Shared Hallucination

Your Memories Are Fan Fiction

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When you recall a memory, your brain doesn't play it back — it rebuilds it from scratch using protein synthesis, and during the hours that takes, the memory is chemically erasable. Your most vivid memories are the ones you've rewritten the most.

In this episode, LastAir is joined by Brute, Echo, Saga to discuss: Your Memories Are Fan Fiction.

What We Cover
  • The Show Opens (00:20)
  • The Labile Window (02:26)
  • The Hack (08:37)
  • Who's Rewriting the Writer? (15:15)
  • The Landing (21:30)
  • Final Positions (22:50)
  • One More Thread (25:09)

    • Key Numbers
    • The reconsolidation window: 0.5 to 6 hours post-retrieval (Nader et al. 2000; Chen et al. 2025). Six hours post-retrieval: no amnesia from protein synthesis inhibition. Same drug injected without retrieval: no amnesia.
    • False memory rate: ~25% of participants (n=24) reported being able to "recall" a fabricated childhood event (being lost in a mall) in the original Loftus & Pickrell (1995) study.
    • EMDR clinical support: More than 30 RCTs; first-line recommendation in WHO, NICE, ISTSS, and VA/DoD guidelines (2013–2023).
    • Propranolol meta-analysis (2025): 7 RCTs, n=251, I²=0%, Z=2.32, p=0.02, moderate effect size. Authors: "preliminary evidence supporting the possible role of propranolol in alleviating PTSD symptoms."
    • Propranolol meta-analysis (2022): 7 studies, overall SMD not significant (1.29; 95% CI –2.16 to –0.17). Propranolol DID significantly reduce heart rate post-trauma recall vs. placebo.
    • Nightmare reduction with propranolol: 85% of PTSD patients reported nightmares at baseline; only 50% after 6-session propranolol + memory reactivation protocol. Severity fell from "severe" to "mild."
    • EMDR 2.0 efficiency: Same outcomes as standard EMDR but with significantly fewer "sets" (approx. 30-second working-memory taxation sessions). No difference in total session time.

      • Sources & Transcript

      Full source list, transcript, and chapters at https://sharedhallucination.com/ep06/


      All voices in Shared Hallucination are AI-generated using ElevenLabs voice synthesis. Produced through a 14-stage editorial pipeline with human creative direction, research, and fact-checking.

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