Meet The Woman Who Can Remember Every Day Of Her Life. There Are Only 80 People Like That Worldwide
Do you remember the details of your very first birthday? Of course you don’t. But Rebecca Sharrock does, because the 27-year-old from Brisbane has got something called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). It’s a condition that stops people from being able to forget anything, and it’s thought that only around 60-80 people in the world have it. As a result, Rebecca is able to recall every part of her life in vivid detail, whether it be the dreams she had at eighteen months old or being photographed in a car just 12 days after her birth!
“My parents carried me to the driver’s seat of the car (my father’s idea) and placed me down upon it for a photo,” she wrote in a recent blog post. “As a newborn child I was curious as to what the seat cover and steering wheel above me were. Though at that age I hadn’t yet developed the ability to want to get up and explore what such curious objects could be.” As if this isn’t impressive enough, she can even recite the entire collection of Harry Potter books! She’s also currently writing her own book about her experiences, called My Life is a Puzzle, and it sounds as if the contents are going to be very memorable indeed. (h/t)
My earliest memory of which I can date is from when I was twelve days old. My parents carried me to the driver’s seat of the car (my father’s idea) and placed me down upon it for a photo. As a newborn child I was curious as to what the seat cover and steering wheel above me were. Though at that age I hadn’t yet developed the ability to want to get up and explore what such curious objects could be.
When I was reading a newspaper in mid 2014, I came across an article that said that it was impossible for us to remember personal events which happened to us before we were four years old. After I’d finished reading the article I was thinking ‘what absolute nonsense’. I’m currently in the process of writing a book My Life is a Puzzle, and memories of events up to the age of four fill a very long chapter.
At the very beginning of my life, I would spend a lot of time in my crib looking at surrounding toys and the stand up fan next to me. On my first birthday I had no idea what the day was about, all I knew was that mum was putting me in an itchy satin dress, and I was crying. Though I was told that this was my own special day and that lots of people were coming to see me. I still didn’t understand but stopped crying eventually. That day my parents also gave me a Minnie Mouse plush toy, whose face terrified me, though I could not word this. All I could do was cry and push it away whenever I saw it.
When I was about 18 months old (assumably because it was before my second birthday yet I was out of my crib) I began to dream whenever I fell asleep. At that age I thought that I really was leaving home each night, so I’d always want my mum with me while I was sleeping. Just after my second birthday my sister Jessica was born. I didn’t understand what a sister was back then and was far more interested in playing with my toy train. Though I did get up to some mischief over the next year or so, when it dawned on me that I wasn’t an only child anymore, and I had to share everything with a sister, as well as give away my old clothes and toys.
It is true that I’m one of about 60 people in the world identified as having a very unusual memory which is called HSAM (or Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory). This makes me unable to forget any day of my life, and I’m also constantly reliving my past (emotionally) in clear-cut detail. However those of us with HSAM are not alone with having memories from the time when we were under four years old. In fact the vast majority of the people I’ve come across also have distinct memories of them welcoming a sibling to their family as a toddler, as well as early birthday and Christmas celebrations.
It’s also questionable as to whether or not anybody ever truly forgets anything. In it’s early stages people with dementia and Alzheimers can almost always retrieve distant memories with ease, which had previously seemed forever forgotten. At first, their Short Term Memory appears to weaken, but their Long Term Memory appears to strengthen. Though once the damage goes deeper into the brain in dementia’s later stages, all kinds of recollections seem to disappear. Yet I must add here that on a visit to a nursing home we came across a woman who had reached a stage of complete dementia, but was throwing her arms about and kept saying that she was feeding the pigeons with her grandmother (which she did indeed do in her early childhood).
There is so much we need to discover about the human brain as well as how our memories work. Firstly our brain is the control centre of our entire existence, and secondly memories make up everything that we’ve learned (consciously and subconsciously). There are many different kinds of memory that we all possess and those of us with HSAM can only recall autobiographical memories in precise detail. Autobiographical memories are recollections of what we’ve (personally) experienced in our lifetime.
Watch Rebecca discuss her remarkable condition in the video below:
You can read her full blog post here
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Share on FacebookThis is amazing, and I'd lie if I said I don't envy her the slightest bit. However, it sounds like a big stress too. I'd be overwhelmed by all the memories I'd so wish to forget. Don't worry, people, it's not a particular trauma, just a hard core self-consience and we all make mistakes sometimes...
Yeah! This would be cool, but then I could never forget embarrassing events!
