Thursday, May 29, 2008

Telescoping

There's this concept called telescoping.

Telescoping starts when you're in your sixties, usually, but it can be the fifties for some of us.

All of sudden, you look back in time and see things. You remember things that happened to you in years past. And they're real, you know they are. They're not false memories. They are snapshots, clear as day.

I bring this up because it's a little disconcerting, memory. We tend to be upset that we can't really remember what happened to us when we were kids. Some of us can't remember what happened last year. Or yesterday. Honestly, I don't think it's such a big deal. Getting through today is hard enough.

But there's good reason to want to remember and good reason, for some of us, to want to forget. I just thought I'd let you know, if you're one of those concerned that you can't remember things. Just hang on.

Maybe hang on tight.

therapydoc

4 comments:

Isle Dance said...

Gotcha. Good to know.

Anonymous said...

what if you are telescoping and you aren't even thirty (at least for another 6 months)

therapydoc said...

For sure a sharp memory can be a good thing. Not that any two people in a family remember anything in the same way.

At any age it's annoying, not being able to remember things, so it is a relief to know that when we age we improve in this way, looking back, long-term memory. Who cares where the keys are, anyway?

porcini66 said...

Wow...THAT'S a little scary...I used that term the day before yesterday without even knowing that it was in the "lexicon" of psychology. I was at a meeting and it was as if the speaker set off a chain of memories and connections. I described it as telescoping. Very odd and disconcerting, but helpful at the same time - gave me a really enlightening moment after it was all said and done.

Thanks for putting it into perspective and letting me know it is an actual term. And, as always, thanks for writing. peg

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