You may notice that you see so many new things on the internet, read factual books or watch fascinating self-help videos on youtube or tik tok, but once you come away from these, it can often feel so hard to remember and use what you have just learned....
This is because, as adults, our brain is designed to forget on average around 80% of all new input that we see, listen to, or read about each month, and consciously we are very limited with our skills. This selective memory capacity is necessary to enable our brains to work efficiently and to be focused on the priority task, of handling our day-to-day lives above all else.
So, unless we are repeatedly listening to the same audios, or re-reading the same information over and over again, or practicing, physically using our new learnings in an "experiential" way, we can not expect to use or access this new information on demand. (Even when we may need it the most).
Unconsciously, we can access much more of the information that we have been exposed to day to day, even when we may have forgotten it consciously, but this often requires using certain specialist techniques (such as hypnosis) to open up and gain full access to our mind.
If I ask for your phone number, for example, you can probably recall it, almost instantly.
But the real question is, where was this information before I asked you for it?
As modern science progresses, we are learning so much more about the brain and memory functioning, as well as the continual research and fight to cure conditions such as Alzheimer's and Dementia.
❤ So, if you are interested in learning more about memory, then do read on, because here are ten facts that you may find interesting to learn about your own memory function.
⭐1) Many imagine that we "store" our memories in our brain in a location, like a filing cabinet, but our memories are not stored in one place at all
Modern neuroscience tells us that when we "Re-member" something we pull the information from all different parts of our brain and it is recreated and assembled internally, using the same process as we use to create holograms in the outside world.
It is literally "re - membered" i.e. it is put together from different circuits of neuron activity all over your brain.
⭐2) We never remember actual events in our life, we only ever remember the last time that we remembered them.
This means that when you recall something you are not recalling the event itself, but are just recalling your last "memory" of that event.
This is why our memories cannot be fully trusted, as the information can change slightly each time we recall something.
If memory is special or important, then it is always a good idea to write it down or to keep reliving it in some way, (imagined, using photos or records, or verbally) so that you can keep it as fresh and as accurate as possible.
⭐3) Memories are held together by emotional glue.
Our emotions act as the "glue" that holds a memory together.
We only know what is real and what isn´t from the way that a memory “feels” in our body and the strength of our emotions around an event dictates whether an event is of high importance or relevance to us, and what our automatic response will be next time we experience something that reminds us of this.
The mind keeps only the important memories of our experiences easily accessible for use in the future.
⭐4) In order for us to remember something it has to have emotional significance attached to it (positive or negative), be sensory in its nature, or it has to be meaningful to us in some way.
This is why we tend to forget around 80% or more of all the information that we are exposed to each and every month. Unless we are using what we learn practically or we have experienced it emotionally or physically in our five bodily senses in some way, we will simply lose it from our day-to-day memory.
If we do not do this, the mind lets it go automatically and although it can be often uncovered in a hypnotic context or by accessing flow states, it is often difficult to re-access the less meaningful information in a conscious way in the future.
This is why following inspirational content on social media or listening to meditations alone is not always enough to help us improve our mental health.
We have to regularly physically apply what we are learning, discuss it, or practice exercises to see any "sticking" of the information and experience more rapid or effective positive changes in our life.
⭐5) Our mind, body, and energy are in fact one whole unit.
Years ago the body, mind, and spirit were divided and separated so that the world of science, medicine, philosophy, and the churches were each given different parts to study and they all were separated from each other.
In fact, many years ago the church only permitted the study of physics as long as the scientists agreed to stick to limiting their studies to the physical world and promised not to interfere with the study of spirit energy (or that which cannot be seen by the naked eye).
Over time, we have forgotten that we were never really separate in this way, but we are in fact an ecology of trillions of single cells, making up a mind, a body, and a spirit living as one whole ecosystem.
Quantum physics has since been born and recent science now also tells us that the world and everything in it is in fact, made up of nothing but energy.
Your memory is also not just stored inside of your brain or mind, but is also held in your body, your automatic physical responses, your cells, your muscles and organs, your brain, and your central nervous system.
This means that if you ever want to successfully “get over” things in your past “move on” in life or change old habits for new ones, then this interconnection needs to be more fully understood and addressed by you so that you can heal on all levels, not just by changing your thinking but changing your feelings, and your physical body responses, so that traumas can be released from your body and you can reprogram yourself not just to feel and think differently, but also to respond differently within the context of your own life.