Load More Replies...I bet my ex could give her a run for her money, because my ex can seem to remember every little thing I've ever done wrong.
That's called 'selective memory.' All ex's seem to have it.
Load More Replies...Holy Cow! And I thought I was lucky to be able to remember almost drowning in a relative's fish fountain before I reached aged two.
Wouldn't you think that's one of the things you'd sooner forget? I remember falling out of a booster seat at a restaurant when I was pretty little. I don't recall that it hurt, what freaked me out is all the people staring at me.
Load More Replies...Remember everything...? Horrible! There are so many things I hope to forget
I would not claim to have that kind of memory, as I cannot remember each day of my life. But I do have clear memories from before I could move independently. My first memory is being bottlefed by my father, I was a couple of months old. I remember the taste of the milk, the feeling of absolute safety and wellbeing. I know that I was able to think and reason long before I developed language, and when I did, I was dismayed to learn that it slowed down my thinking processes, whenever I tried to think in words instead of pictures. I have many memories from well before I could walk and to the present day (I'm 41) :-)
You can check if you didn't just create those memories. If you see yourself like you see a movie, than it is a created memory. If you remember things like smells, touch, sounds, it is a true memory. We usually create memories when people tell us something. Like your father telling you that he used to bottlefeed you. If you don't have a real memory about that, your brain will create the scene with the elements it has at hand, like your father's face, the house where you lived, the image of a baby. I believe that if the memory has many internal elements it is more likely to be a true memory.
Load More Replies...I remembered a phone we had in the living room when I was about 1.5- 2yrs old I asked my mom about the phone, there werent any photos of the phone. So things like this descriptions of events or surroundings help to see if the memory is real or not.
Load More Replies...I feel like I only remember all those awkward, embarrassing, wish I could forget moments (of which I've had many)
Yes that article in the newspaper was indeed b******t. For example if you have a traumatic experience before the age of Four it's possible to remember them. I don't have a great memory, but I have some that are from when It was 2-3 years old
Horse pucky... She remembers things from her very early childhood because she sees it in photos. Who can dispute her "feelings" of her toy Micky Mouse she got for her birthday (which I'm sure is in pictures)... There is no way to prove, or admittedly disprove. I'd be inclined to believe memories at two or three(maybe) , but 12 days old... Don't pee down my leg and tell me it's raining.
scientifically, humans ARE capable of total autobiographic memory, or complete visual recall. It's just rare, and difficult to empathize.
Load More Replies...What's your earliest memory? I don't remember every single day, but my earliest was when I was an infant, I remember staring at the sun when on a small fishing boat with my parent. I use to think it was a dream, but it happened when I asked about it.
i wish i had that hability... sometime i goes in the basement and when i got there i forgot why i got there in the first place
That's short term memory. This lady is taking about autobiographical long-term memory.
Load More Replies...I remember some scenes from when I was an infant. The furthest I remember is me standing up in my crib crying for my mom. I thought that was normal and I always was mindful of what I did in front of my kids when they were infants believing that it was a possibility that they could remember.
It is a curse. Had an abusive childhood, narcissist parents, lots of dysfunction. I Don't ever forget any of it. I can remember back to being 1.5yrs kinda spotty memories then my memories once I turned 2-3yrs become more frequent. Even going forward in life it's remembering the good things but also every mean thing a person has said or done. Then when they don't remember it, it's a real slap in the face. However reminding people of good times is fun. Sometimes I have to lie about remembering things about what a person told me or little details as it freaks them out, have to pretend it's all new to me because if I say yes you told me this ten years ago they are all "that's really creepy you remembered." But it's with everyone. So I tell people be careful what you say to me because I'll never forget. It is a curse. I don't think people are supposed to remember like I do. It's hard to not live in the past.
Load More Replies...I bet she was great at passing exams, especially those that you have to learn stuff by heart. Cool !
Funny, none of the people with this (unverifiable) memory are successful.
Load More Replies...I can look at my baby pictures and pretend to know what was happening too, it's called having a wild imagination.
I bet you could also make things up without the aid of pictures, that's even easier!
Load More Replies...I can remember bits and pieces from when I was around one, and I can remember my 2nd birthday with perfect clarity, who was there, what I thought, what I did, everything.
