25 Years After 9/11, Trauma Psychiatrist Explains Why Memories Endure
A trauma psychiatrist explains why the brain remembers danger, how PTSD can persist for decades, and how to approach difficult anniversaries.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the memories of that day continue to stir strong emotions not only among those who were directly affected but also among first responders, nearby residents, and countless others who watched the events unfold from afar.
Dr. Arash Javanbakht, a trauma psychiatrist and founding director of the Stress, Trauma and Anxiety Research Clinic at Wayne State University School of Medicine, explains that the brain is inherently wired to remember danger. Because trauma signals an extreme threat, the primitive fight-or-flight system learns to hold onto it, refusing to forget so as to prevent any repeat. This can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, which may last for decades or even emerge late. Javanbakht notes that some individuals continue to experience daily nightmares and flashbacks years after traumatic events such as war or terrorist attacks.
Exposure to trauma can be direct or indirect. First responders who witnessed the aftermath of 9/11 may not have been personally threatened but still suffered trauma. People in the vicinity felt the threat and uncertainty, while those in strategically important areas feared they might be the next target. Even those who watched on television absorbed the shock of mass casualties and the new possibility that such an attack could happen to them.
The brain uses context to trigger emotions. Social settings, sounds, and even time itself can bring back memories. Anniversaries of a loss or a tragedy like 9/11 often revive the past because the temporal context evokes what happened. Emotions do not follow logic; they can be stirred by seemingly unrelated cues—a person, a song, a movie—and can resurface even after a period of remission.
Javanbakht advises against suppressing or avoiding these memories. Instead, he suggests acknowledging that they may come and finding ways to channel grief into resilience and positive action. Reflecting on good memories of those lost, recognizing the strength gained through hardship, and using strong emotions to help others or a related cause can be constructive.
The attacks also left a lasting sense of vulnerability. Americans who once felt insulated from foreign wars and disasters realized that such events could occur on their soil. This fear and terror, Javanbakht warns, can be manipulated into anger and aggression, sometimes exploited in politics and fueling endless conflicts.