Negative experiences can take root in the memory for a prolonged period – sometimes they remain with a person for nearly a lifetime if these states are not processed or the necessary support is not received.

Lingering Shadows: How Unaddressed Negativity Shapes Our Lives

Negative experiences can take root in the memory for a prolonged period – sometimes they remain with a person for nearly a lifetime if these states are not processed or the necessary support is not received. For example, if negative thoughts begin to repeat, they almost automatically become ingrained in the mind, much like a splinter that eventually starts to cause pain. This happens regardless of any real threat: even highly unlikely or imagined dangers can transform into obsessive ideas that, once entrenched, continue to affect a person’s emotional state.

It is important to note that the duration of these negative experiences can vary. If a person receives timely emotional support or finds ways to understand their feelings, the negativity can subside quickly. For instance, in young children who receive care from their parents, negative emotions dissipate fairly quickly after experiencing fear. However, if such experiences are prolonged and repetitive, they can become chronic and continue to reside in memory, affecting behavior and thinking for many years.

Supporting citation(s):"But like a splinter that, once stubbornly entrenched in the consciousness, begins to cause pain that one is ashamed to admit to anyone, obsessive thoughts often begin with the question: 'What if?

' They then become automated, take root in the mind, and by repeating themselves over and over, create significant difficulties in life. And the more a person struggles with them, the stronger they take hold." (source: link txt)

"Children are capable of expressing negative emotions and then freeing themselves from them precisely thanks to the support they receive from their parents' consciousness. Until the age of nine, a child is not yet capable of logical reasoning. However, if there is an empathetic parent nearby, the little one uses the mother's or father's ability for logical reasoning and easily lets go of negative emotions." (source: link txt)

Thus, if negative experiences are not processed or are not influenced by a supportive environment, they can persist in the mind for a long time, entrenched as recurring thoughts that continue to influence a person’s life.