Remembering is not running an invisible tape recorder back to an event. It is pulling together bits and pieces of information that logically fit together. Nor can we depend on accuracy. Even immediate recall may be inaccurate simply because of an initial failure to perceive accurately. That is why those who testify about a particular event may have completely different stories.
Memories are also very malleable.
They change even as we recall past events. These distortions can be quite frightening, for they can cause us to have memories of things that never happened.4 Even under the best circumstances, our memory is incomplete. We creatively fill in details with probabilities. Because of this natural inclination and because of the possibility of creating new memories through hypnosis and other forms of suggestion, Christians should be cautious about any counseling that looks for the keys of today's behavior in so-called repressed memories in some controlling unconscious.