Sanctuary Amnesia

Upon arriving in Sanctuary, people are struck with a very specific form of amnesia. They recall their names and have access to the skills that they have learned in whatever life they lived before, but they cannot recall how they acquired those skills. Much of the time, skills are revealed only when the individual is faced with a situation that requires them.

Causes

At present, the cause of the amnesia plaguing the citizens of Sanctuary is unknown.

Symptoms

The Sanctuary Amnesia is unique in that it seems to only strike the episodic memory of those it afflicts. The episodic memory is the part of our memory function needed to recall past, personal events. Sufferers seem to have no issues forming new episodic memories once they arrive at Sanctuary, but their past as it were seems just out of their reach.
What's remarkable about the Sanctuary Amnesia is that other parts of those afflicted's memory functions seem to be intact. The working memory, which handles information storage over short period of times (such as keeping numbers in mind while summing them up), is unaffected, as is the semantic memory, which deals in remembering the meaning of words and facts. A patient who suffers from Sanctuary Amnesia may be well aware that London is the capital of Great Britain, but they cannot say if they were born in England. They may know full well how a rocket engine works, but cannot recall how they learned this information, if they attended a university to acquire it, or in what situation they may have used it in the past.
Another part of the memory that seems mostly intact but affected is muscle memory. Afflicted may not know that they are able to play piano, for example, yet when they sit down by one they may find their hands move across the keys with eerie familiarity. Skills acquired before the amnesia set in seem to linger in the subconscious, and may manifest in the afflicted's day to day life. However, it takes considerable effort and continuous practice to reach the heights they might have originally skillwise.
Instincts are unaffected by the Sanctuary Amnesia.

Treatment

As of yet, there is no cure, but there seems to be ways to jog the memories and reclaim them. Sufferers of Sanctuary Amnesia may seek out situations that can jog their memories, and occasionally they find emotional triggers that help them recover core memories. These core memories are episodic memories that are tied to strong positive or negative feelings from their past life, episodes of their past that left a significant impression on them and shaped them into who they were.

Type

Supernatural

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Unique