"In fact the vast majority of the people I’ve come across also have distinct memories of them welcoming a sibling to their family as a toddler, as well as early birthday and Christmas celebrations." I am 2.5 years older than my brother, and I remember carrying him out of the hospital that day. I wonder if I got a good touch of this, I can't memorize a whole book like she can, but I can recall most any conversation I had with almost verbatim detail. My Family tried to tell me I couldn't remember carrying my brother out of the hospital, and that I didn't do that, but I did too, they forgot, not me.
when i can't remember something i go crazy like obsessed till i remember it so i did thought for a very long time of my life that everyone remembers everything , i mean why wouldn't they remember things they lived and experienced . Then one day a doctor told me that it wasn't usual to remember everything with details and most persons need a strong reminder to wake up memories etc . All i need to say is that it doesn't feels big stress or overwhelming , for me the opposite would . It is actually very annoying when you try to recollect something with a friend and he/she doesn't remember s**t
I wouldn't like having this ability at all. It would freak me out over and over again, oh no!!! :( I have a good reason for that. :/
I remember when I was a baby.But the people around me doesn't believe that. Already in Turkey this is not a special skill.
My daughter is number 81, boredpanda. She tells me stories of being in the womb and things she heard and being birthed and stopping breathing. She also sees ghost and talks to them. She's 16 now. Glock41180@yahoo.com
I remember things from 8months and up, but not everything. Just alot of diffrent things like being in my crib. Babbling to my parents etc... didnt know it was a Special Condition.
I'm willing to bet there are different degrees of this phenomenon....My earliest memories are from before age 1....I could roll over, but not sit up yet. I have more vivid memories from early babyhood and childhood than what I made for dinner the other night, lol. People always thought I was nutz talking about my memories and I even remember what I was thinking...although it wasn't in words at that time....mostly wondering what things were....and why some things were not clear or blurry.... I remember that frustration was one of my most potent feelings when I was a baby....and it often was accompanied by curiosity.
My earliest clear memory was when I was about 2. My sister had moved to North carolina (my nephew was born when I was three and I know she wasn't pregnant in this memory) I remember going to the airport with her and my dad and taking the escalator up to go her gate, and she bought me a little die cast airplane. I remember standing at the window watching a plane take off and telling my sister (who I thought was on the plane) bye.
my earliest memory was from when I was 2 weeks old. I was in the bed together with my mom and dad. I did not have thoughts since, I did not know any words, so instead of thinking " this feels wrong" I only had the feeling of something wrong. like feeling of being uncomfortable. I was 20 before realizing not everyone could remember that far back. The strangest thing is that even though my long term memory works perfect, my shortterm memory is really bad. So bad a shrink once asked me after test, if I had smoked weed. ( I have never tried weed, not even once) If you give me a line of numbers I can only remember 3 of them. And I can not remember what I did yesterday. Someone asked once " What did you do yesterday" and I said " I dont remember" and my mother said " of course you can, you were at your brothers wedding." That was my favorit brother and I loved him to pieces, however I forgot I had been at his wedding the day before. Today, I remember everything from his wedding.
I have memories dating back to the womb. No one believes me. How did she get people to believe her? I always thought I was some sort of freak. Especially when I told my dad I remembered my first birthday. He went ballistic and refused to believe that I remembered.
I don't have this kind of memories but I do have a few from when I for ears pierced around few months old and then when my mom was pregnant with my brother who is 3 years younger to me and also few incidents from that time and also bringing my brother home when he was born and also few other incidents after that. So u can't really say a kid only remember things after 4 years
At birth, your baby's vision is pretty fuzzy, although she can make out light, shapes and movement. Your baby will turn her eyes towards a window or another source of light. She'll also blink in response to sudden bright lights. You may notice your newborn's eyes wandering, as she hasn't yet learned that she can fix her eyes on an object. https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6508/developmental-milestones-sight#ixzz4fWuiZsWx
At birth, babies' vision is abuzz with all kinds of visual stimulation. While they may look intently at a highly contrasted target, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell the difference between two targets or move their eyes between the two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10 inches from their face or the distance to parent's face. During the first months of life, the eyes start working together and vision rapidly improves. Eye-hand coordination begins to develop as the infant starts tracking moving objects with his or her eyes and reaching for them. By eight weeks, babies begin to more easily focus their eyes on the faces of a parent or other person near them. For the first two months of life, an infant's eyes are not well coordinated and may appear to wander or to be crossed. This is usually normal. However, if an eye appears to turn in or out constantly, an evaluation is warranted. Babies should begin to follow moving objects with their eyes and reach
She's right, I also remember some things from when I was younger then 4 years old. I can't sort them all perfectly to the right age, but I do remember a lot. Like how I touched the beard of my daddy. And how I started to cry when women took me in their arms while I felt comfortably with men lol. I wasn't sure if it was maybe just my imagination or a dream until I visited an aunt in turkey which babysitted me at that time. I talked with her about my friends and that most of them were male because I get along better with them. And she told me "you always cried when women wanted to hug you. You have always been like this." Since then I am sure it wasn't just a dream.
