A Hidden Factor in Teen Suicide
(Page 2)
Traumatic forgetting, even combined with the assertion "You will not
remember this," may not last indefinitely. The human mind is very
resilient. As the child grows and heals to some degree from the abuse,
the memory may begin to surface. Remembering the abuse, coupled with
releasing out the emotions and pain embedded with the memory are natural
healing processes of the mind that many therapists encourage.
To further suppress memory of the abuse, some predators will combine the
first assertion with the added threat, "If you do remember this you will
kill yourself." The confusing inconsistency in the two assertions
probably heightens the suggestibility of the victim. This second
statement is also buried deep in the subconscious mind along with the
memory of the abuse.
To understand how this programming can lead to teen or young adult
suicidal thoughts, consider the following hypothetical situation:
A little girl between ages five and seven is accessed a number of times
by members of the predator community. They use a combination of threats,
traumatic forgetting, and programming (e.g., "You will not remember
this. If you do remember, you will kill yourself.") to cover their
crimes. Mercifully, she does forget. However later in her teens
depression sets in. Her parents take her to a therapist who helps her
stabilize her life. The subconscious mind seems to hold traumatic
memories below the surface until a person is strong enough to deal with
them. As she stabilizes and becomes stronger, memories or flashes of
memory of the abuse begin to surface into her awareness.