Lost memories.

The news

Millie has always been a joker but somehow I don't think she is joking. Its not everyday

that people wake up from a two month long coma and tell you they dont remember a thing. There must be something wrong. I dont really feel so happy about her waking up now. But.. If she doesnt remember anything, it means she doesnt remember the accident. That's good because then she won't hate me, right? Wrong! If she doesn't remember anything, that means she's forgotten all our memories. That thought more than anything, breaks my heart. I've heard that if you take away someones memory, you take away who they are. I can't let that happen, I cant-.

"We checked her-"

Dr.Stevens stops short at the site of Millie sitting up. With him is Lizzie, her mom. She is a small woman, in her early thirties, with golden blond hair and green eyes, which are now brimmig with tears at the site of her daughter. Dan, her dad, stands there just as shocked, his dark hair tousled as if he has been running his hands through it continously. No doubt he has, I would if I was in his position. His blue orbs, which are the same colour as Millie's stare at her in amazement. Ashlee, her little sister, who looks like her mother, is the one to break the silence.

"Mibbie!" She screams before jumping onto the bed and enveloping her big sister in a hug. Millie hesitant are first but I nod at her and she finally relaxes and hugs Ashlee back. Slowly, her parents come around and theres a lot of hugging and kisses. All of which i notice, Millie's not very comfortable with.

"Now,now, give her some space to breath, we don't want her going under again now do we?" Dr. Stevens chuckles but no-one else finds his little joke that funny,considering the situation.

"I don't mean to ruin the moment but I think Millie has something to share", she looks up at me suprised but nods anyway.

"I dont really know who any of you are." She doesnt look up but instead, she plays with a lock of her brunnett hair, a habit she's developed over the years. That little sign of the old her warms my heart. She's in there somewhere, i've just got to find to find her.

"Well you see, i was just getting at that when we arrived," Dr.Stevens said, essentially making everyone look at him.

"When we took a look at her brain, we realised that the traumatic event caused her brain to block out memory, leaving her unable to remember important information. This is also known as psychogenic amnesia."

"Oh. My. God! Amnesia? She's never gonna remember us is she?" My brain is finding this information very hard to process. This is worse than her not waking up. How am I going to live everyday knowing I did this to her? I feel like I'm going to puke. Standing up, I head for the window and look out. The view from up here always finds a way to calm me.

"Psychogenic amnesia is not the same as simple amnesia, which involves a loss of information from the memory, usually as the result of disease or injury to the brain. With psychogenic amnesia, the memories still exist but are deeply buried within the person’s mind and cannot be recalled. However, the memories might resurface on their own or after being triggered by something in the person’s surroundings."

"So it can be treated?" Lizzie looks so hopeful, that it pains me to look at her. Eventhough, she and her family believe it wasnt my fault and forgave me for what happened, i still feel responsible for putting Millie in here. Maybe the guilt wont go away until she forgives me herself but i just cant bear to tell her anything yet. I just got her back and i cant lose her again. I wont.

"Well technically yes. The first goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms and control any problem behavior. Treatment then aims to help the person safely express and process painful memories, develop new coping and life skills, restore functioning, and improve relationships. The best treatment approach depends on the individual and the severity of his or her symptoms. Treatments like Psychotherapy:

This kind of therapy for mental and emotional disorders uses psychological techniques designed to encourage communication of conflicts and increase insight into problems.

Cognitive therapy

This type of therapy focuses on changing dysfunctional thinking patterns and the resulting feelings and behaviors.

Medication

There is no medication to treat the dissociative disorders themselves. However, a person with a dissociative disorder who also suffers from depression or anxiety might benefit from treatment with a medication such as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medicine.

Family therapy

This kind of therapy helps to teach the family about the disorder and its causes, as well as to help family members recognize symptoms of a recurrence.

Creative therapies (art therapy, music therapy)

These therapies allow the patient to explore and express his or her thoughts and feelings in a safe and creative way.

Clinical hypnosis

This is a treatment method that uses intense relaxation, concentration and focused attention to achieve an altered state of consciousness (awareness), allowing people to explore thoughts, feelings and memories they may have hidden from their conscious minds. The use of hypnosis for fixing dissociative disorders is controversial due to the risk of creating false memories."

"Wow okay." Millie nods to herself and I can tell she is trying hard to make sense of all this at once.

"Thanks Doc, but i think we need some time to process this information."

"Oh well ofcourse, i will leave you to it." He smiles, and nods to everyone." Make sure to get plenty of rest okay, i will be coming to check on you every so often." He winks before shutting the door.

After he leaves theres this thick silence that envelopes the room like a thick blanket. That is, until Millie's stomach rumbles. Everyone erupts with laughter.