A study suggests that sleep may aid in eliminating negative recollections: 'Emotional therapy through rest'

A recent study proposes that sleep may aid in erasing negative memories, in addition to its previously established physical and mental health benefits.

Researchers from the University of Hong Kong discovered that using a technique called "targeted memory reactivation" (TMR) can strengthen positive memories and weaken painful ones during sleep.

"The researchers found that revisiting painful experiences can be distressing, but sleep may provide relief. Their findings were published in PNAS."

"We created a method to weaken old negative memories by reactivating new positive memories during sleep."

A total of 37 participants were shown 48 "nonsense words" paired with unpleasant images before going to sleep.

The following evening, they were presented with half of the word pairs accompanied by positive images from four categories: animals, babies, people, and scenes.

The researchers introduced "auditory memory cues" during the "non-rapid-eye-movement" sleep stage.

The participants awoke with weaker recall of negative images and stronger recollection of positive ones.

The study found that reactivating interfering memories during sleep could induce episodic forgetting, which is consistent with recent TMR research.

"Our research has shown that TMR selectively strengthens positive memories and weakens negative ones, resulting in a shift in emotional experiences."

TMR, or transcranial magnetic stimulation, has been used as a treatment for PTSD and other negative memories, according to Dr. Earnest Lee Murray, a board-certified neurologist at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, Tennessee.

According to Murray, who was not part of the study, combining sensory cues with therapeutic interventions and then re-presenting these cues during specific sleep phases is how this is accomplished.

The neurologist stated that this treatment has been proven to decrease the emotional intensity of unpleasant memories.

"According to Murray, this research not only demonstrates a decrease in the intensity of aversive memories but achieves this through the reactivation of newer positive memories while the patient is asleep. This opens up new avenues for research on methods to weaken traumatic or negative memories."

He pointed out that in addition to psychotherapies, medications are sometimes used to suppress nightmares or other aversive memories.

"This research consistently demonstrates methods for managing these ailments without resorting to medication, which frequently come with unfavorable side effects."

Dr. Alex Dimitriu, a board-certified psychiatrist and sleep medicine doctor who founded Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine in California, found the study on how the brain processes memories during sleep to be "fascinating."

""Sleep is like therapy for our emotions," he told Planet Chronicle Digital, explaining how our brains unpack, process, and repack emotions during sleep."

Improvements in mood and anxiety have been reported by many of the doctor's patients after enhancing their sleep.

"Dimitriu stated that while emotional processing and rehearsal are common in REM sleep, a recent study showed that emotions are also processed in non-REM sleep, indicating that emotions are processed in various sleep phases."

The expert stated that the process of using TMR to enhance positive emotions and diminish negative ones could have a "significant effect" on individuals with depression or trauma.

"I am thrilled to discover more research on this topic, as it implies that we can acquire knowledge and adapt during sleep."

Potential limitations

The study did have some limitations, the researchers noted.

"Our brains are unpacking, processing and repacking emotions in our sleep."

Although our experiment aims to weaken aversive memories, the lab-induced emotional experiences of viewing aversive/positive images may not accurately represent typical traumatic experiences.

Some traumatic experiences may make it challenging to identify positive aspects.

The researchers suggested that future research should investigate methods for incorporating positive memories, such as autobiographical or therapy-related memories, to effectively diminish the impact of real-life trauma memories.

"Investigating the role of REM sleep in modulating emotional memories is the second step."

The Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Hong Kong granted ethical approval for the study.

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The Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and other grants were among the funders.

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.