Psychologists Urge People To “rewrite” Their Childhood Memories
- 18.08.2026, 13:44
Our reaction to mistakes depends largely on our upbringing.
A group of researchers from Poland has found that processing painful memories helps combat the effects of childhood trauma.
childhood trauma, psychology, psychotherapy, memories, therapy, children, exposure therapy, reports “Nozh”.
According to experts, our reaction to mistakes depends largely on our upbringing. For example, if parents scolded a child for every little misdeed, the child might get used to the idea that any failure is terrifying. Why? The person begins to associate all mistakes with direct condemnation from those around them.
The authors of a recent scientific article decided to test whether psychotherapy using visualization could reduce the impact of these thought patterns on daily life. They conducted an experiment involving 180 young people aged 18–35.
All the volunteers shared one fear in common—they were afraid of making mistakes. The researchers invited them to attend four psychotherapy sessions over the course of two weeks.
The volunteers were divided into three groups in advance. The first group was treated using exposure therapy: clients recalled anxiety-provoking situations from their childhood in detail and learned to manage their fear. The second group underwent a course of Imagery Rescripting (ImRs)—they were helped to mentally alter their memories and reframe them. The third group also attended the ImRs course, but with modifications: they took a ten-minute break between their “journey” into the past and the “rewriting” of events.
During the study, participants filled out questionnaires, underwent interviews, and had their physiological indicators monitored by specialists. Follow-up assessments were conducted three and six months after the experiment.
According to the study’s results, all three approaches led to a noticeable and sustained reduction in fear of failure. Participants also reported improved mood and a decrease in unmotivated feelings of guilt. Moreover, participants’ bodies began to react more calmly to stress.
It appears that psychotherapy truly allows people to “reprogram” themselves and become more confident.