＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・回想法は心理療法としての利用のほか、認知症の予防や進行抑制効果も期待できる
<Added 2021/12/9> NHK Archives’ “Reminiscence Therapy Library” is fascinating!
NHK’s “Learn at Home! for School” program includes the NHK Archives’ “Reminiscence Therapy Library.”
The content is packed with videos covering “Life in the Past,” “Programs from the Past,” “Across Japan in the Past,” “Tools from the Past,” “Songs and Sounds from the Past,” and “Memories of Japan.”
We encourage our elderly peers to take a look. You might discover something new or experience a shift in your perspective.
Life in the Past | Reminiscence Therapy Library | NHK Archives
Reminiscence therapy, which involves watching nostalgic objects and videos and sharing memories, is said to activate the brain, stabilize emotions, and potentially prevent the progression of dementia and improve depressive states if continued over time. It is also used in dementia prevention for the elderly, psychotherapy for dementia patients, and rehabilitation.
This page provides videos demonstrating the procedures for reminiscence therapy, along with footage from old television programs and news reports, to make it easy to conduct reminiscence therapy in facilities and homes.
* Comments from the supervisor, Hidetoshi Endo (Former Director of the Training Center for Geriatric Medicine, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology; Chairman of the Board of Directors, Silver Research Institute)
Recalling the past is beneficial for activating brain function in older adults. Happy and cherished memories, as well as painful ones, usually lie dormant at the bottom of our memories. However, by looking at videos, old photographs, or old objects, we can instantly return to the past. Having someone to share these stories with makes it even more enjoyable, allowing us to forget the passage of time. Everyone has their own memories, and recalling them from time to time enriches our lives and brings happiness. Reminiscence therapy allows us to have a fulfilling time by watching nostalgic videos and sharing them with others. It is a form of psychotherapy. It is known that blood flow to the prefrontal cortex increases when we recall the past and share those memories with others. While there are individual reminiscence therapy sessions, there are also group sessions. Reminiscence therapy sometimes involves preparing nostalgic photographs and old objects, but using NHK’s archives to watch videos is a more convenient and useful option. We hope that many people will take advantage of these nostalgic, revisited videos to return to their youth and experience happiness. And we hope that by reminiscing about the past, you will be able to revitalize your daily life and contribute to a long and healthy life.
– Words from the supervisor, Yukiko Kurokawa (Director of the Yukiko Kurokawa Institute of Gerontology and Professor Emeritus at Sophia University)
People confirm their identity through memories. When we are young and busy, memories don’t hold much significance. As we get older, we tend to reflect more on our lives, and memories become a great source of support. We recall our mothers who loved us unconditionally no matter what, the company we commuted to on crowded trains, the Tokyo Olympics we watched with excitement, the first time we went to the ocean in Hawaii, the birth of our first grandchild, and so on, reaffirming our lives and our connections with loved ones. Reminiscence therapy is a method in which seniors reflect on their memories, share them with friends and listeners, feel joy and satisfaction, re-evaluate their irreplaceable selves, and alleviate feelings of loneliness. By increasing opportunities for seniors to excitedly recount memories while watching nostalgic videos, we can prevent suicide and lonely deaths among the elderly. If the experiences of seniors, recounted with videos as clues, and the small stories of grandparents that are often lost, are passed down, it will give children the strength to live in the future.
– Words from the supervisor, Shuji Kijima (Faculty of Health Sciences, Nihon Fukushi University)
The NHK Reminiscence Therapy Library’s videos are filled with images of the society in which children lived before the war and the courageous lives of those children. Along with the resilient lives of children after the war, these videos will surely speak to us across generations.
These videos will serve as a catalyst for your clients and elderly community members to recall their childhoods. Furthermore, they will provide an opportunity for people of the same generation to share their memories, foster empathy, and even pass on their knowledge to younger generations. Please, set aside any preconceived notions of “doing reminiscence therapy” or “providing assistance,” and simply enjoy and learn about the Showa era life that unfolded around us through these videos, with a pure heart. Let us learn from our elders…
Since I fully retired around the age of 70, I’ve started to recall things from the past more often (mostly failures, regrets, and unpleasant experiences, rather than enjoyable ones…).
I’m not consciously trying to remember; old memories just resurface unconsciously.
Is this a natural sign of aging? Or is it a precursor to dementia or senile depression?
1. Reminiscence Therapy as a Psychotherapy
Reminiscence therapy is a psychotherapy used by clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists in clinics and counseling centers to help elderly people with psychological problems such as senile depression.
This reminiscence therapy was founded by American psychiatrist Robert Butler.
It primarily targets the elderly and is based on an accepting and empathetic approach to listening to their life history and memories. This is necessary to enhance the elderly’s sense of satisfaction, self-esteem, and self-affirmation. There are two types of reminiscence therapy: “individual reminiscence therapy,” which is conducted one-on-one with an individual, and “group reminiscence therapy,” which is conducted in a group.
The interviewer who conducts reminiscence therapy is called a “reminiscence therapist.”
2. Reminiscence Therapy as a Measure to Prevent and Slow Down the Progression of Dementia
Reminiscence therapy is based on enjoyable conversation and therefore does not require a specific location or expense. It is often enjoyed at community centers and senior citizen centers. The Toride City Reminiscence Therapy Center in Ibaraki Prefecture conducts “Reminiscence Therapy Schools” and “Brain Activation Classes” for the elderly as part of its dementia prevention program. The Katsushika Ward Senior Support Center in Tokyo also holds reminiscence therapy classes to help prevent dementia.
3. My Way of Using Reminiscence Therapy
At 71 years old this year, I don’t use the “Reminiscence Therapy” method for reminiscence therapy, but I try to keep myself in a good mood by talking to my wife about the fun times of my childhood.
As we age, unpleasant memories from the past can suddenly resurface, causing us to feel down, or we may remember past mistakes and feel regret. This “emotional aging” can easily lead to depressive tendencies, but I try to stay cheerful by “not looking at unpleasant things and not dwelling on things I can’t change.”
Listening to my favorite music, such as The Carpenters or Kazumasa Oda, on CDs or YouTube, also seems to be effective.
Furthermore, I believe that writing this blog and reflecting on memories has an effect similar to reminiscence therapy.
“Whether you live your life crying or laughing, it’s still a lifetime.” Dwelling on unpleasant memories or constantly regretting only leads to a vicious cycle of depression and has no positive effects.
“The excitement of recalling happy memories” is said to activate the brain by increasing the inflow and outflow of information. While “love in old age” may carry various risks, listening to the music of a favorite singer you once loved and reminiscing about the past is safe. Dementia may be unavoidable, but I want to do my best to delay that stage as much as possible through preventative measures.