The phenomenology of reactivated trauma memories in older adults: A preliminary study

Abstract

Empirical literature concerning reactivated memories of trauma among older adults is sparse. Twelve elderly participants with re-emergent, involuntary, memories of previous adversity were given a structured interview exploring phenomenological aspects of the experience. Intense and highly vivid sensory components of memory were common as was a sense of current threat. This was compared with data available from the adult literature on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and we conclude that the process of trauma memory reactivation after years of attenuation seems not to have affected involuntary intrusive representations of what happened. Recommendations to extend the current research are suggested.

Keywords:

• Older adult
• trauma
• memory
• reactivation
• phenomenology

Notes

Notes

1. for our purposes, and following Solomon, Garb, Bleich, and Grupper's (1987) notation, the term reactivated PTSD will be used to encompass the notion of both recurrent and delayed-onset PTSD in older adults. It can be argued that the term delayed-onset refers to post-traumatic symptoms that first appeared after a period marked by an absence of trauma response, while the terms reactivated or recurrent PTSD refer to symptoms reappearing following a period of significant amelioration. We note, however, that these terms are often not differentiated within the older adult literature and are, mostly, used interchangeably.

2. Following the categorisation scheme outlined in Port, Engdahl, and Frazier (2001).