Recovering Lost Memories...With Science!

Spy_on_the_Inside

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I am currently in the process of writing a short story about a possible alien abductee who had no memories of her abduction. She meets with a group of paranormal investigators, who are trying to help her regain her memories of what happened that night.

I have been trying to think of sci-fi stories that deal with trying to recover lost memories, but all the his coming to my mind is The Exorcist II (I still maintain that was someone original sci-fi script that some studio got a hold of and just decided 'Screw it! This is an Exorcist sequel')

Has anyone read any books or seen any films in the sci-fi genre that deal with recovered memory? I really don't want to resort to just doing a cognitive interview.
 

Margrave86

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The two things that come to mind are that X-Files episode where Mulder has regression therapy to the night of his sister's abduction, and every single Philip K. Dick story ever.
 

The Second Moon

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Do you want crazy or something realistic? If you want crazy I suggest letting your creativity run wild. In a short story I'm writing the MC and his adult figure have a machine that'll let them go into the MC's mind-world (or a world based on what's in his head). They explore there until they find the lost memories. I think that may be too over-the-top crazy for what you're looking for, but its the only example I could think of at the moment.

Oh! Wait! I did read I book many years ago about a kid who was abducted by aliens and is slowly recalling the abduction. The government gave him some pills that would help him suppress the memories so he could live normally, but he stopped a taking the pills so he could find out the truth. That's kind of the opposite of what your looking for, but you could flip it around and make your MC be given pills that'll help her recall the abduction.
 

benbenberi

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The Harvard psychiatrist John E. Mack (who in 1976 won a Pulitzer prize for a biography of Lawrence of Arabia) in later years went deep into the world of Alien Abductions & abduction survivors. I think he wrote a book or 2 about it in the 90s, & there was some controversy about his involvement. Look him up -- it should lead you to a lot of things you'll find interesting.
 

Robinski

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Have you seen Chris Nolan's movie Memento, or for that matter Inception? Both put memory at the heart of the story in different way. Memento in particular would be well worth watching if you haven't.