Our memories are extremely important in our lives. Whether it be to remember the shopping list, or something as important as not forgetting about the people we love. We continually make use of our memories. This is why conditions like Alzheimer’s can affect us so much. Forgetting turns our lives upside down.
The privileged memory of Dominic O’brien
But memory is not something fixed. It doesn’t stay the same throughout our entire lives. In fact, it is something we can train, whether you believe it or not. An example of this is Dominic O’brien, who once suffered from attention deficit. He could nowadays have what’s considered the most privileged memory on planet earth.
A book that contains all of the secrets
O’brien does not have a special gift, he has just worked very hard to develop his memory. And you can too. In the book he wrote, he gives out the secrets to memory-training. We tell you the essences of the book.
1. Association is key for a good memory
O’brien claims that the whole memory system is part of a subconscious association. Because of the millions of neurons we have in our brains, an impulse can be passed through from one side of the brain to the other. In other words, this means that literally any two thoughts can become connected: from ideas, to words, to numbers. Anything.
Through this we come to the conclusion that the essence of memory is a good association. But you have to let your brain freely create all sorts of associations. Even if you think two ideas have nothing in common, if you connect them in your brain through a crazy thought, you’ll be able to remember them well.
Try it out with your shopping list
For example, if you want to remember your shopping list, you should associate the things you want to buy to what you see on your way over there. Like a fountain of milk, or a bridge of cheese. You’ll see how you don’t forget what you wanted to buy.
2. Imagination is also essential
When we talk about imagination it’s not just about the ability the mind has of visualizing images. It’s also the creative power of the brain. When we obtain stimuli from our surroundings, our minds are able to simplify them so that we are able to face and understand the world we live in. This means our imagination is key to memorize anything. In fact, the more detailed our thoughts become, the more likely we’ll remember it.
3. The location of things inside our brains
Try to think of our brains like you do of a computer. You have tons of archives inside other archives, and you can find anything you want. O’brien claims this thought is highly important when it comes to remembering. He has come up with an exercise to train the brain he likes to call “the journey”.
The Journey
The first step, is to make up a 12-phase logical route throughout your house. You kind of make a little journey through your house, going through your kitchen, your bathroom, etc. Then, memorize the route and go over it vividly a couple of times. This you should do by actively imagining the place, the smells, the colors…
After, you should come up with 12 (imaginary) objects you then have to place in the spaces you thought about, and associated. This exercise, O’brien claims, is the key to remembering anything you want. He himself carries it out, even outside his home. The important part is you start adding objects as you go.
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