and breaking one of those HUGE pickle jars (restaurant sized?) in Two Guys Department Store when I was under 2 years old
I can recall being 3 months old and had described a memory to my mother
I have a couple of memories from when I was two. I remember being in the pram at a park and on a baby leash when we were at a busy fair. I have way more when I was three. Going around to friend's houses, getting babysat, church, going on my potty (it played music when I went), being shy when people came to visit. I remember in particular the evil lady 'Mrs Black' who babysat me and threw away my toy I was holding (my favourite toy) into her fireplace(!), because she deemed it too tatty. I of course, burst into tears. I'll never forget it.
I have nowhere near autobiographical memory, but I do have a memory from when I was two years old. We were to visit relatives in Detroit and stopped by Niagra Falls on the way. On the boat, I heard my sister say, "There's a whirlpool!" I looked where she was pointing, and it looked to me as if a woman's broad-brimmed hat was spinning around sinking into the water. I guess my mind made up a more familiar object since I didn't understand what a whirlpool was. Later when we reached Detroit, I remember having a 'sword fight' using candlesticks with my cousin Christie. Just those two things, nothing in between, likely because they were unusual incidents. I started having regular contiguous memories when I was about four.
My first memory is when I was held in arms of my mother, she was walking down a beach of train tracks, there where steam locomotives on the background... On another one I willingly dropped my pacifier down the window...
Sometimes I wish I could remember everything, maybe then I'd be able to find things I lost lol
I have the opposite condition due to brain damage. I can remember things like book learning but my autobiographical memory is gone from before the accident. I can look at a picture and see that I was there but I have no memory of the event. I think all the memories are there but my ability to access them was damaged. I wish they knew enough about how memory works to develop a treatment.
I hardly have any memories of my childhood or my children's. It definitely makes me a different person to be missing so many memories.
Load More Replies...I have the opposite condition due to brain damage. I can remember other things (book learning, etc) but I've lost most of my autobiographical memories from before the accident. I can look at a picture and obviously see that I was there, but have no memory of the event. Most of the memories of my childhood and my kids' childhoods - gone. I sure wish they knew enough about memory so that they could have a treatment. I believe the memories are there but my ability to access them is what was damaged.
The part about remembering (reliving?) emotions attached to a memory seems like it would be very stressful.
I can't remember everything like you can, but I have a pretty amazing memory when it comes to my childhood. I will tell my mother something that I remember, and she'll say that's impossible! You were only 18 months old! But I do remember a great deal of my early childhood. Some would say that's a great thing, but sometimes I find it to be awful. Especially when I remember painful things.
I can remember a lot of things in my life before the age of 4, and sadly I remember everything since, every bad dream, every bad experience, every time I had my feelings hurt. Sometimes it's almost like I can only remember the bad stuff
I remember falling over and landing on my bum while still in nappies making me less than 2.5 years old. I have aphantasia which effects my memory. I have no visual thoughts nor do I have an inner voice. In fact none of my senses work in my head. I can't remember what my favourite food tastes like unless I'm eating it or how comfortable my bed is unless I'm in it. I can't remember anything other than basic details about my children or partner. I guess people like her make up for people like me :)
Seems like not such a grand idea to me, but there are lots of things I'd just as soon forget.
I remember going to my aunts house to look at my new cousin, my mother took a picture and i remember that i was thinking "What am i doing? I dont even know her" "Smile" *Click* I was two years when she was born.
... the smell and asked my sister to check me. Then my older sister announced to the whole world that it was me, and that I had pooped. I remember feeling so embarrassed she announced it. However I was so relieved that someone noticed, because I was tired of standing and hiding. A third memory is at the age of three when my sister and I were playing outside in the small baby pool. A dog came and I ran into the house without her. At 31/2 I begged to go to preschool. At 4 years old I entered preschool and on the first day I was so excited I attempted to dry myself quickly from my bath I burned my abdomen while standing near the wall heater. My first activity at school was mixing color waters and I was amazed watching the water in the jar change colors.
