usual surroundings. During a fugue episode, a person may not remember who they are, where they’re going, or why they're going there. It’s like their identity temporarily disappears. These episodes can last for hours, days, or, in rare cases, even longer.
What causes dissociative amnesia?
Dissociative amnesia is typically triggered by traumatic or highly stressful events that exceed an individual's ability to cope. Forgetting is the brain's way of protecting itself -- it blocks out memories that are too overwhelming to remember. In some cases, the memory loss extends beyond the traumatic event itself, encompassing other unrelated memories from the same time period or even parts of everyday life.
What are the risk factors for dissociative amnesia?
The main risk factor for developing dissociative amnesia is severe or prolonged trauma. For example, childhood sexual abuse and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), brutal military combat, or torture. That said, not everyone who experiences trauma develops dissociative amnesia. There is also a genetic component that can increase the likelihood of developing dissociative amnesia. Both environmental factors (like experiencing trauma) and genetic predispositions contribute to the development of dissociative amnesia.
Why does dissociative amnesia occur?
When faced with trauma, some people’s minds “shut down” as a defense mechanism. It’s almost like the brain puts up a wall around painful memories to help the person cope. While this may provide temporary relief, people with dissociative amnesia often struggle with disruptions in their daily lives due to gaps in memory that make it difficult to fully recall important personal experiences or events.
How is dissociative amnesia diagnosed?
A mental health professional, like a therapist, can diagnose dissociative amnesia. They’ll ask about your symptoms, history of trauma, and any medical conditions to rule out other causes of memory loss, like brain injuries or medical issues.
How common is dissociative amnesia?
Dissociative amnesia is considered rare. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5TR) estimates that just 1.2% of adults in the United States experience dissociative amnesia.
How is dissociative amnesia treated?
Dissociative amnesia is typically treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication management. A 2021 study found attachment-based therapy to be one of the most effective psychotherapies for dissociative amnesia.
Can dissociative amnesia be cured?
There is a lack of research surrounding this. According to a 2014 paper written by Dr. Angelica Staniloiu and Professor Hans J. Markowitsch, PhD:
Some amnesias remit spontaneously or after treatment, others decrease in symptoms and severity, and still others show a chronic or even deteriorating course.
Psychotherapy can help with ensuring the safety of individuals experiencing dissociative amnesia and with symptom reduction. It can be scary to experience memory loss, no one needs to go through that alone -- therapy provides a safe space to process emotions that might otherwise feel unbearable.
Can dissociative amnesia last for years?
It's possible that dissociative amnesia can last for years. Dissociative memory loss has been show to last anywhere from minutes to decades -- however, in a 2021 study, it was most commonly reported to between 2 and 6 days.
Can dissociative amnesia come and go?
According to a 2021 study, the majority of people who experience dissociative amnesia report only experiencing it once in their life. However, there are reports of people this dissociative memory loss being experienced as many as three or more times. More research should be conducted on this topic to help us to understsand dissociative amnesia even better.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with dissociative memory loss or other symptoms of dissociation, don't hesitate to reach out. I'm a Brooklyn-based therapist, and I offer online therapy for individuals located in New York. Together we can explore your symptoms and develop a personalized treatment plan to help you feel less alone in your experience.
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