The memories we lose and the new memories we can make
How new memories form after brain injury, and small ways to help good days stick
After a brain injury, memory loss can run in two directions. Some of what happened around the crash may be gone. At the same time, new days can slip away, so a good afternoon with your family may be hazy by next week.
Both kinds of loss can hurt. A brain that struggles to hold onto new things can often hold onto more with the right setup and support. This article explains in plain words how a new memory forms after an injury. It also gives you simple habits that help experiences stick, and an honest look at what may and may not change.
The memories that may not come back
Many people with a moderate or severe brain injury have no memory of the crash itself [1]. A stretch of time afterward is often missing too. Doctors call this post traumatic amnesia, a period after the injury when new memories are not being kept [1]. It can last minutes, weeks or even months [1]. Memories from that time usually do not return, because the brain may never have stored them [1].
Family, friends and medical staff can help you piece together what happened. For more on that gap, read why you can’t remember the crash.
Sometimes the brain fills a gap with a memory that is not accurate [2]. Families can mistake this for lying, when it is really the brain guessing at what belongs in the gap [2].
So far, research offers few treatments that rebuild the brain’s own memory ability [1]. Some effects of a brain injury fade, while others may last for the rest of a person’s life [3].
It is natural to grieve memories that are gone. Our page on when you can’t remember parts of a serious car crash looks at living with those blank spots.
How a new memory forms, in plain words
Neuropsychologists often describe memory as a chain of steps. A brain injury can weaken any link in that chain. Knowing the steps helps you see where to add support.
- Notice it. Your brain can only store what got your attention. Noise, interruptions, worry, pain or tiredness can stop a moment from getting in at all [1, 2].
- Give it meaning. Information you link to yourself, to a picture or to something you already know tends to stick better [2, 5].
- Go over it again. Repeating or reviewing something gives it more chances to settle [1, 2].
- Let it settle. The brain needs time to store a new memory, and rest and breaks help you focus and learn [2, 4].
- Find it later. Sometimes a memory is stored but hard to pull up, the way a familiar name can sit on the tip of your tongue [1].
After an injury, the first step is often the weak link. Mental fatigue ranks among the most frequent complaints after a brain injury, and up to 70% of survivors report it [4]. When you are worn out, attention and memory both suffer [4]. So the same kind of event may stick on a fresh morning and fade on a tired evening. Our article on why memory seems worse when you are tired covers planning around that.
Meaning matters too. People usually remember information better when they connect it to themselves, which researchers call the self reference effect [5]. One small unpublished study found that people with memory disorders still showed this effect at a normal level [5]. Asking “What did this mean to me?” is a simple way to give a moment more hooks.
This chain also helps explain why years ago can feel clearer than yesterday. Older memories were stored before the injury and usually hold up better [1]. The pattern is covered in more depth in why you can remember years ago but forget yesterday.
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Where new memories can get stuck, and what helps
| Step | What can get in the way | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Noticing | Noise, interruptions, pain, worry, fatigue | One thing at a time, a calm spot, doing important things when you feel fresh |
| Meaning | Rushing through the moment | Asking what it meant to you, linking it to a person or place you know |
| Going over it | Moving straight on to the next thing | Retelling it, rereading a note, looking at a photo |
| Settling | Packed days and poor sleep | A short break afterward, steady sleep and wake times |
| Finding it later | No cue to bring it back | Photos, captions, one notebook kept in one place |
Some learning happens even when you cannot recall it
Memory for events is only one kind of memory. Skills and habits can build up through practice, sometimes without any memory of the practice.
One case study followed a man with severe amnesia after a brain infection [6]. He played saxophone in an amateur orchestra. He spent about three months rehearsing 11 unfamiliar songs with the group [6]. Afterward, he did not recognize those songs as ones he had practiced [6].
An expert who did not know which songs were which then rated his playing [6]. His notes and overall reading of the music got better on the practiced songs, while the songs he never practiced stayed the same [6]. The gains were modest and came from a single person [6]. Even so, they suggest that practice can count when the memory of it is gone.
