October 13 events
1960 Thursday - Third Presidential Debate - Nixon in Hollywood and Kennedy in New York
1971 Wednesday - First World Series night game Pittsburgh 4 Baltimore 3
1982 Wednesday - IOC votes to give Jim Thorpe his medals back from 1912 Olympics in Stockholm
For all of you who saw my wife and I on the news - NBC Philadelphia on October 4-5. My book "Living With A Phenomenal Memory" will be available in Kindle in a few days. It is a memoir of how I memorized the calendar as well as other assorted facts. It includes some amusing stories of what it was like being someone who remembers everything. Soon I will have another book out abut how the reader can memorize what they need to know.
Future blogs will continue to include memory tips. Additionally they will include tips on how to handle and resolve the effects of unpleasant memories from your past. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and can give you ideas about how to resolve past issues related to memories. Or, if you just want to learn some memory tips, that's cool too!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
A Day Gone Sour
Events of July 29
1965 Thursday - The Beatles movie "Help" primeirs in England, Queen Elizabeth attends.
1981 Wedneday - Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer
1983 Friday - Suave, debonair, David Niven dies.
Two days ago I had a flashback to an interesting day. On Friday July 27, 2001 I went to New York with a young lady to see the ALbert Ellis Institute. Albert Ellis was one of the pioneers of modern psychology. He created Rational Emotive Therapy. Basically the therapy is based on the idea that all human misery is caused by irrational ideas. Some of the ideas include that one must bew liked by everyone,If there is an impending disaster we should be terribly upset about it, and it is awful if we had an unhappy childhood and we will never recover. Ellis was famous for having people challenge their assumptions and he was known for being very blunt about it. My friend was going for her own sessions and also for trainings to be certified so she could perform Rational Emotive Therapy.
It was a sunny and unusually cool July day. We went for a walk around town, went to the noon mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. My frined had sang for the New York Philarmonic and was showing off her voice in the cathedral. Then we ate our bag lunches and walked around the park. Then in the mid afternoon we went up to her session. I had been wanting to meet Ellis since I was in college more than 20 years earlier. He sat with headphones on. This 87 year old man . During my friend's session he gave himself an insulin injection while he talked to her.
While I am not parmitted to share what was discussed in the session, I can share that Ellis had a mouth like a sailor and was entertaining to see in action.
After the session we walked around Central Park. I noticed that I was starting to get the siffles and a little bit of a headache. It got worse as the afternoon wore on. Our plan was to go back at 7:00 and see him do more sessions with an audience. I suggested we go home as I was starting to feel worse. However, she said if we go home I will regret it for the rest of my life.
So back we went. By this time I was getting the chills and could barely sit up. We went into the room and people were gathering. Finally Ellis walked in. He picked up a 3x5 card on the tabe and said "Where's Frank". Unbeknownst to me my friend had arranged for me to be the protagonist and have a counseling session on stage. Aside from feeling very sick I really did not have anything to need a counseling session for. So I made some nonsense up which this crowd of New Yorkers was not buying into. They covered me with a blanket and as son as my turn was over I went out to lie on the sofas in the waiting room.
Eventually we made it bak to New Jersey after a cab, subway, train and car ride. I drove home with what little energy I had left, Packed a couple of things and went to my local hospital, Shore Memorial. I was there for a week with the wost case of summertime pneumonia that the doctor had ever seen. Being that pneumonia is the leading cause of death among elderly men I has hoping that Ellis did not catch it. Fortunately he did not. However, he died six year later on the same week of kidney failure ( Tuesday July 24, 2007).
So I would remember that day even if I did not have a good memory. However, I remember every day of my life and can connect events by having all these references of dates. For example, here is a series of connections.
Saturday July 28, 2001 sickest day of my life. I connect that with Wednesday January 1, 1969 and Thursday January 1, 1981 being ill on those days too. I then connect from July 27, 2001 with Friday March 22, 2002. On that date I also went to the Ellis Institute and stayed well. I aplogised to everyone for being snappy the other time and helped a lady who was having problems with her teenage sons get on the stage fro a session. So I atoned. Essentially everything that I remember is in a square in my mind with a date in it.