I once told a friend that I could remember various events in my early childhood. She said that her psychology teacher had taught them that people can remember traumatic or emotional times in their childhood (including happy moments). My first memory was when I was less than one years old. I was laying on a bed when I woke up I looked around the room and there was no one there. I dozed off to sleep again. And then I woke up again and there was no one in the room. I got tired of sleeping and I was a little afraid and so I started crying.then my sister came running to get me. At that time I could not move or get off the bed by myself. My Second earliest memory was when I was around the age of two. I had pooped in my diaper and was very embarrassed, and so I went and hid behind the sofa. I couldn't sit down because I had a log in my diaper and I was uncomfortable. As I was standing there I became distracted by the TV show that my siblings were watching on TV. Then my mom noticed...
I think this sounds absolutely awful. I would like to never remember almost everything that happened over the last 30 years.
That's a very unique gift! Wow, isn't our brain remarkable? I was also surprised when somebody told me that people can't remember things before they 4th birthday. Like few people in comments, I also have some memories from that period (however I'm not sure how many of them is 'true'). :) The oldest one is when I got Barbie doll and I was trying to put it in my mouth (I was trying to chew her legs, I guess :D). It's quite a clear memory and I remember a lot of details like touch and voices and women, I was on the ground, I don't remember the vision that well though, it's more blurry. Once told this story to my mother and she confirmed, she forgot about this but it was her best friend who died when I was younger than 1 year old. And I also remember some of my pre-school dreams. Remembering dreams used to be a lot easier when I was younger (and until 13 or so).
This could be so useful for research on child development also ... she recallspice all these feelings and emotions as a baby that we really can't understand any other way than guessing right now but she can actually tell us how certain things made her feel
I have memories of a number of things before I was 4. Not continuous ones like hers, but quite a few of them. I astounded my mother by relating what I think is my earliest one, which took place when I was 18 months old. She said "No one ever told you that!"
It's really impressing, I have to admit, but I think I can recite the entire collection of Harry Potter books too, yet for a whole other reason.
This is amazing, and I'd lie if I said I don't envy her the slightest bit. However, it sounds like a big stress too. I'd be overwhelmed by all the memories I'd so wish to forget. Don't worry, people, it's not a particular trauma, just a hard core self-consience and we all make mistakes sometimes...
Yeah! This would be cool, but then I could never forget embarrassing events!
Load More Replies...I bet my ex could give her a run for her money, because my ex can seem to remember every little thing I've ever done wrong.
That's called 'selective memory.' All ex's seem to have it.
Load More Replies...Holy Cow! And I thought I was lucky to be able to remember almost drowning in a relative's fish fountain before I reached aged two.
Wouldn't you think that's one of the things you'd sooner forget? I remember falling out of a booster seat at a restaurant when I was pretty little. I don't recall that it hurt, what freaked me out is all the people staring at me.
Load More Replies...Remember everything...? Horrible! There are so many things I hope to forget
I would not claim to have that kind of memory, as I cannot remember each day of my life. But I do have clear memories from before I could move independently. My first memory is being bottlefed by my father, I was a couple of months old. I remember the taste of the milk, the feeling of absolute safety and wellbeing. I know that I was able to think and reason long before I developed language, and when I did, I was dismayed to learn that it slowed down my thinking processes, whenever I tried to think in words instead of pictures. I have many memories from well before I could walk and to the present day (I'm 41) :-)
You can check if you didn't just create those memories. If you see yourself like you see a movie, than it is a created memory. If you remember things like smells, touch, sounds, it is a true memory. We usually create memories when people tell us something. Like your father telling you that he used to bottlefeed you. If you don't have a real memory about that, your brain will create the scene with the elements it has at hand, like your father's face, the house where you lived, the image of a baby. I believe that if the memory has many internal elements it is more likely to be a true memory.
Load More Replies...I remembered a phone we had in the living room when I was about 1.5- 2yrs old I asked my mom about the phone, there werent any photos of the phone. So things like this descriptions of events or surroundings help to see if the memory is real or not.
Load More Replies...I feel like I only remember all those awkward, embarrassing, wish I could forget moments (of which I've had many)
Yes that article in the newspaper was indeed b******t. For example if you have a traumatic experience before the age of Four it's possible to remember them. I don't have a great memory, but I have some that are from when It was 2-3 years old
Horse pucky... She remembers things from her very early childhood because she sees it in photos. Who can dispute her "feelings" of her toy Micky Mouse she got for her birthday (which I'm sure is in pictures)... There is no way to prove, or admittedly disprove. I'd be inclined to believe memories at two or three(maybe) , but 12 days old... Don't pee down my leg and tell me it's raining.
scientifically, humans ARE capable of total autobiographic memory, or complete visual recall. It's just rare, and difficult to empathize.
