Delete: The Art of Forgetting

Although we normally consider memories a positive phenomenon—shaping our identities and helping us to learn from the past—some cause more harm than good. Memories of violence, death, and other traumatic events can play through a victim's mind repeatedly, complicating recovery and impeding ability to function. The subjects profiled in this documentary include Robert, who fought in Afghanistan; Sonja, who lost her father to chronic illness; and Joelle, who was the victim of a violent robbery. Collectively, they suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. For years, scientists have been working on ways to eliminate these kinds of harmful memories. Neurologist Karim Nader explains that memories occupy different parts of the brain, mainly the hippocampus and the amygdala. Neurological researcher André Fischer concentrates on long-term memory, where we store our feelings of fear (although fear contributes to survival, it can also lead to irrational thoughts and overly-cautious behavior). On the treatment side, psychotherapist Dr. Almut Ningel has been working on eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), while clinical psychologist Alain Brunet has been prescribing the beta blocker Propranolol, which reduces the adrenalin associated with stress, but only if administered immediately after the event (in an effort to alleviate the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the U.S. Department of Defense has contributed substantially to his research). An informative look at an interesting subject, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)