A Life Reset Every 48 Hours
In the late 2000s, former British police officer Andy Wray began waking up in a world he could not remember. Each morning felt like starting again. He could recall public facts and how to drive a car, but not the faces of those closest to him.
His wife and daughter would have to reintroduce themselves if they had been apart for more than two days. Doctors described his condition as dissociative amnesia, an extremely rare disorder in which memory loss follows emotional trauma rather than physical injury.
From the Police Force to the Unknown
Andy Wray had worked for two years with the police in the United Kingdom. During that time, he encountered disturbing scenes, including road accidents and suicides. According to reports in British newspapers such as The Telegraph and Daily Mail, these experiences were followed by what doctors called a breakdown.
In 2007, he suddenly lost all personal memories, including his wedding day, his parents’ names, and his daughter’s birth. Despite this, he could still perform basic daily tasks and remembered general knowledge.
A Family Reintroduced Again and Again
His wife, Sarah, told journalists that if she or their daughter spent more than forty-eight hours away, Andy would no longer recognize them on their return. To help him, she kept photographs and written notes around their home to explain who they were and what had happened recently.
When he looked at old family pictures, he could not connect emotionally to the people in them. His memories of their shared life were gone, replaced by a sense of confusion each time he tried to recall them.
Gradual Return of Memory
Doctors at the time said Andy’s case was one of the most unusual examples of dissociative amnesia recorded in Britain. Unlike cases linked to head injury, there was no evidence of brain damage. The loss appeared entirely psychological, triggered by the accumulated stress and trauma of his police work.
Reports from 2009 noted that his condition had begun to improve. After about two years, he started retaining memories for longer than forty-eight hours and recovering fragments of his past.
Living Beyond the Two-Year Fog
Andy Wray continued to live with his family as his memory slowly strengthened. As of the last public reports, his dissociative amnesia had eased, allowing him to begin rebuilding a life once confined to two-day intervals.
In the late 2000s, former British police officer Andy Wray woke to a life that reset every two days.
He could drive and recall public facts, yet after 48 hours apart he did not know his wife or daughter.
Doctors called it dissociative amnesia…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/523GoeXb8G
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) October 30, 2025