Load More Replies...What's your earliest memory? I don't remember every single day, but my earliest was when I was an infant, I remember staring at the sun when on a small fishing boat with my parent. I use to think it was a dream, but it happened when I asked about it.
i wish i had that hability... sometime i goes in the basement and when i got there i forgot why i got there in the first place
That's short term memory. This lady is taking about autobiographical long-term memory.
Load More Replies...I remember some scenes from when I was an infant. The furthest I remember is me standing up in my crib crying for my mom. I thought that was normal and I always was mindful of what I did in front of my kids when they were infants believing that it was a possibility that they could remember.
It is a curse. Had an abusive childhood, narcissist parents, lots of dysfunction. I Don't ever forget any of it. I can remember back to being 1.5yrs kinda spotty memories then my memories once I turned 2-3yrs become more frequent. Even going forward in life it's remembering the good things but also every mean thing a person has said or done. Then when they don't remember it, it's a real slap in the face. However reminding people of good times is fun. Sometimes I have to lie about remembering things about what a person told me or little details as it freaks them out, have to pretend it's all new to me because if I say yes you told me this ten years ago they are all "that's really creepy you remembered." But it's with everyone. So I tell people be careful what you say to me because I'll never forget. It is a curse. I don't think people are supposed to remember like I do. It's hard to not live in the past.
Load More Replies...I bet she was great at passing exams, especially those that you have to learn stuff by heart. Cool !
Funny, none of the people with this (unverifiable) memory are successful.
Load More Replies...I can look at my baby pictures and pretend to know what was happening too, it's called having a wild imagination.
I bet you could also make things up without the aid of pictures, that's even easier!
Load More Replies...I can remember bits and pieces from when I was around one, and I can remember my 2nd birthday with perfect clarity, who was there, what I thought, what I did, everything.
"In fact the vast majority of the people I’ve come across also have distinct memories of them welcoming a sibling to their family as a toddler, as well as early birthday and Christmas celebrations." I am 2.5 years older than my brother, and I remember carrying him out of the hospital that day. I wonder if I got a good touch of this, I can't memorize a whole book like she can, but I can recall most any conversation I had with almost verbatim detail. My Family tried to tell me I couldn't remember carrying my brother out of the hospital, and that I didn't do that, but I did too, they forgot, not me.
when i can't remember something i go crazy like obsessed till i remember it so i did thought for a very long time of my life that everyone remembers everything , i mean why wouldn't they remember things they lived and experienced . Then one day a doctor told me that it wasn't usual to remember everything with details and most persons need a strong reminder to wake up memories etc . All i need to say is that it doesn't feels big stress or overwhelming , for me the opposite would . It is actually very annoying when you try to recollect something with a friend and he/she doesn't remember s**t
I wouldn't like having this ability at all. It would freak me out over and over again, oh no!!! :( I have a good reason for that. :/
I remember when I was a baby.But the people around me doesn't believe that. Already in Turkey this is not a special skill.
My daughter is number 81, boredpanda. She tells me stories of being in the womb and things she heard and being birthed and stopping breathing. She also sees ghost and talks to them. She's 16 now. Glock41180@yahoo.com
I remember things from 8months and up, but not everything. Just alot of diffrent things like being in my crib. Babbling to my parents etc... didnt know it was a Special Condition.
I'm willing to bet there are different degrees of this phenomenon....My earliest memories are from before age 1....I could roll over, but not sit up yet. I have more vivid memories from early babyhood and childhood than what I made for dinner the other night, lol. People always thought I was nutz talking about my memories and I even remember what I was thinking...although it wasn't in words at that time....mostly wondering what things were....and why some things were not clear or blurry.... I remember that frustration was one of my most potent feelings when I was a baby....and it often was accompanied by curiosity.
