Rebecca Sharrock Was Born with a Mind That Remembers Everything — From Her First Blanket to Every Birthday, Joy, and Pain She’s Ever Felt
Most of us can barely recall what we had for dinner last Tuesday, let alone what happened five years ago. But for Rebecca Sharrock, memory works differently. Very differently. She doesn’t just remember days or big milestones — she remembers everything. Every sunrise, every meal, every argument, every feeling. And not just from childhood. She remembers her infancy. She remembers being wrapped in a pink blanket as a newborn. She even remembers a photo being taken of her when she was just twelve days old.
Rebecca has a rare condition called hyperthymesia, officially known as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). It’s one of the rarest memory phenomena in the world. To date, only around 60 people have ever been diagnosed with it. And Rebecca, who lives in Australia, is one of them.
For her, memory isn’t something she has to search for. It’s just there. Like a running movie reel she can rewind and pause whenever she wants. Ask her what she did on April 19th, 2008? She’ll tell you in detail. Not just where she was, but what she was wearing, what she felt, what song was playing, and how the weather smelled that day.
Most people might dream of such an ability. It sounds almost like a superpower. But as Rebecca explains, it’s not all magical. In fact, it’s both a blessing and a heavy burden.
It all started to make sense for Rebecca on January 23, 2011, when she watched a television documentary about people with HSAM. She was 21 years old at the time, and until then, she’d simply assumed that everyone could remember life the way she could.
But when she saw others describe their memory as vivid and automatic, she was shocked to realize something: this wasn’t normal. What she thought was standard — replaying memories like scenes in a film — was actually extremely rare.
She soon underwent memory tests and brain scans with researchers from the University of Queensland and UC Irvine. They confirmed it. Her brain showed the same patterns as the few other known HSAM individuals. It was official: her memory wasn’t just good — it was extraordinary.
But here’s what people don’t usually consider: while Rebecca can revisit every happy memory, she also relives the painful ones. And they don’t just come back as thoughts — they come back as feelings. The sadness of a rough childhood day, the sting of a hurtful comment, the fear of a scary moment — they hit just as hard as when they first happened. There’s no fading. There’s no softening with time. The bad memories are just as sharp as the good.
That’s one of the hardest parts for her.
It’s not like she can turn it off. Sometimes, random objects or sounds trigger a flood of memories. It can be overwhelming. Imagine trying to live in the present while your brain is constantly serving you clips from the past — not just as memories, but as full emotional experiences.
To manage this, Rebecca practices mindfulness. She also works with therapists to help separate past feelings from present reality. She’s had to learn how to ground herself — how to feel safe and focused, even when her mind wants to travel somewhere else.
She journals often. Writing helps her process. She also works closely with scientists who are studying HSAM to learn more about how memory works, and what her brain can teach us about our own. Her cooperation has been vital in helping researchers understand not just memory itself, but how the brain stores time, emotion, and identity.
She’s even spoken about her experiences publicly, sharing her story with compassion and clarity. And people listen — not because they’re curious about a rare condition, but because Rebecca shows the human side of it. She talks openly about the mental exhaustion, the joy of remembering her favorite Harry Potter books in perfect detail, and the pain of never being able to forget a mistake.
Many who meet her are surprised by how gentle and funny she is. She isn’t a machine. She isn’t a science experiment. She’s just a person with an unusual brain — doing her best to live a balanced life.
Rebecca often says that HSAM is a part of her, but it doesn’t define her completely. She loves photography. She enjoys writing. She dreams like everyone else. And she’s learned to treat her memory not as a curse or a miracle — but as a part of who she is.
In a world where we sometimes wish to forget things or fear forgetting them, Rebecca stands as a reminder that memory is complex. It shapes us, anchors us, and — when handled with care — connects us to others in the deepest ways.