Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Linking: The Secret to Rewiring Painful Memories
Apr 7, 2025
Forrest and Dr. Rick delve into the powerful psychological technique of linking, exploring how it can help rewire painful memories. They discuss the neuroscience behind memory reconsolidation and the importance of pairing positive experiences with our past pains. Personal anecdotes and practical tips illuminate the process, emphasizing emotional awareness and resilience. Cautions are provided for safely practicing linking, along with insights on how to disentangle our adult selves from past traumas, fostering a transformative pathway to healing.
01:12:35
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Quick takeaways
- Linking is a psychological technique that pairs positive experiences with painful memories to help reshape emotional responses effectively.
- The neuroscience of memory reconsolidation plays a vital role in linking, allowing for potential changes in emotional weight during memory recall.
Deep dives
Understanding Linking in Emotional Memory
Linking is a technique that involves pairing positive experiences with negative ones to reshape emotional memory. This method allows individuals to activate a positive emotional state while simultaneously acknowledging past pain, enabling both emotions to coexist in awareness. For example, when confronting a stressor like criticism, one might consciously focus on supportive relationships while recalling feelings of inadequacy from early experiences. By amplifying the positive aspects of the present, linking aims to gradually reduce the negative emotional charge associated with past memories.
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