Memory is a tricky subject. When recalling certain events in our lives, we tend to fill in missing information to make our story more coherent, and this missing information may be told to us by other people. As a result, many of the memories we have from certain events may not even be true memories. For example, lets say you fell off your bike and had no recollection of it. But, your friend told you the details of how and where you fell off your bike. This causes you to consider your friend’s description as your own memory. This is called “Implanting memories”, and it is the phenomenon where people consider memories as true because the events are told to them by other people. In extreme cases, people can even be convinced that something happened to them that had never occurred. I experienced the phenomenon of implanted memories when I got a concussion, and although I wasn’t lied to about what happened to me, I still cannot tell which events are my own memories.
The events leading up to and following the concussion are blurry. I remember walking through the woods with my friends, and since nobody told me about this particular part, I can assume that it actually happened. Then, we had the fantastic idea of pushing each other while laying in a hammock. Although I have been told about this part, I am almost certain that I have valid memories of pushing my friends in the hammock that day. I was told that my concussion occurred because I tried to grab a leaf from a tree while being swung in the hammock but accidentally grabbed a whole branch. This ruined my momentum and caused me to fall abruptly to the ground. Here is where it all gets blurry. I have memories of grabbing leaves from the branches while being swung in the hammock, but is this because I was told that grabbing the leaves was the cause of my concussion? I don’t know for sure, and, in fact, I never will. After I fell, my friends told me that I didn’t remember why I was there. This caused some of my friends to tease me because they thought I was joking. For others, it caused panic and fear. For the first few weeks after the concussion, I didn’t remember any of their reactions. But as I was told what happened, I began to have visual memories of my friend’s reactions. However, these “memories”, no matter how real they seem to me, are most definitely fake.
The stories I have been told about my concussion caused me to form memories that likely not true, and I am certain about this. But, what truly interests me is the fact that I cannot distinguish between reality and implanted memories. Whether I actually remember grabbing the leaves or pushing the hammock is a mystery to me. Also, scenarios like these are not limited to concussions. There can be several memories I have that I think are true but only seem real to me because someone told me. Memory is tricky, and it can blur the lines of reality.
I have had five concussions and also question my memories of them and my memory in general. I have a hard time retrieving information from long term memory, but I can usually recall after someone talks to me about the topic, which is probably me just filling holes with what they say not actually remembering. I haven’t noticed as much of an effect in short term or working memory, but my long term was definitely affected.