BBC Radio 4 2016-05-09

BBC Radio 4 2016-05-09

Good morning. In a moving interview on the eve of the Invictus Games, Prince Harry has spoken about how his childhood memories of his mother are fading, and remain very precious for him.

For many, a fading memory is a source of concern and frustration, while for others traumatic memories are a continued source of pain, New research in the US, at Dartmouth College and Princeton, using brain imaging techniques, seems to show that some memories can be intentionally forgotten by changing the context in which people think about them. It has been known for a long time that contexts such as places, visual images, music or relationships can help organising or retrieving memories. Subjects in this new study were shown random words presented to them associated with images of outdoor scenes, and then asked to forget or remember the words. Brain scans tracked how those scenes faded in and out of their thoughts over time and showed that participants were able to forget by 'flushing out' the brain activity related to the associated scenes.

The important consequence of this study is that we can intentionally forget by changing our mental context. This gives hope to those trapped by painful memories, although such change is different in each individual and of course can take considerable time. Nevertheless, the triumph of the Invictus Games demonstrates one way in which this can be achieved.

Memories do define us as individuals and communities. Some memories inspire good, but some continue to be the source of bitterness, jealousy and hatred. I remember talking with someone who had been severely hurt both physically and mentally by the evil actions of others. After justice had been achieved, she was full of forgiveness for her abusers. I asked her how she had got to such a place. She said it was a daily struggle, but that each day in prayer she thought about the love and forgiveness of Jesus and in the light of that she would decide what to remember and what to forget.

If memories can be intentionally forgotten by changing the context in which I think about them, then I find both hope and challenge. I am not at the mercy of my memories and have some responsibility to manage them, however complex that may be.

A classic line has been attributed to Norman Wisdom among others, 'As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two'. Memories may inevitably fade, but I may also exercise the ability to forget. In the words of Invictus poem, 'I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul'.