Reducing one's traumatic memories

As you know many of our soldiers who have served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as in WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf suffer(ed) from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Unfortunately in a recent article in Time magazine, this diagnosis has also been linked to an increase in suicides among our military veterans, particularly those who were deployed several times.

a) What if we could reduce the negative impact of their traumatic memories, so that these men and women are able to live somewhat normal lives?

I am also thinking about the current war in Ukraine and Russia and the trauma being experienced by not only the soldiers, but also the civilians. It is devastating. to think about the short-term and long-term consequences.

As researchers continue to investigate the storage of long-term memories, we are faced with various issues surrounding the possibility of decreasing the intensity of long-term traumatic memories. Substances such aspropranodolappear to reduce the stress levels of individuals who suffer from traumatic events after they were exposed to "triggers" (i.e., reminders of the events).

Please read the following weblinks: http://www.medicaldaily.com/memory-forgetting-and-propranolol-should-some-experiences-never-be-recalled-video-247469

On the other hand, New York University psychology professor, Elizabeth Phelps, states that we can use non-invasive techniques rather than drugs to reduce painful/traumatic memories. http://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/events-news/Elizabeth_Phelps_Fear.html. If the above weblink for Elizabeth Phelps does not work, then please try this video on YouTube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQs9GFSRx48).

b) What do you think about these different types of treatments? Do you prefer one treatment over the other?

c) To what degree of trauma would warrant such a treatment (e.g., war, rape, witness to an accident or murder, mass shooting, natural disaster)?

d) In addition, why would researchers want only to reduce the intensity of traumatic memories rather than erase them altogether? What might be some of the practical or ethical issues involved with erasing unwanted memories?

This topic also reminds me of the testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2018 fromDr. Christine Blasey-Fordand her recollection of being sexually assaulted by Brett Kavanaugh when they were in high school. If you watched her testimony, she mentioned the effects of traumatic memories as well as the neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Here is a less than 2 minute video from our local CBS news station about Dr. Blasey-Ford's memories and the effects of sexual assault. Dr. Blasey-Ford's testimony & traumatic memories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kSzHdNgxYc

Here's an article on the science behind Dr. Blasey-Ford's testimony and her traumatic memories fromTimemagazine in September 2018.

The Science behind Dr. Blasey-Ford's testimony

Links to an external site.

https://time.com/5408567/christine-blasey-ford-science-of-memory/

In addition, please look over this weblink from FedTech Magazine (published in December 22, 2021) regarding the use of virtual reality to help soldiers with PTSD. The basic idea is that exposing the victim to his/her/their painful memories in a controlled environment helps him/her/they cope more effectively. The title of this article is "How the VA is Using VR for Veterans' Therapy." What do you think of this therapeutic approach https://fedtechmagazine.com/article/2021/12/how-va-using-vr-veterans-therapy-perfcon