Ben just illuminated the scary part of Adler's creative memory idea.
He , Adler, came to the conclusion that not everyone can remember dreams, or accurately. But the 3 early memories technic can give a quick outline of what's going on below the surface of conscious thinking.
I'll use one of my earliest memories as an example. My grandparents came to visit from Denver. I was probably 3, early morning.
Dad had a gallon of Glidden paint at the bottom of the stairs. So, being the helper guy, I carried the can step by step up the stairs. I got to the top stair, and the can slipped and broke open.
Being 3 and not very bright, I ran down the stairs in my footie pajamas.Trying to get the paint back in the can.
Now out of nowhere, Grammy lifted me up and put me in the bathtub. Everybody had a good laugh and Grampy took a picture.
But Grampy didn't take a picture of my glorious latex painted footie pajamas toddlerhood. No, I filled in the blanks. Gramps always had a camera nearby, but not at this moment, and I can see him clear as a bell, taking a picture. And he didn't.