This is part of why routines can get easier with repetition, even on days when you feel you are learning nothing. Our article on spaced practice after brain injury shows how to practice specific skills in a way that helps them last.
New memories also help you keep up with yourself. A study of seven people who could not form new long term memories found that each kept a steady picture of their own personality [7]. Their self view matched who they had been before the brain damage more closely than who they were now [7]. The researchers suggested that new memories help people update how they see themselves [7]. Each new memory you capture, even on paper, helps your life story include the life you are living now.
Small habits that help today stick
You do not need a big system to start. Pick one or two of these habits and try them for a few weeks.
Take one photo and write a caption the same day. Keep it short: who was there, where you were and one detail that made it matter to you. A caption that ties the moment to you puts the self reference effect to work [5].
Tell the story that evening. Share it with someone at dinner or on the phone, or record a voice memo of a minute or two. Going over a moment again is one of the simplest ways to help it settle [1, 2].
Write three short lines. Note what happened, who was there and how you felt. Writing something down gives you a record, and it may even strengthen the memory itself [1].
Look back on a schedule. Glance at your note the next morning, again a few days later and again after a week. Regular review helps new information last [2]. The table below shows one way to space it out.
Give the moment a calm stretch afterward. After something important, take a short break before the next activity. Breaks and rest help when your brain is working hard [4].
Keep everything in one place, such as a single notebook, album or phone folder, so the cues are easy to find when you want them.
Checklist from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Same day memory routine
- Take one photo of the moment
- Write a caption: who, where and why it mattered to me
- Tell someone the story before bed, or record a voice memo
- Write three lines in my notebook
- Set a reminder to look again tomorrow morning
- Rest for a few minutes before the next thing
Comparison compiled by Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
A simple look back plan for one good day
| When | What to do | About how long |
|---|---|---|
| Same evening | Retell the story, then write the caption and three lines | 5 to 10 minutes |
| Next morning | Read the note and look at the photo | 2 minutes |
| Two or three days later | Tell the story to someone else using the photo | 5 minutes |
| One week later | Look again and add anything you remember or learn | 2 minutes |
| One month later | Flip through the month’s photos and captions | 10 minutes |
When a memory feels fuzzy or wrong
Your memory may sometimes disagree with someone else’s. Because an injured brain can fill gaps with its best guess, a memory can feel certain and still be off [2]. That is one more reason to keep notes and photos from the day.
If you and a family member remember something differently, check the note or photo together. Families help most when they calmly show the record and skip the quiz. Our article on helping without testing someone’s memory has more ideas for families.
For families: making new memories together
- Plan shared outings for the time of day when your loved one is most rested [4].
- Keep the moment simple. One activity at a time is easier to take in than a crowded day. We cover the reasons in one thing at a time and memory.
- Let your loved one choose the photo and say the caption in their own words, since moments tied to yourself tend to stick better [5].
- Swap “Do you remember?” for “I loved it when we…” and then tell the story yourself.
- Retell the story together that evening, so it feels like sharing with no right answers.
- Treat the time together as worth it, even if some details fade later.
Getting expert help with new learning
A neuropsychologist can test your thinking skills and show which links in the memory chain are weakest for you [2]. That picture helps your team choose strategies that fit your life. Occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and neuropsychologists often provide cognitive rehabilitation, which can retrain a skill or teach a new way to reach the same goal [2].
A psychologist can help when worry, low mood or frustration get in the way of thinking [2]. If something new goes wrong with your memory, tell your rehabilitation team, since a medicine could be the cause or it may need a closer look [2]. When care is hard to reach, our guide to finding qualified memory rehabilitation shows where to look.
An honest view of what lies ahead
Some losses may last. The memory of the crash may never return, and some people live with long lasting trouble forming new memories [1, 3]. Memory drills and brain training programs are not considered a way to restore memory [1].
Recovery is also hard to predict. Many things shape how thinking improves over time, and rehabilitation can help many people rebuild skills or find new ways to reach their goals [2]. Memory aids do not make your memory lazy, and they let you keep more of your life on record [1].
