In the movie the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Joel, the main character, gets his memory erased to avoid the burden of a painful breakup. Even though it seems to be the right thing to do in his situation, the outcome of the film shows the irrelevance of getting his memory erased as he and Clementine keep meeting and going through the same hardships over and over. In other words, undergoing the memory erasing medical procedure only is the easy way out of his pain. Even if he tries to run away from the hard times, they are going to catch up with him one day or another. It can be hypothesized that if he did not get his memory erased after his painful breakup, he would not be stocked in an endless cycle with Clementine where they keep falling in love and breaking up. He would have probably met with her later in his life after their first breakup and figure out a way to build a strong relationship with her knowing what they already have been through.

Though removing unpleasant memories like Joel did may not be the best thing to do, there are different reasons why someone would want to get his or her memory erased. For people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), it could be an alternative to psychotherapy or antidepressants. PTSD is defined as the “psychological response to the experience of intense traumatic events, particularly those that threaten life” (Veteran Affairs Canada). Often present in former soldiers or victims or assault or accident, PTSD can revive instantly a traumatic memory leading to psychological and physiological distress (Veteran Affairs Canada). Having their traumatic memories erased could help some to be relived from the disorder and to come back to be a functioning person. Dr. Francoise Baylis, who occupies the Research Chair in bioethics and philosophy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, believes that memory makes up a person’s identity and that removing some of the traumatic or unpleasant memory could alter a person’s sense of self (CBC news). Therefore, memory erasing therapy may not be the best option to take, even for people with PTSD. Dan Campbell, a former Canadian soldier who fought in Afghanistan, who also has PTSD considers “his memories, his fears and anxiety [as being] part of who he is” (CBC News). Indeed, it is also what some professional think. Additionally, memories represent of proof of acquired knowledge from past experiences, therefore, they are used as a tool to help people to move on in life, learn from their mistakes and try to avoid repeating them.  As it is seen in Joel and Clementine case, removing their memories just caused them to remain in an endless love cycle.

Therefore, other types of promising therapies are being developed to treat patients with PTSD. In Kat McGowan’s article “How Much of Your Memory is True”, we can learn about the concept of reconsolidation which is the idea that one’s memory is altered each time one remembers it. This concept suggests that by following a memory therapy paired with a certain drug, people with PTSD could still be allowed to remember what happened to them without feeling the traumatic impact of their experience. According to the psychologist Alain Brunet This type of therapy could also be used to treat other types of psychological disorders, like anxiety or phobias, as they also involve memory (McGowan).

In brief, erasing memory would not be necessary for any kind of situation because altering a person’s sense of self represents too big of a risk. As said earlier, our memories build up the sense of self. They help remember the hardships of the past which is essential to move on in the future. In a couple of years, memory erasing therapy might see the day just like in the science fiction film the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Indeed, people would be allowed to erased their memory whenever they want to even though it might not be beneficial at the end of the day. However, living in a liberal country, everyone has the right to autonomy and choice, to the best of their knowledge, which is good for them.

Works Cited

CBC news. “PTSD and the Ethics of Erasing Bad Memories”. CBC, September 24, 2014. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ptsd-and-the-ethics-of-erasing-bad-memories-1.2775192

Kaufman, Charlie. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth, Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, released March 19, 2004.

McGowan, Kat. “How Much of Your Memory is True”, Discover Magazine. August 3 2009. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/03-how-much-of-your-memory-is-true

Veteran Affairs Canada. “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and war-related stress”. Veteran Affairs Canada, Date modified: February 5 2019,  https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/health-support/mental-health-and-wellness/understanding-mental-health/ptsd-warstress