My earliest clear memory was when I was about 2. My sister had moved to North carolina (my nephew was born when I was three and I know she wasn't pregnant in this memory) I remember going to the airport with her and my dad and taking the escalator up to go her gate, and she bought me a little die cast airplane. I remember standing at the window watching a plane take off and telling my sister (who I thought was on the plane) bye.
my earliest memory was from when I was 2 weeks old. I was in the bed together with my mom and dad. I did not have thoughts since, I did not know any words, so instead of thinking " this feels wrong" I only had the feeling of something wrong. like feeling of being uncomfortable. I was 20 before realizing not everyone could remember that far back. The strangest thing is that even though my long term memory works perfect, my shortterm memory is really bad. So bad a shrink once asked me after test, if I had smoked weed. ( I have never tried weed, not even once) If you give me a line of numbers I can only remember 3 of them. And I can not remember what I did yesterday. Someone asked once " What did you do yesterday" and I said " I dont remember" and my mother said " of course you can, you were at your brothers wedding." That was my favorit brother and I loved him to pieces, however I forgot I had been at his wedding the day before. Today, I remember everything from his wedding.
I have memories dating back to the womb. No one believes me. How did she get people to believe her? I always thought I was some sort of freak. Especially when I told my dad I remembered my first birthday. He went ballistic and refused to believe that I remembered.
I don't have this kind of memories but I do have a few from when I for ears pierced around few months old and then when my mom was pregnant with my brother who is 3 years younger to me and also few incidents from that time and also bringing my brother home when he was born and also few other incidents after that. So u can't really say a kid only remember things after 4 years
At birth, your baby's vision is pretty fuzzy, although she can make out light, shapes and movement. Your baby will turn her eyes towards a window or another source of light. She'll also blink in response to sudden bright lights. You may notice your newborn's eyes wandering, as she hasn't yet learned that she can fix her eyes on an object. https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a6508/developmental-milestones-sight#ixzz4fWuiZsWx
At birth, babies' vision is abuzz with all kinds of visual stimulation. While they may look intently at a highly contrasted target, babies have not yet developed the ability to easily tell the difference between two targets or move their eyes between the two images. Their primary focus is on objects 8 to 10 inches from their face or the distance to parent's face. During the first months of life, the eyes start working together and vision rapidly improves. Eye-hand coordination begins to develop as the infant starts tracking moving objects with his or her eyes and reaching for them. By eight weeks, babies begin to more easily focus their eyes on the faces of a parent or other person near them. For the first two months of life, an infant's eyes are not well coordinated and may appear to wander or to be crossed. This is usually normal. However, if an eye appears to turn in or out constantly, an evaluation is warranted. Babies should begin to follow moving objects with their eyes and reach
She's right, I also remember some things from when I was younger then 4 years old. I can't sort them all perfectly to the right age, but I do remember a lot. Like how I touched the beard of my daddy. And how I started to cry when women took me in their arms while I felt comfortably with men lol. I wasn't sure if it was maybe just my imagination or a dream until I visited an aunt in turkey which babysitted me at that time. I talked with her about my friends and that most of them were male because I get along better with them. And she told me "you always cried when women wanted to hug you. You have always been like this." Since then I am sure it wasn't just a dream.
and breaking one of those HUGE pickle jars (restaurant sized?) in Two Guys Department Store when I was under 2 years old
I can recall being 3 months old and had described a memory to my mother
I have a couple of memories from when I was two. I remember being in the pram at a park and on a baby leash when we were at a busy fair. I have way more when I was three. Going around to friend's houses, getting babysat, church, going on my potty (it played music when I went), being shy when people came to visit. I remember in particular the evil lady 'Mrs Black' who babysat me and threw away my toy I was holding (my favourite toy) into her fireplace(!), because she deemed it too tatty. I of course, burst into tears. I'll never forget it.
I have nowhere near autobiographical memory, but I do have a memory from when I was two years old. We were to visit relatives in Detroit and stopped by Niagra Falls on the way. On the boat, I heard my sister say, "There's a whirlpool!" I looked where she was pointing, and it looked to me as if a woman's broad-brimmed hat was spinning around sinking into the water. I guess my mind made up a more familiar object since I didn't understand what a whirlpool was. Later when we reached Detroit, I remember having a 'sword fight' using candlesticks with my cousin Christie. Just those two things, nothing in between, likely because they were unusual incidents. I started having regular contiguous memories when I was about four.
My first memory is when I was held in arms of my mother, she was walking down a beach of train tracks, there where steam locomotives on the background... On another one I willingly dropped my pacifier down the window...
Sometimes I wish I could remember everything, maybe then I'd be able to find things I lost lol
I have the opposite condition due to brain damage. I can remember things like book learning but my autobiographical memory is gone from before the accident. I can look at a picture and see that I was there but I have no memory of the event. I think all the memories are there but my ability to access them was damaged. I wish they knew enough about how memory works to develop a treatment.
