On the Sea of Memory: A Journey from Forgetting to Remembering

by Jonathan Cott

At the end of the 1990s, the esteemed writer Jonathan Cott lost fifteen years of his life. After receiving repeated rounds of electroshock treatments to combat his severe clinical depression, Cott couldn’t remember anything he had experienced between 1985 and 2000. Not a shred remained of his intimate relationships, his travels, his writings, his joys and sorrows.

Though shattered by the loss, Cott summoned the will to try to understand exactly what had happened to him–and, beyond that, to probe the mysteries of human memory through neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and literature. The result is this extraordinary meditation on the vital role of remembering and forgetting in every aspect of human life.

As Cott grapples with the personal and medical implications of his own case, he turns to experts in a range of fields for their unique insights on human memory. Neurologist James L. McGaugh discusses why the brain tends to remember one thing over another, and how science can help us forget trauma. Author David Shenk tells how researchers came to identify Alzheimer’s disease and how treatments for dementia have changed dramatically in recent years. Harvard psychologist Richard J. McNally ponders why memory and imagination so often become confused, leading to difficulties in ascertaining the truth of recovered memories. Actress Ellen Burstyn reveals how actors summon emotional memories as they strive to fully inhabit a role. Spiritual thinker and writer Thomas Moore explores the deep connections between memory and the soul.

In the course of his journey, Cott comes to understand that though his loss was irrevocable, he has also gained a more profound understanding of how memory shapes and defines our lives, a new sympathy for those who struggle to remember or strive to forget, and a finer appreciation for the spiritual beauty of each transient moment. Though he began his journey in heartbreak, Cott ultimately finds inspiration in the power and delicacy of the human mind. Illuminating and original, On the Sea of Memory is a testament to a writer of extraordinary resolve and penetrating insight.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2005

Reviews

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 4 out of 5]

All my life I’ve been graced with what psychologists call an Episodic Memory. Memories from early childhood can come flooding back into my mind, like somebody is screening a 1950’s feature film! I got it from my Mom. Why? Because we were both Animists at heart.

Let me tell you a little story… last night my wife recalled a memory she had retained of Mom in the late seventies. Seems one Saturday Night Mom and Dad were watching a great forties film, when the power in the Neighbourhood suddenly went out.

Mom later said, to my wife, that she just closed her eyes and (remembering watching the film during the War years with her loving parents) could see in her mind’s eye The Entire Conclusion of the Film….

My wonderful Gurdjieff-disciple-friend, Jim, gifted me with this amazing book, in undamaged hardcover format, back in late 2011. I had told him that my burn-out had annihilated many of my episodic memories. And Cott, who was a Rolling Stone alumnus, has to FIGHT to win his back.

It was an appropriate gift for me, then.

Jonathan Cott has some amazing articles to his credit. His interests are wide-ranging, unflagging (great journalist that he is) and eclectic. And he has written some great books, too.

Under the aegis of a Rolling Stone legend, he once secured an interview with (the elderly but eager) composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, shortly before the latter's lamented death. The result is a beautiful book - Dinner with Lenny.

He has also written a quirky book about an ordinary woman who thought she was the reincarnation of an ancient Egyptian noblewoman and in the end PROVED it.

So, like Cott, this book taught me to WORK HARD to regain my memories. And writing here on Goodreads HELPED ME ENORMOUSLY.

Jim's as amazing as this book, folks, cause - get this - he owns a priceless chunk of real estate, bought when his once-upon-a-time wife and he were house-hunting in the seventies, in downtown Toronto.

But now single and loving it - which seems OK, if you're Lonely-proofed, but then, no one is - Jim sought and gained an affable-minded tenant.

But it's hard to have a steady career as a legal assistant, and so old Jim (my age roughly) was, when last heard from, finding it harder to make ends meet. My heart goes out to you, old grade school pal, wherever life may find you now!

I'll have to look you up sometime...

Cause I've gotta tell you that I -

Just like this worthwhile author -

Have NOW got my memory back.

Roll over, John Milton - it's my Paradise Regained!

So THANKS for this book, Jim.

[Dawn Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising concept that I found ultimately frustrating. Was hoping for more personal insight, though I accept that the author is ultimately a journalist, so perhaps this just isn't his way. Still, as he is a journalist there were some followup questions I was begging for that never came. Still, it's a quick read and worth it for some interesting information and thought- / conversation-provoking insights.

[Trina]

I found this book by accident while wandering aimlessly in the library. The book begins with an examination of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy) and the dangerous side effects of this treatment. The author lost 15 years of memories after undergoing ECT as a treatment for depression. Does memory make us who we are? So far, it is fascinating.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cott himself suffered some severe memory loss and went to interview experts on memory and forgetting from a variety of fields: medical, biological, spiritual, and cultural. Fascinating.