Is there a way to "un-repress" a memory?

Those are the main ones I know but I also did some work once on bodily trauma in which you identified parts of your body that held the memory and worked from that. You might want to talk to a therapist about that; I don’t remember the specific name.

I let myself remember things slowly, as they came up, and I only went as far as I could stand. If it started feeling like it was going to suck me down the black hole, I shut the memory down. These were memories of feelings of loss and loneliness and self-hatred, not memories of specific events, but I would bet you could do the same.

Let it come naturally. Just open up a little more each time, and be ready to close down when you need to. When it’s too strong or dangerous.

I don’t know what you have been through, but I would talk to your therapist before you try to try to un-repress painful memories. I would think it would be better that you do this in a safe environment where you can debrief and manage the feelings that might come up. Your therapist should be aware of methods you/they can use.

I was going to suggest hypnosis.

If you leave it alone, it may come back on its own. But if you are still repressing it, you do not feel safe having the memories come back. I would not force it.

If you truly repressed this memory, you shouldn’t try to recover it without the help of a therapist. It could be quite devastating.

I agree hypnosis could work very well but also agree it should only be done in the hands of an experienced therapist who will help you ‘digest’ it.

‘Primal Therapy’ can help get repressed pain out, and maybe that’s what you really need, but they will not explicitly help you remember factual details.

My repressed emotions from childhood abuse surfaced in dreams in my mid-twenties. You might want to try a dream journal and even journalling about your everyday life – especially if you have a surprising or curious reaction to something. Like others, I strongly recommend that you have good support from your therapist, and hopefully from friends or family also.

Just be careful, there are some bad therapists out there, and it is easier than one thinks to give a person memories. False memory is very real.

But, if you feel like you are on the edge of remembering something, or think some memories are the key to something very important in your life, then I agree hypnosis, or even just regular talk therapy might help.

You say that you do not remember the details, so I am assuming that you have some general recollection of what happened and who was involved. I wonder if someone could bring out the details by just getting you in a relaxed mood and getting you to try to visualize what happened. It might take a few sessions.