On upcoming blogs, I will teach you how to make connections. To start, you can pick something you are interested and know about. Then I will show you how to connect new information to what you already know. It makes learning more interesting.
1965 Thursday - The Beatles movie "Help" primeirs in England, Queen Elizabeth attends.
1981 Wedneday - Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer
1983 Friday - Suave, debonair, David Niven dies.
Two days ago I had a flashback to an interesting day. On Friday July 27, 2001 I went to New York with a young lady to see the ALbert Ellis Institute. Albert Ellis was one of the pioneers of modern psychology. He created Rational Emotive Therapy. Basically the therapy is based on the idea that all human misery is caused by irrational ideas. Some of the ideas include that one must bew liked by everyone,If there is an impending disaster we should be terribly upset about it, and it is awful if we had an unhappy childhood and we will never recover. Ellis was famous for having people challenge their assumptions and he was known for being very blunt about it. My friend was going for her own sessions and also for trainings to be certified so she could perform Rational Emotive Therapy.
It was a sunny and unusually cool July day. We went for a walk around town, went to the noon mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. My frined had sang for the New York Philarmonic and was showing off her voice in the cathedral. Then we ate our bag lunches and walked around the park. Then in the mid afternoon we went up to her session. I had been wanting to meet Ellis since I was in college more than 20 years earlier. He sat with headphones on. This 87 year old man . During my friend's session he gave himself an insulin injection while he talked to her.
While I am not parmitted to share what was discussed in the session, I can share that Ellis had a mouth like a sailor and was entertaining to see in action.
After the session we walked around Central Park. I noticed that I was starting to get the siffles and a little bit of a headache. It got worse as the afternoon wore on. Our plan was to go back at 7:00 and see him do more sessions with an audience. I suggested we go home as I was starting to feel worse. However, she said if we go home I will regret it for the rest of my life.
So back we went. By this time I was getting the chills and could barely sit up. We went into the room and people were gathering. Finally Ellis walked in. He picked up a 3x5 card on the tabe and said "Where's Frank". Unbeknownst to me my friend had arranged for me to be the protagonist and have a counseling session on stage. Aside from feeling very sick I really did not have anything to need a counseling session for. So I made some nonsense up which this crowd of New Yorkers was not buying into. They covered me with a blanket and as son as my turn was over I went out to lie on the sofas in the waiting room.
Eventually we made it bak to New Jersey after a cab, subway, train and car ride. I drove home with what little energy I had left, Packed a couple of things and went to my local hospital, Shore Memorial. I was there for a week with the wost case of summertime pneumonia that the doctor had ever seen. Being that pneumonia is the leading cause of death among elderly men I has hoping that Ellis did not catch it. Fortunately he did not. However, he died six year later on the same week of kidney failure ( Tuesday July 24, 2007).
So I would remember that day even if I did not have a good memory. However, I remember every day of my life and can connect events by having all these references of dates. For example, here is a series of connections.
Saturday July 28, 2001 sickest day of my life. I connect that with Wednesday January 1, 1969 and Thursday January 1, 1981 being ill on those days too. I then connect from July 27, 2001 with Friday March 22, 2002. On that date I also went to the Ellis Institute and stayed well. I aplogised to everyone for being snappy the other time and helped a lady who was having problems with her teenage sons get on the stage fro a session. So I atoned. Essentially everything that I remember is in a square in my mind with a date in it.
On upcoming blogs, I will teach you how to make connections. To start, you can pick something you are interested and know about. Then I will show you how to connect new information to what you already know. It makes learning more interesting.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Hot topic
Events of July 25 -
1975 Friday - A Chorus Line premiers on Broadway. It runs for 6137 performances.
1985 Thursday - A spokeswoman for Rock Hudson publicises that he has AIDS.
1990 Wednesday - Roseann Barr sings the National Anthem at the San Diego Padres game.
Last week the Midwest had one of the biggest heat waves ever. The east coast experienced it the past few days. In my area, Atlantic City had it's second hottest days ever on July 22 and 23. The official high was 105 degrees. Only Saturday June 28, 1969 was hotter at 106 degrees. The heat index was over 120 degrees on Friday.
Almost everything that I know is connected to a date. Not only do I remember the date of the information but I remember the dates I learned it. For example, recently somebody asked me when was the last Beatles concert. I said Monday August 29,1966. Then they asked me did I know about it then because I was only six years old. I did not know about it as a six year old but then I proceeded to tell them the date I learned it. On Friday October 6, 1978 I bought a book entitled The Beatles Forever by Nicholas Schaffner at my college store at La Salle College. The book contained the information in it about the last concert.
You may be thinking, well that's how you remember information, but what about someone who knows nothing about dates. Everyone has something, and when you think about it, many topics that they know something about. The idea is to connect information about something you do not know with information you know.
Ask yourself this question. What am I interested in. It could be a hobby, something with your career. Maybe you know a lot about prime time television, old movies, sports, housecleaning, webkins ( yes even children can become an expert on something as I did). Once you recognise what you know about you have a tapestry of knowledge which you can connect anything to. The remainder of these blogs will be about using what you know to learn what you do not know.
When I learn new things I find that I am constantly making associations between seemingly unrelated topics. For example, with the Atlantic City heat records I noticed that the record of 106 degrees on June 28, 1969 was a few weeks before Apollo 11, the first moon landing. Now the second hottest on July 22 and 23 2011 was a few days after the final space shuttle flight. I have now connected two seemingly unrelated topics and used then as a aid to remember each one. You can learn this too, and get good at it.
1975 Friday - A Chorus Line premiers on Broadway. It runs for 6137 performances.
1985 Thursday - A spokeswoman for Rock Hudson publicises that he has AIDS.
1990 Wednesday - Roseann Barr sings the National Anthem at the San Diego Padres game.
Last week the Midwest had one of the biggest heat waves ever. The east coast experienced it the past few days. In my area, Atlantic City had it's second hottest days ever on July 22 and 23. The official high was 105 degrees. Only Saturday June 28, 1969 was hotter at 106 degrees. The heat index was over 120 degrees on Friday.
Almost everything that I know is connected to a date. Not only do I remember the date of the information but I remember the dates I learned it. For example, recently somebody asked me when was the last Beatles concert. I said Monday August 29,1966. Then they asked me did I know about it then because I was only six years old. I did not know about it as a six year old but then I proceeded to tell them the date I learned it. On Friday October 6, 1978 I bought a book entitled The Beatles Forever by Nicholas Schaffner at my college store at La Salle College. The book contained the information in it about the last concert.
You may be thinking, well that's how you remember information, but what about someone who knows nothing about dates. Everyone has something, and when you think about it, many topics that they know something about. The idea is to connect information about something you do not know with information you know.
Ask yourself this question. What am I interested in. It could be a hobby, something with your career. Maybe you know a lot about prime time television, old movies, sports, housecleaning, webkins ( yes even children can become an expert on something as I did). Once you recognise what you know about you have a tapestry of knowledge which you can connect anything to. The remainder of these blogs will be about using what you know to learn what you do not know.
When I learn new things I find that I am constantly making associations between seemingly unrelated topics. For example, with the Atlantic City heat records I noticed that the record of 106 degrees on June 28, 1969 was a few weeks before Apollo 11, the first moon landing. Now the second hottest on July 22 and 23 2011 was a few days after the final space shuttle flight. I have now connected two seemingly unrelated topics and used then as a aid to remember each one. You can learn this too, and get good at it.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Another Flashbulb Memory - The First Moon Landing.
July 20 events -
1969 Sunday - The First Moonwalk Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin
In a previous blog I mentioned two recent events this year that most people remember where they were. The Royal Wedding on Friday April 29, and Bil Laden's death on Sunday May 1. If you had an interest in these events you probably remember watching the wedding, and where you were when you heard about Bin Laden's capture.
For those of us who are old enough we remember what kind of a day and evening we had 42 years ago when the astronauts from Apollo 11 walked on the moon. I remember being called in from playing in the afternoon, a sunny day and watching the Lunar Module land. Then after dinner I was over a friends house talking to his grandmother and he about the landing. Then I rode home on my bike before dark, it was drizzling. Then staying up ( I was nine so it was exciting to stay up until midnight), hearing Neil Armstrong's famous words "That's one small step for a man ugh! One giant leap for mankind". I can remember feeling sorry for Michael Collins because he had to stay in the Command Module and orbit while Neil and Buzz got on the moon.
