Can You Recover Repressed Memories? A Therapist Explains Dissociation and Trauma

Are repressed memories real? Can you recover them — and should you even try? In this episode of Ask Kati Anything, licensed therapist Kati Morton dives into the complex topic of repressed and suppressed memories, why dissociation happens during trauma, and whether it's possible to retrieve lost experiences. If you’ve ever wondered why you remember some painful moments and forget others, or how to talk to a therapist about memory gaps, this video is for you. We also explore: • Why some traumatic memories disappear • The connection between dissociation and memory loss • How to safely work with a therapist to recover memories • Kati’s personal story about grief and emotional overwhelm 📚 Preorder Kati’s new book "Why Do I Keep Doing This?" → https://geni.us/XoyLSQ Ask Kati Anything ep. 263 | Your mental health podcast, with Kati Morton, LMFT Audience questions: 1. Can you talk about suppressed memories? My dad died when I was young, I was in the room, but I'm missing huge gaps in my memory. Why does this occur? And why only parts of the memory instead of the entire memory. 2. I've been going down the journey of realizing I'm autistic for a year now (I'm 40y.o. female) and the navigation of the grief of what I thought were things I could overcome but struggled to do, and now realizing I will never overcome some of my issues ever. 3. What inspired you to become a therapist, and how did you get started? I want to thank you for your incredible work. 4. My question is, how could I know if I have ever been in a dysthymia-like state, provided that I don’t recall myself as a ‘happy’ kid/teenager but someone feeling depressed and suicidal on and off for maybe a year or two? I’m 25 now and in hindsight, my first depressive episode was at age 15, due to an acute stressor. But I tend to think my personality/character hasn’t changed much since a very young age. Through the following years I’ve had quite a few distinct depressive episodes and was diagnosed with MDD, which makes perfect sense. Yet I still somehow find the ‘good’ time in between had a fleeting, almost phantom-like feature. I was happy with my friends, of course, but as soon as we parted, I was back into the default, muted mode, or a tranquil mood but in the sense of ‘tranquilliser.’ 5. How do I ask my therapist for touch to ground me when I dissociate? I have a history of csa that happened from my mom from 6 to 12 and have a fear that I can have a panic attack because I have panic disorder. I tend to dissociate a lot during a session, which makes it hard to progress when I can't stay present. I have bpd which doesn't help as I am attached to my therapist and wish she was my mom. I just don't want her to think I'm weird, disgusting, or dirty for asking for touch. What can I do or say to not feel uncomfortable or weird during my session when asking? 6. I have been in some form of counselling/therapy since I was 12, I'm now 32. 6 years ago I was diagnosed with BPD and I have been having private DBT therapy for the past year, as it is not available on the NHS. I have recently had an in-depth comprehensive psychological formulation assessment (which I paid for privately) and have been told that I have a dissociative disorder as the result of complex childhood trauma. It wasn't a diagnostic assessment so I don't know which dissociative disorder I have. My question is I am still having DBT and although I really like my therapist 🎧 Whether you're on a healing journey or just curious about how the mind protects itself, Kati offers compassion, clinical insight, and hope. 💬 Let us know in the comments: Have you experienced memory gaps after trauma? ONLINE THERAPY (enjoy 10% off your first month) While I do not currently offer online therapy, BetterHelp can connect you with a licensed, online therapist: https://betterhelp.com/kati PARTNERSHIPS Nick Freeman | [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices