Memory

Can't remember where you put your car keys? Can't remember why you just walked into the kitchen? Or where you and your spouse had your first date, or the name of your high school English teacher? Or even the names of all your children?

Relax, you're not alone. Everyone experiences lapses in memory, even with these seemingly simple tasks. It doesn't mean you're weak-minded, getting old, or are slipping into dementia.

It also doesn't mean that you're powerless to stop it. There are things you can do to improve your memory, whether it's for small tasks such as where you put those elusive car keys, or the more difficult items, such as phone numbers and grocery lists.

But improving your memory is hard, isn't it? It takes time, concentrated effort, and the help of an experienced hypnotist... or does it?

Memory Cures Fast.

A mnemonic link system is a method of remembering lists, based on creating an association between the elements of that list. For example, if one wished to remember the list (dog, envelope, thirteen, yarn, window), one could create a link system, such as a story about a "dog stuck in an envelope, mailed to an unlucky black cat playing with yarn by the window". It is then argued that the story would be easier to remember than the list itself.

A probably more effective method rather than creating a story is to actually link each element of the list with the following, "seeing" in one's mind's eye a ridiculous, absurd or just shocking image that includes two elements in the list that are next to each other. For example, if we wanted to easily memorize the last list one would imagine his or her dog inside of a giant envelope, then one would "see" an unlucky black cat (or whatever that reminds the user 'thirteen') eating a huge envelope. The same logic should be used with the rest of the items. Combining this method with others, like the Peg system and the Major system (which is used to retain numbers), we can easily get what some people call a trained memory.