The Power of Memory      

Improve your memory with special tricks…

 We all need better memories to remember the things that are important to us. Everyday new methods and tricks come into play to help us achieve a stronger “Power of Memory”!   Students need sharp memories for studying and taking exams. People need improved memories to be successful in any career, and we all need better memories to recall important dates and facts.  However, most people have trouble remembering new facts and ideas. Memory problems often occur as

Many factors impair our memories, such as stress, fatigue, depression, and focus problems. We are lucky; there are a myriad of ways to improve your memory using easy mnemonic techniques and hypnosis and memory enhancement. 

   Mnemonic Techniques   

A mnemonic device is a memory aid. Common mnemonics are often verbal, something such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something, particularly lists.  They are often created by the user in the user’s dominate learning modality: visual, kinesthetic or auditory. Mnemonics rely on associations between easy-to-remember constructs which can be related back to the data that is to be remembered. This is based on the principle that the human mind much more easily remembers spatial, personal, surprising, sexual or humorous or otherwise meaningful information than otherwise meaningless sequences. 

 Mnemonic devices are helpful memory retention techniques. Simply said they can be in the forms of words, pictures, or any other associations that help you connect concepts and information together. Some specific mnemonic devices:                      

·         Acrostics - phrases, similar to acronyms in that you can use acrostics to memorize ordered lists or sequences of events.  An acrostic phrase uses the first letters, syllables, or words of a phrase to remember a different message.  A common acrostic is “Every Good Boy Does Fine” in music to remember the lines in written music.  Another functional acrostic phrase is "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" which represents the order of operations in mathematics (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction).  I use that acrostic and many more when teaching college students computer functions.

·         "Method of Loci." – This method was used in ancient times to memorize speeches. You link information to visual cues along a path. First, you think of a physical route you are familiar with, such as the commute to work, or a walk through your house. Identify specific landmarks that you pass by.  Each one will correspond to something you wish to remember.  You then mentally associate a piece of information with each landmark.  This is a complex method but some speakers become extremely talented in using it!!  I still preferred short notes or a bullet list to keep the flow.

·         "Chunking" – is a method of memorization useful in memorizing series of numbers, dates, phone numbers, and social security numbers. You probably remember your social security number as a set of three, two and four digit numbers, or three sets of three digits.  The phone companies know that chunking works – it is their preferred method of depicting phone numbers.  By breaking up a large amount of information into "chunks" they become easier to manage and remember.

·         Categorizing - organize information into categories to help you remember more complex things.  This is similar to chunking but can be use with all sorts of data and physical items.  Assign a letter to each category and organize with a word or phrase.  This is almost an all inclusive mnemonic technique.

  ·      Acronyms -  a common mnemonic device formed using the initial letters of words or word parts in a phrase or name. To memorize a shopping list of eggs, soap, cheese, ham, and salsa, come up with the acronym "CHESS" for cheese, ham, eggs, soap, and salsa.  The resulting acronym and the effort you put into generating it help you memorize the list.

 

  

Additional Tools to Improve “Power of Memory”

·         Use time efficiently  - focus and concentrate on what you are trying to remember, taking a few seconds to process the information.

·         Eliminate distractions from your environment that take your focus away from what you want to memorize.

·         Write down the information

·         Read what you want to memorize aloud

·         Engage all of your senses  - when you are learning new information use as many of your sensual modalities as possible.  Repeat the persons name as they are being introduced – associate them with something familiar.  For example remember Ted’s name if he reminds you of a teddy bear.  Keep it simple.  If you can experience or associate the information with all of your senses, you will remember it better. 

·         Eliminate stress and anxiety - Stress will impair your ability to focus and remember information, so you must relax!  Anxieties that interfere with your ability to remember things, such as nervousness during an exam or a presentation at work. Many students suffer from test anxiety, but this can be Overcome by hypnotherapy. Similarly, many people "freeze" and forget information during public speeches, a problem that can also be overcome by self-hypnosis memory improvement techniques.

·        Hypnosis To cope with stress, you may be interested in using hypnosis to improve memory and recall abilities. Although memorization tricks are helpful, stress and lack of focus are the top reasons why people struggle with memory problems.  Stress can inhibit your success using the techniques. If stress and concentration problems are causing your memory problems, hypnosis will improve memory and recall abilities significantly. Combining memorization methods with hypnosis and self-hypnosis will enhance your memory. 

·        Organize the mind - Organize your life!! Tame the frenzy.. take charge of negative impairments.  Too much negative stress can damage our ability to focus and can harm our health. Sleep well, exercise, and at times even take the slow lane. Apply the brakes (in your mind), re-focus and re-group.  Connect the dots.  Create some rules of order.  You will then be able to look at your tasks in a new and more organized way, and you will be calmly in control  and so much more productive!

 

These skills help you relax and focus on information. Hypnosis and memory techniques improve your short-term memory by increasing your awareness, so you never forget things such as where you left your keys or wallet. Hypnotherapy is the best way for people to remember and recall information because it calms the mind and increases the ability to concentrate. Let hypnosis and memory work together to eliminate your memory problems. 

 

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