A new study has found that a person can be helped to forget specific memories by listening to sounds during sleep.
According to the researchers of the study conducted at the University of York, this procedure could become a technique for fighting painful memories in the future.
A previous study indicated that certain sounds during sleep can be used to trigger specific memories.
However, according to the researchers, the latest study is the first to provide strong evidence that the technique can be used to help people forget memories.
Although still in the experimental stages, the research findings raise the possibility that we can increase or decrease the ability to recall specific memories by listening to people while they sleep, said lead author of the study, Dr. Barder Joensin.
He said that people who have gone through a trauma suffer from anxiety because of the memories of these events. Although the research has yet to make further progress, the discovery could potentially pave the way for new techniques to weaken memories.
In the study, 29 people were asked to recall word pairs related to everyday life, such as hammer-office, hammer-Cardi B and Beckham-bicycle.
Previous research has shown improved memory by learning word pairs and listening to sounds during sleep.
