Letting go of bad past experiences

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Is it common for people with Asperger's to have a hard time letting go of bad memories? Do you find yourself having a hard time forgetting something that you wish had never happened? We are all familiar with the saying, "forgive and forget." Those of us with Asperger's have a good memory and it is not always easy for us to forget. I have never been in a traumatic life or death situation, but I have been in situations where my anxiety reacted as if it were a life or death situation. When I look back at the bad situations that I have been through, I constantly analyze what I could have done differently to prevent the situation from happening in the first place. I have a hard time forgiving others who caused the bad situation. I also have a hard time forgiving myself. I know that none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes, I have a hard time accepting mistakes. Some of my mistakes have costed me a lot of money. They have also caused me a lot of stress and anxiety. While I try to learn from my mistakes and try to move on from them, there is something in my brain that won't allow me to move past them. Even in times when nothing bad is happening, I still can't get the bad memory out of my head.

Hi,

I know exactly what you mean. Same here. Bad experiences keep replaying in my head like movies. Some days are more worse than others. Depends, sometimes I keep thinking, the next day nothing, but yes, it comes always back and replays itself in my mind. Me too my memory works well and I never forget things.
And of course replaying bad memories give bad feelings...

I too easily get PTSD. What is usually needed to avoid trouble with NTs is EQ, and we just get blindsided. Then, it can take the IQ years to sort through information to find the trigger. Things that help are writing or talking it out, sleep, meditation, time, and remembering my own mistakes that cost others, so it does not feel so one-sided.

State dependent memory

Post traumatic stress disorder

I still suffer from those type of memories 30+ years after constant severe bullying by my classmates in middle/high school. It took a long time for my thirst for revenge to quench itself, but it finally passed. Unfortunately, I cannot rewrite over those bad memories. They are there permanently, I just have to live with them. They come and go at different times when I least expect them. I use the anger that they bring as fuel to get my work projects done. They are also fuel for my dark side’s ideas, something I must control until the end.