I think it is actually really hard for most people to appreciate the conditions under which they would be likely to generate false memories or false confessions. And I therefore, like my my instinct when all of this became a catastrophe was to blame myself because I didn't know who else who else to blame. When you are made to question your own sanity, your own ability to accurately reason about the world around you, that is damaging. That puts you in a state where it's easy to feel broken and start asking yourself questions such as how am I capable of implicating this totally innocent person?
For our listener favorites series, many of you mentioned Amanda Knox’s story. She was just 20 years old when she was found guilty of a crime she did not commit — the murder of her roommate. Amanda spent four years in an Italian prison before she was finally exonerated and allowed to return to her life back home in the U.S. But she soon discovered that that life didn’t exist anymore.
If you enjoyed this episode, Maya suggests you check out this one next: “The Woman Who Changed Warlord Joseph Kony’s Mind”
We’ll be back with new episodes in the fall. In the meantime, you can connect with Maya on instagram @DrMayaShanker.
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