The curse of a perfect memory
The 'woman who can't forget' talks about her life
Ms. Price can remember what happened every day since 1980 and most days since 1974. She will tell you if someone famous died, or if there was an earthquake, an election or another major news event.
She especially remembers what she was doing at any given moment.
In her newly released memoir, The Woman Who Can't Forget, Ms. Price describes her remarkable faculty, explaining that while she can summon her memories at will, some flash through her mind all day long.
"It is like breathing or dreaming. I can't control it," she says. "It is as though I'm actually living through them again."
Imagine reliving every fight you ever had with a parent or a close friend, every insult that rankled, every devastating, sad and humiliating moment of your life. Imagine never truly leaving your toddler and teenage years behind.
"It is hard to grow up," Ms. Price says, "when you are always walking beside yourself."
At 34, after years of anxiety over how her memories were holding her back, Ms. Price finally decided to look for answers about what was going on in her brain.
Her case offered an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about how the rest of us store, retrieve and manage a lifetime of memories, a process scientists don't understand.
Full story here. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...l_gam_mostview
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What a remarkable story!! Read especially the book excerpt: A gift, at long last, out of the childhood traumas on page 4.
I, too, have traumatic memories from my childhood, and I'm sure my children in turn have theirs.
If nothing else, this story raises awareness that we all should tread a little softer!
The 'woman who can't forget' talks about her life
Ms. Price can remember what happened every day since 1980 and most days since 1974. She will tell you if someone famous died, or if there was an earthquake, an election or another major news event.
She especially remembers what she was doing at any given moment.
In her newly released memoir, The Woman Who Can't Forget, Ms. Price describes her remarkable faculty, explaining that while she can summon her memories at will, some flash through her mind all day long.
"It is like breathing or dreaming. I can't control it," she says. "It is as though I'm actually living through them again."
Imagine reliving every fight you ever had with a parent or a close friend, every insult that rankled, every devastating, sad and humiliating moment of your life. Imagine never truly leaving your toddler and teenage years behind.
"It is hard to grow up," Ms. Price says, "when you are always walking beside yourself."
At 34, after years of anxiety over how her memories were holding her back, Ms. Price finally decided to look for answers about what was going on in her brain.
Her case offered an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about how the rest of us store, retrieve and manage a lifetime of memories, a process scientists don't understand.
Full story here. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...l_gam_mostview
------------------------------------------------------
What a remarkable story!! Read especially the book excerpt: A gift, at long last, out of the childhood traumas on page 4.
I, too, have traumatic memories from my childhood, and I'm sure my children in turn have theirs.
If nothing else, this story raises awareness that we all should tread a little softer!