I'm writing a story that involves an accident and some retrograde amnesia, but I'm having trouble finding reliable information about how memories return to a person in the aftermath of such a situation. Does certain stimuli trigger memories? Does everything come back immediately, or is it a more gradual process? And how would somebody describe the sensation? Many sources I've looked at have conflicting answers to these questions. I have a grandma who was in a car accident and couldn't remember who she was for the next 24 hours. Eventually her memories came back, and later she compared the sensation to a light switch being flipped back on. One minute she went from not being able to remember her name to being able to name every president of the United States off the top of her head, with no triggers or stimuli involved getting from one point to the next. This is the only reliable firsthand account I have, and it's unclear how the experience varies from person to person. Can you guys help me out? Did anybody experience something similar? Different maybe? Any help on this subject would be very much appreciated.
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