The Man Who Remembers Every Day of His Life | Frank Healy’s Story

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Frank Healy is among approximately 100 individuals worldwide diagnosed with hyperthymesia, also known as superior autobiographical memory. He retains daily memories, including the day of the week, personal events, weather, and significant news; beginning in late February 1966, when he was almost six years old.

In a 2011 study at the University of California, where Healy was participant number 12, CAT scans revealed that individuals with this condition have frontal lobes almost twice the size of the average person’s, suggesting a potential anatomical basis for his extraordinary recall.

Healy describes his condition as a mixed blessing. On one hand, he never needs to consult a calendar, and he vividly recalls pleasant experiences. On the other, he also relives the emotional weight of negative memories. “I now only remember my first kiss. I remember everyone,” he says, underscoring the persistence of emotional detail in his recollections.

Through cognitive therapy, Healy developed strategies to release emotional attachments to painful memories while preserving the emotional resonance of positive ones. He employs techniques such as reframing through cognitive processing and EFT tapping to neutralize disruptive emotions. When unpleasant memories surface, he acknowledges them, then shifts his thoughts, allowing him to retain the factual memory without the associated emotional burden.

As a licensed professional counselor, Healy now applies these methods to support others enduring the effects of past trauma, including individuals affected by sexual assault, homelessness, or war. His therapeutic approach emphasizes the importance of acknowledging painful memories without dwelling on them: “The first step is acknowledging the problem, but you don’t dwell on it. As soon as you do acknowledge, then you immediately go to work on it.”

Healy is also the author of the self-help trilogy Heal Your Memories, in which he profiles 12 to 15 individuals who overcame various traumas, from career setbacks and injury to bullying, rape, and displacement. The books provide readers with inspirational recovery stories alongside meditative and visualization exercises designed to facilitate healing.

In addition to his trilogy, Healy has written a memoir chronicling his experiences living with hyperthymesia. His most recent work, Stress‑Free Success, offers strategies for remaining stress‑free while achieving personal goals.

Healy maintains a website at healyshealing.com, where visitors can find information about his books, occasional promotional offers, podcast and radio appearances, and sign up for a monthly newsletter. He also maintains a Facebook page titled Emotional Healing with Frank Healy and continues to use the longstanding email address [email protected] for personal and professional correspondence.

Among Healy’s earliest vivid recollections is a week from age five when he was homesick and battling chickenpox. He became fascinated with a calendar his uncle gave him, memorizing prime‑time TV schedules and thereby internalizing the year’s layout. Milestones he remembers precisely include being elected sixth‑grade class president on October 18, 1971, and working his first paid job on July 3, 1976, at an amusement arcade in his hometown of Sea Isle City, New Jersey.

Through his professional and personal journey, Healy demonstrates how cognitive tools and therapeutic insight can empower individuals to release the emotional influence of painful memories while cultivating resilience and personal growth.

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