⭐6) Our brain is highly plastic and can not only shrink but can grow in density and change in physical structure.
This is especially true of memory capacity, the more we re-ignite our memory, use our concentration and imagination, and employ our immediate physical sensory engagement, (using our body as a whole), the more we can improve our everyday working memory by overcoming what is known as “proactive interference”. This interference occurs when old information prevents us from recalling new information.
When we use memories, our imagination, or meditate, we actually boost the volume of our hippocampus, (the region of the brain that plays a key role in both working memory and long-term memory) and the result is a natural and effortless improvement in many essential cognitive functions like concentration ability, problem-solving, reasoning and we improve our ability to remember and utilize words, language, and our past experiences to enrich, understand and enjoy our day-to-day life.
⭐7) Memory is associated with our senses and is also highly spatially related.
This is why you can stand in your living room and remember that you left your glasses in the kitchen, but when you walk into the kitchen, you might forget what you went in there to do.😂
Does this ever happen to you?
The thought about your glasses was simply tied to the environment of experientially "being" physically in the living room.
If needed, you can use imagined environments and emotions to trigger specific memories on purpose rather than “trying” to remember something.
Memory is also unconsciously triggered by feelings, sight, sound, and smells, which we can also use and apply in a deliberate and intentional way in both NLP & hypnosis to bring about more useful and helpful feelings or mental states, to access them as and when we need them the most and to help ourselves to achieve our goals, or to feel better generally about ourselves in life. 🥰
⭐8) Your brain continues searching for information in your unconscious memory long after you have consciously answered a question.
This is why we can have “aha” moments and remember things hours after we have been asked a question.
I am sure you have had such moments where you were searching for the name of a song for example, and the more you tried to remember it, the further away it seemed to go.
Yet some hours later or often in the morning after sleeping, the answer just seems to pop into your mind. This can happen with problems too.
You can examine a problem by asking yourself certain questions, and then leave your mind to process your memory banks and creatively come up with a solution while you are sleeping at night. I will be sharing more about helping yourself to use your unconscious mind with problem-solving and decision-making, in some of my future Sunday mails.
⭐9) To take care of your memory you need to take good care of your brain as you age.
Growing evidence suggests that people who experience the least declines in cognition and memory all share certain habits:
engaging in regular physical activity
pursuing intellectually stimulating activities
staying socially active
managing stress
eating a healthful diet
sleeping well
How many of these do you do regularly and consistently?
Expecting our body and mind to function well without taking care of these physical needs is like expecting a car to run without fuel or battery.
⭐10) When we lose someone special, it is important to utilize our memory to remember them fondly, to help us overcome our grief.
Talking about them often, reliving moments with them, and continuing some of the little traditions that used to involve them can help us to still feel really connected to our lost loved ones, which is an integral part of healing and managing our grief.
If you know someone who is grieving or who has lost someone special in their life then do give them encouragement and space to talk about their loved one fondly and you will be helping them with this process. ❤
There is so much more I could share here with you about our connective brain, body, and memory capacity.
If we want life to feel easy and to get more of what we want in life, then memory plays a huge part, because all of our future expectations tend to be constructed around the way that we recall the past, both in mind and body.
The way that we feel about our memories has a huge influence on the way that we automatically focus on each present moment every day of our lives.
Who we are now is just a product of our past experiences, not really what we are doing right now at this very moment.
This moment you are living right now and what we choose to do or not do right now, goes on to shape our future selves.
So this means that just like our day-to-day thoughts, our memories can be either helpful or unhelpful to our life goals.
The good news is, that by doing the inner work on ourselves, rather than allowing our memories to dictate and control our responses and where we end up in life, we can choose to shift our perceptions of the past and make sure that we use the positive resources that we have stored inside of our memories to help us to win in life.
If you would like to improve your memory and enjoy stimulating your mind in a whole new way, I have a collection of beautiful, easy, and enjoyable audio exercises that you can download.
For just 15 minutes a day, you can indulge yourself in the joys of the past, stimulate your imagination and senses and train your brain by activating circuits of neurons responsible for both long-term and short-term memory.
CLICK THE BUTTON RIGHT HERE TO DOWNLOAD THESE EXERCISES TODAY.