Understanding Amnesia: Causes, Recovery, and What to Do

I am Napoleon, Emperor of France! What? I'm not? I'm just a regular
guy with a severe case of amnesia? Well, zut alors, I must postpone
the invasion of Russia until I recover my memory. Amnesia, a loss of
memory, is not purely Hollywood fiction. It commonly occurs after a
concussion or other trauma to the brain.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult the doctor who treated you when you were initially injured. The circumstances that led to the onset of amnesia may provide clues about who you are and what you were doing. Find out where the incident occurred and who was with you.

• 2

  Determine which type of amnesia you have:

• 3

  Be patient. While most people recover their memory almost completely, recovery may take many months. It's common to never recall the exact events leading to the accident, but wholesale permanent loss is unlikely.

• 4

  Hope for a memory trigger. As it did for Proust, the simple task of eating a madeleine (or another common event) may bring your old memories back in a rush, sometimes resulting in a full recovery.

• 5

  Read 9 Organize Your Thoughts and 10 Set Up a Reminder System.