I hardly have any memories of my childhood or my children's. It definitely makes me a different person to be missing so many memories.
Load More Replies...I have the opposite condition due to brain damage. I can remember other things (book learning, etc) but I've lost most of my autobiographical memories from before the accident. I can look at a picture and obviously see that I was there, but have no memory of the event. Most of the memories of my childhood and my kids' childhoods - gone. I sure wish they knew enough about memory so that they could have a treatment. I believe the memories are there but my ability to access them is what was damaged.
The part about remembering (reliving?) emotions attached to a memory seems like it would be very stressful.
I can't remember everything like you can, but I have a pretty amazing memory when it comes to my childhood. I will tell my mother something that I remember, and she'll say that's impossible! You were only 18 months old! But I do remember a great deal of my early childhood. Some would say that's a great thing, but sometimes I find it to be awful. Especially when I remember painful things.
I can remember a lot of things in my life before the age of 4, and sadly I remember everything since, every bad dream, every bad experience, every time I had my feelings hurt. Sometimes it's almost like I can only remember the bad stuff
I remember falling over and landing on my bum while still in nappies making me less than 2.5 years old. I have aphantasia which effects my memory. I have no visual thoughts nor do I have an inner voice. In fact none of my senses work in my head. I can't remember what my favourite food tastes like unless I'm eating it or how comfortable my bed is unless I'm in it. I can't remember anything other than basic details about my children or partner. I guess people like her make up for people like me :)
Seems like not such a grand idea to me, but there are lots of things I'd just as soon forget.
I remember going to my aunts house to look at my new cousin, my mother took a picture and i remember that i was thinking "What am i doing? I dont even know her" "Smile" *Click* I was two years when she was born.
... the smell and asked my sister to check me. Then my older sister announced to the whole world that it was me, and that I had pooped. I remember feeling so embarrassed she announced it. However I was so relieved that someone noticed, because I was tired of standing and hiding. A third memory is at the age of three when my sister and I were playing outside in the small baby pool. A dog came and I ran into the house without her. At 31/2 I begged to go to preschool. At 4 years old I entered preschool and on the first day I was so excited I attempted to dry myself quickly from my bath I burned my abdomen while standing near the wall heater. My first activity at school was mixing color waters and I was amazed watching the water in the jar change colors.
I once told a friend that I could remember various events in my early childhood. She said that her psychology teacher had taught them that people can remember traumatic or emotional times in their childhood (including happy moments). My first memory was when I was less than one years old. I was laying on a bed when I woke up I looked around the room and there was no one there. I dozed off to sleep again. And then I woke up again and there was no one in the room. I got tired of sleeping and I was a little afraid and so I started crying.then my sister came running to get me. At that time I could not move or get off the bed by myself. My Second earliest memory was when I was around the age of two. I had pooped in my diaper and was very embarrassed, and so I went and hid behind the sofa. I couldn't sit down because I had a log in my diaper and I was uncomfortable. As I was standing there I became distracted by the TV show that my siblings were watching on TV. Then my mom noticed...
I think this sounds absolutely awful. I would like to never remember almost everything that happened over the last 30 years.
That's a very unique gift! Wow, isn't our brain remarkable? I was also surprised when somebody told me that people can't remember things before they 4th birthday. Like few people in comments, I also have some memories from that period (however I'm not sure how many of them is 'true'). :) The oldest one is when I got Barbie doll and I was trying to put it in my mouth (I was trying to chew her legs, I guess :D). It's quite a clear memory and I remember a lot of details like touch and voices and women, I was on the ground, I don't remember the vision that well though, it's more blurry. Once told this story to my mother and she confirmed, she forgot about this but it was her best friend who died when I was younger than 1 year old. And I also remember some of my pre-school dreams. Remembering dreams used to be a lot easier when I was younger (and until 13 or so).
This could be so useful for research on child development also ... she recallspice all these feelings and emotions as a baby that we really can't understand any other way than guessing right now but she can actually tell us how certain things made her feel
I have memories of a number of things before I was 4. Not continuous ones like hers, but quite a few of them. I astounded my mother by relating what I think is my earliest one, which took place when I was 18 months old. She said "No one ever told you that!"
It's really impressing, I have to admit, but I think I can recite the entire collection of Harry Potter books too, yet for a whole other reason.
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