9. No Memory of the Episode: The Fog of Somnambulism
Perhaps one of the most unsettling aspects of sleepwalking is the amnesia that follows. Once awake, sleepwalkers typically have no recollection of their nocturnal adventures. This memory gap adds an aura of mystery to the entire phenomenon.
The brain, during sleepwalking episodes, doesn’t engage in the typical memory-formation processes. As a result, events that transpire during these episodes don’t find their way into the waking mind’s archives. It’s as if they ventured into a dream, but one they can’t remember upon waking.
However, traces of the episode might linger. Feelings, vague images, or even snippets of conversations might surface. These fragments, though disjointed, offer the sleepwalker fleeting glimpses into their nocturnal activities.
For loved ones and observers, this amnesia can be disconcerting. Sharing tales of the sleepwalker’s escapades might be met with disbelief or even denial. The disconnect between the sleepwalking self and the wakeful self can be profound.(9)
