This is not forgetting names or misplacing your phone. This is when your brain decides certain memories are not safe to keep online. Dissociative amnesia usually shows up around trauma or extreme stress. Instead of storing memories in the usual way, the brain limits access to them — sometimes temporarily, sometimes longer-term. You might know something happened without being able to recall details, or you might discover entire stretches of time that feel blank or unreachable. It can be unsettling to realize parts of your own story aren’t immediately available to you. Other people may assume you’re avoiding something or “just don’t want to remember.” In reality, your nervous system made a call a long time ago about what it thought would keep you functioning. Think of it less like deletion and more like a locked drawer. The contents are still there. You just don’t have the key right now.

Dissociative amnesia is diagnosed when a person cannot recall important autobiographical information, typically related to trauma or stress, in a way that exceeds normal forgetting. The memory disturbance is psychological in origin and is not caused by brain injury, substances, or another medical condition. The pattern of memory loss may be localized, selective, or generalized. Cognitive abilities and the capacity to form new memories are otherwise intact. Treatment focuses on trauma-informed care and gradual integration, not forcing recall.
(In clinical terms: the system is protecting itself. Aggressive troubleshooting is not recommended.)