This was easy for me to remember for several reasons. It was a significant news event, I had an interest in space, I was additionally excited because we were going to the shore for our vacation the next day, so the day had emotional significance. All of these factors contributed to my ability to memorise them.
Think for a minute about a hobby or interest you have. It could be sports, entertainment, computer games or anything. How long did it take you to learn what you know about the subject? When you were learning about it were you struggling, or did the information come easily? More likely than not, the information was easy to learn because you were interested in the subject.
Since I was interested in space exploration and dates, I remember where I was during all the moon missions. Friday November 14, 1969 watching the Apollo 12 liftoff in my fourth grade classroom. Wednesday November 19, 1969 seeing a large picture of astronaut Pete Conrad beaming and the caption was "This is the life, on the moon". Tuesday April 14, 1970 waiting for the school van and my mother coming out and telling us that there was a problem and they may have to come home in the lunar module. Friday February 5, 1971 taking chairs into another fifth grade classroom to watch Alan Shepherd set foot on Fra Mauro.
Additionally, I remember on Friday November 16, 1973 watching the third Skylab crew liftoff from my eighth grade homeroom. This was during the "Energy Crisis" and one of my schoolmates said "Look at all that fuel being wasted". No one laughed. Those astronauts were Ed Gibson, William Pough, and Gerald Carr. Tuesday April 14, 1981 watching John Young and Robert Crippen safely land the first shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base from a classroom at La Salle University (Then a College).
Someone might be thinking "Okay, so you memorised what you were interested in, and said that anybody can do that". Yes that is how you get started. However, to advance and develop a memory that can do anything you need to be able to connect new and sometimes uninteresting information with old information you already know. In future blogs and in my upcoming book I will teach you how to do this. Stay tuned!
1969 Sunday - The First Moonwalk Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin
In a previous blog I mentioned two recent events this year that most people remember where they were. The Royal Wedding on Friday April 29, and Bil Laden's death on Sunday May 1. If you had an interest in these events you probably remember watching the wedding, and where you were when you heard about Bin Laden's capture.
For those of us who are old enough we remember what kind of a day and evening we had 42 years ago when the astronauts from Apollo 11 walked on the moon. I remember being called in from playing in the afternoon, a sunny day and watching the Lunar Module land. Then after dinner I was over a friends house talking to his grandmother and he about the landing. Then I rode home on my bike before dark, it was drizzling. Then staying up ( I was nine so it was exciting to stay up until midnight), hearing Neil Armstrong's famous words "That's one small step for a man ugh! One giant leap for mankind". I can remember feeling sorry for Michael Collins because he had to stay in the Command Module and orbit while Neil and Buzz got on the moon.
This was easy for me to remember for several reasons. It was a significant news event, I had an interest in space, I was additionally excited because we were going to the shore for our vacation the next day, so the day had emotional significance. All of these factors contributed to my ability to memorise them.
Think for a minute about a hobby or interest you have. It could be sports, entertainment, computer games or anything. How long did it take you to learn what you know about the subject? When you were learning about it were you struggling, or did the information come easily? More likely than not, the information was easy to learn because you were interested in the subject.
Since I was interested in space exploration and dates, I remember where I was during all the moon missions. Friday November 14, 1969 watching the Apollo 12 liftoff in my fourth grade classroom. Wednesday November 19, 1969 seeing a large picture of astronaut Pete Conrad beaming and the caption was "This is the life, on the moon". Tuesday April 14, 1970 waiting for the school van and my mother coming out and telling us that there was a problem and they may have to come home in the lunar module. Friday February 5, 1971 taking chairs into another fifth grade classroom to watch Alan Shepherd set foot on Fra Mauro.
Additionally, I remember on Friday November 16, 1973 watching the third Skylab crew liftoff from my eighth grade homeroom. This was during the "Energy Crisis" and one of my schoolmates said "Look at all that fuel being wasted". No one laughed. Those astronauts were Ed Gibson, William Pough, and Gerald Carr. Tuesday April 14, 1981 watching John Young and Robert Crippen safely land the first shuttle at Edwards Air Force Base from a classroom at La Salle University (Then a College).
