Memory
(and how we shape it)
"Once pain is over, it's not over."
Pain creates memory, but memory is pliable and changeable. We are learning ways to harness and positively reframe children's pain memories to be more accurate and positive. We can improve children's future pain outcomes by pivoting the ways parents reminisce with their children about painful events.
The focus:
Children who remember pain in a distressing way are more likely to have greater fear, pain, and distress when they experience pain in the future.
An example would be a child remembering a painful event as being more scary or painful than it actually was.
The upside:
Children can also remember pain in a positive way, which can improve future pain experiences.
An example would be a child remembering a painful event as being less scary or painful than it actually was.
What we are championing:
We know it doesn't have to be this way. Interventions can change pain outcomes.
We are teaching parents how to reminisce with their children about painful experiences to reframe children's memories to be more positive.