Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsChildhood AmnesiaNormal Memory Development in ChildhoodReasons Why You Might Not Remember Your ChildhoodHow to Cope With Childhood Memory Loss

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Table of Contents

Childhood Amnesia

Normal Memory Development in Childhood

Reasons Why You Might Not Remember Your Childhood

How to Cope With Childhood Memory Loss

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Ourearly childhood experiencesshape our self-concept and engagement with the world. These memories are key to our identity development as we move into adulthood. As a therapist, I often help clients reflect on their past, as the past helps us understand the present. But what happens if a client can’t remember their childhood?

There’s a common misconception that trauma is the main cause of childhood amnesia. A logical assumption but is completely unfounded. There are many reasons why one might not remember their childhood, from the complexities of brain development toa lack of social experiences.

If you’re worried about not remembering your childhood—and what possibly caused it—read on to learn more about childhood amnesia,how memory is developedthroughout childhood, what causes these struggles with memory, and how to cope with the lost memories.

At a GlanceInability to recall your childhood memories may be scary, especially if you don’t know what caused it. Oftentimes, people assume trauma is the root of their missing memories, but there are many possible explanations. (The brain is a tricky organ). Keep reading on to know why you might not remember aspects of your childhood and how to cope with this.

At a Glance

Inability to recall your childhood memories may be scary, especially if you don’t know what caused it. Oftentimes, people assume trauma is the root of their missing memories, but there are many possible explanations. (The brain is a tricky organ). Keep reading on to know why you might not remember aspects of your childhood and how to cope with this.

Childhood amnesia, also known asinfantile amnesia, refers to the inability of adults to retrieve early childhood memories. It’s completely normal to not remember episodic experiences that occurred from ages 0 to 3 and have a sparse selection of memories that occurred before age 10. Unlike “normal” adult memory loss where you forget small details over time, this memory recollection cannot be attributed to time passing.

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Remember, it is natural not to remember everything from your youth. A study found that it is common for children to misestimate the ages their memories occurred as they grow up. For example, they might remember a particular play date but will state it happened over a year later than it did.

Part of what cancause normal memory lossis the development of thehippocampus. The hippocampus is a region of the brain which is particularly important in the formations of memories of events that happened to us. It is also one of the unique regions of the brain that continues to produce new neurons into adulthood.

One hypothesis about why early memories are not remembered is that as these rapidly growing new neurons in childhood get integrated into brain circuits, they disrupt earlier networks of memories.

Another factor that is thought to play a role in infantile amnesia posits that these early memories are not completely gone, but that they are stored in a form that is not able to be retrieved explicitly later in our lives.

What Is Unresolved Trauma?

Not being able to recall your childhood memories may be concerning. It is important to recognize that aspect of this are expectable. However if this is causing you significant distress, it might be a good idea to seek outpsychotherapy. A therapist can help you better understand and work through what this might reflect.

If there are aspects of this that relate to early trauma, there are therapies that can help in processing this such aseye movement and desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) and other trauma focused psychotherapies.

While you may not be able to regain childhood memories, it can be important to focus onbuilding new and special memories in the present. Celebrate special occasions with loved ones and be sure to take photos of the experience.

Final Thoughts

The inability to remember parts of your life can feel scary. Our past inevitably informs our present and being unable to fully recall your past can leave you wondering if you’re missing out on understanding key parts of yourself. Some of these types of memory gaps are a normal part of the process of our brain development.

But if there are significant memory gaps that may be related tochildhood trauma—it may be time to seek support. A therapist is a great place to start. If you sense there’s a medical issue causing your memory loss, give your doctor a call.

There are activities that we can focus on in the present that help us make positive memories, including being intentional and mindful with your time and taking photos or keeping ajournal. It can all add up to a vault of memories you can cherish now and forever.

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5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Wang Q, Peterson C.The fate of childhood memories: children postdated their earliest memories as they grew older.Front Psychol. 2016;6:2038. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02038

medweb.How traumatic memories hide in the brain, and how to retrieve them. News Center.

Alberini, C. M., & Travaglia, A. (2017).Infantile amnesia: A critical period of learning to learn and remember.Journal of Neuroscience,37(24), 5783–5795.

Gainer D, Alam S, Alam H, Redding H.A flash of hope: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (Emdr) therapy.Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. 2020;17(7-9):12-20.

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