Imagine never forgetting a single day of your life. For Rebecca Sharrock and Emily Nash, this is what it’s like to live with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), a condition so rare it affects just 0.00001% of people. Also called Hyperthymesia, it allows them to recall nearly every life event with stunning detail. They shared their unique experiences with 60 Minutes Australia, offering a glimpse into the highs and lows of perfect memory (60 Minutes Australia/YouTube).
Rebecca, diagnosed in 2013, remembers about 95% of her life, from her earliest days as a baby to now. She told 60 Minutes Australia that her mind is like a constant slideshow, with random memories popping up day and night. These flashbacks bring back the emotions she felt at the time, so a sad moment from age three feels just as intense now. This can make it hard to focus, as her brain doesn’t let her choose what to recall.
Emily described her memory like a mental calendar, where each date is a detailed movie she can revisit. She vividly recalls learning to walk as a toddler, including her parents playfully chasing her around the house. She told 60 Minutes Australia she might have learned to walk and run on the same day, a memory that feels as fresh as yesterday. Her ability to pull up any moment is both amazing and overwhelming.
For Rebecca, HSAM has a tough side. Painful memories hit her with the same feelings she had back then, whether she was a child or an adult. In 2022, she told The Guardian that people sometimes think she’s choosing to focus on the negative, but the memories come unbidden, and there’s little help for managing them (The Guardian, 2022). She said it feels like a curse at times, as the condition is so rare it’s hard for others to understand.
Living with HSAM is a unique journey, as Rebecca and Emily show. Their stories highlight the incredible power of the human mind but also the challenges of never forgetting. By sharing their experiences, they offer a fascinating look at a condition that blends wonder with struggle, reminding us how extraordinary—and complex—our brains can be.
