Instead of asking them to say something that's upsetting, how about asking them to reveal their darkest secret? That would be much broader and not necessarily something upsetting, but still put them well outside of their comfort zone.
i was thinking about remembering lost memories: a lot of psychologists are taught during their education that there is no such thing as not remember things for decades and then all of a sudden years into adulthood one remembers abuse. And some people think it is not possible. But it is about processing memories. So the ratio brain and the emo brain together process an event. So when something traumatic happens and you cannot talk about it, the event doesnt get processed cognitively. So if you dont have words for it and not talk about it in any way then it seems as if it didnt happen. But you do have memories but these memories arent cognitively processed. So ratio brain and emo brain need to click together into one memory. but some people have a memory only in their emo brain . If everytime you are triggered to remember you dissociate then it takes longer to look at the memory and talk about it and process it: if you dont have words for it you cant talk about it with others and then it doesnt get processed. The memory is there but its a very blurry thing in your mind
In response to addhoc256's comment, the idea of memories being repressed is a hangover from Freud, seized upon and propagated in the 1980s and 1990s and apparently alive and well today among the uninformed. Modern understanding of trauma is that it won't leave us alone (cf. current research on PTSD, etc.). It's time to move beyond the 'folk knowledge' and stick to scientific knowledge.
Instead of asking them to say something that's upsetting, how about asking them to reveal their darkest secret? That would be much broader and not necessarily something upsetting, but still put them well outside of their comfort zone.
i was thinking about remembering lost memories: a lot of psychologists are taught during their education that there is no such thing as not remember things for decades and then all of a sudden years into adulthood one remembers abuse. And some people think it is not possible. But it is about processing memories. So the ratio brain and the emo brain together process an event. So when something traumatic happens and you cannot talk about it, the event doesnt get processed cognitively. So if you dont have words for it and not talk about it in any way then it seems as if it didnt happen. But you do have memories but these memories arent cognitively processed. So ratio brain and emo brain need to click together into one memory. but some people have a memory only in their emo brain . If everytime you are triggered to remember you dissociate then it takes longer to look at the memory and talk about it and process it: if you dont have words for it you cant talk about it with others and then it doesnt get processed. The memory is there but its a very blurry thing in your mind
See my response separately above/below.
In response to addhoc256's comment, the idea of memories being repressed is a hangover from Freud, seized upon and propagated in the 1980s and 1990s and apparently alive and well today among the uninformed. Modern understanding of trauma is that it won't leave us alone (cf. current research on PTSD, etc.). It's time to move beyond the 'folk knowledge' and stick to scientific knowledge.