Hope and grief can sit side by side. In a large UK survey, about three in four survivors said their injury had a negative effect on their life, yet about half felt positive about the future [8]. Some described pride in how they had coped, along with grief for the life they had before [8].
If sadness about what you lost stays with you most days for more than two weeks, or gets in the way of daily life, talk with your care team. It could be depression, which is treatable [9]. If you think about suicide, call or text 988 right away to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline [9, 10].
Get help right away
Sudden confusion, new weakness or numbness, trouble speaking, a seizure, or a severe or worsening headache means call 911 or go to the emergency room right away. If your memory keeps slipping over several days, call your doctor soon. Our concussion and TBI red flag checklist lists other warning signs.
Questions to ask your care team
Question checklist from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
- Which kinds of memory are most affected for me, and which are working well?
- Am I likely to remember the crash, or the days right after it?
- Could fatigue, sleep, mood or a medicine be making it harder to take in new things?
- Would testing with a neuropsychologist help us understand my strengths?
- Can therapy help me build habits like taking notes and reviewing them?
- How will we tell whether my memory for new things is improving?
- What changes would mean I should call you right away?
Frequently asked questions
Can you make new memories after a brain injury?
Yes, though it often takes more effort and support than before. Older memories usually hold up better than new ones [1]. Cutting distractions, repeating what matters and using notes can help new memories stick [1, 2].
Will I ever remember the crash?
Probably not. Memories from the crash and the confused period afterward were often never stored, so they are unlikely to come back [1]. Many people find it helps to learn the facts from family or medical records.
Why do I remember some new things but not others?
Moments you paid full attention to, linked to yourself and went over again have a better chance of sticking [1, 2, 5]. Tiredness, distraction and stress make it harder [2, 4].
Does writing things down make your memory lazy?
No. Notes and other memory aids do not weaken memory, and writing something down may even help it stick [1].
Can photos help people with memory problems remember?
Photos can help by giving you a cue to bring back a moment, plus a record when the memory itself does not return. A short caption written the same day makes the photo more useful later.
The bottom line
Recommendation from Safety Behind the Wheel Foundation
Some memories may be gone for good, and grieving them is natural. New memories are still possible when you notice the moment, link it to yourself, go over it the same day and look back on a schedule. Start this week with one habit, such as a photo with a caption, and build from there.
Related articles
Sources and further reading
- 1Hart T, Sander A. “Memory and Traumatic Brain Injury.” Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC), 2016. msktc.org/…/memory-and-traumatic-brain-i…
- 2Neumann D, Lequerica A. “Cognitive Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury.” Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC), 2020. msktc.org/…/cognitive-problems-after-tra…
- 3Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “What are the possible effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI)?” NICHD, NIH, 2020. nichd.nih.gov/…/effects
- 4Bell KR; Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center. “Fatigue and Traumatic Brain Injury.” MSKTC, 2024. msktc.org/…/fatigue-and-traumatic-brain-…
- 5Marquine M. “Self-Knowledge and Self-Referential Processing in Memory Disorders: Implications for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona, 2008. repository.arizona.edu/…/193959
- 6Cavaco S, Feinstein JS, van Twillert H, Tranel D. “Musical memory in a patient with severe anterograde amnesia.” Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 2012. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/…/PMC3919540
- 7Garland MM, Vaidya JG, Tranel D, Watson D, Feinstein JS. “Who Are You? The Study of Personality in Patients With Anterograde Amnesia.” Psychological Science, 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/…/PMC8907494
- 8Headway. “A New Me: Experiences of life after brain injury.” Headway, 2017. headway.org.uk/…/a-new-me-experiences-of-life…
- 9Bombardier C, Hart T; Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center. “Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury.” MSKTC, 2025. tbi.washington.edu/…/2025_Depression-After-TBI-50…
- 10988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. “Frequently Asked Questions.” 988 Lifeline, accessed October 2026. 988lifeline.org/faq
This article reflects the safety priorities of neuropsychology and brain injury rehabilitation. It is general education, not medical advice. Check with your care team and official sources about your own situation. Reviewed October 2026.
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