Someone might be thinking "Okay, so you memorised what you were interested in, and said that anybody can do that". Yes that is how you get started. However, to advance and develop a memory that can do anything you need to be able to connect new and sometimes uninteresting information with old information you already know. In future blogs and in my upcoming book I will teach you how to do this. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Sorry for the interruption
July 17, 1955 Sunday - Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California.
July 18, 1921 Monday - Future astronaut and senator John Glenn born
July 18, 1921 Monday - Aaron Beck the founder of cognitive therapy born.
July 19, 1969 Saturday - Mary Jo Kopechne dies at Chappaquiddick.
July 19, 1986 Saturday - Caroline Kennedy weds Edwin Schlossberg
July 19, 1990 Thursday - Nixon library dedicated at Yorba Linda, California
July 19, 2007 Thursday - Dow Jones above 14,000 for first time
In the last post I suggested that there are beliefs that you can change about your ability to remember things. Essentially all you need to do to change a belief that you can't is to replace if with a belief that you can. Every time you think "I don't have a good memory" or "I am a week away from Alzheimer's" you can catch yourself and think a replacement thought, such as " I can remember things when I learn the techniques" or "How do I know what will happen in a week, I could be smarter in a week", with enough practice, you will believe in yourself.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Last night at the Trump Plaza
Last night was an interesting and (pardon the pun) memorable night. I met with another man who was studied at the University of California who has the Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory that I have. First we amazed the waiter by telling him the day of the week he was born. He was born October 12, 1980. I informed him that it was a Sunday and it was the day that the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Houston Astros to move on to the World Series. A couple at the table next to us overheard the conversation and asked us if it was the same study that was on 60 Minutes on June 19 which featured Marilu Henner. We informed them that it was and they began asking us dates in their lives. We were able to tell them the day of the week, weather and news for all dates they asked.
As the meal continued Sean and I quizzed each other on past weather, geography, and popular music. Sean is 40 year old, in fact it was his birthday, and I am 51. Consequentially he knew the times of all the 80's tunes they were playing. I know more of the 70's. This was the first time I have ever had the opportunity to be entertained by someone who knows all the dates instead of just being the entertainer. We talked about how we have made money at parties entertaining people by telling them about the day they were born, married, or graduated. I brought a copy of my book "Living With A Phenomenal Memory". You can order it on http://www.iuniverse.com/ or on Amazon .com. I convinced the waiter to order a copy for himself and his friend.
Next week we will get back into learning techniques for improving your memory. Have a good weekend!
As the meal continued Sean and I quizzed each other on past weather, geography, and popular music. Sean is 40 year old, in fact it was his birthday, and I am 51. Consequentially he knew the times of all the 80's tunes they were playing. I know more of the 70's. This was the first time I have ever had the opportunity to be entertained by someone who knows all the dates instead of just being the entertainer. We talked about how we have made money at parties entertaining people by telling them about the day they were born, married, or graduated. I brought a copy of my book "Living With A Phenomenal Memory". You can order it on http://www.iuniverse.com/ or on Amazon .com. I convinced the waiter to order a copy for himself and his friend.
Next week we will get back into learning techniques for improving your memory. Have a good weekend!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Out late tonight
I was out late tonight having dinner at the Trump Plaza. I will tell you all about it in tomorrow's blog. It is memory related.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
How to change your negative beliefs about your memory.
Events of July 13 -
1977 Wednesday - NYC blackout that lasted 25 hours.
1978 Thursday - Lee Iaccoca fired from Ford Motor Co. He later takes over Chrysler Corp.
1985 Saturday - Live Aid Concerts held in London, Philadelphia, Moscow, and Sydney.
In yesterdays blog you learned what negative beliefs you have about memory. A list was created and you were encouraged to think of your own self limiting beliefs.
In my counseling practice, I often teach clients to re-frame their beliefs about themselves which could be causing them depression or anxiety. When someone has enough beliefs that life is bad and unsatisfying they become depressed. Similarly enough beliefs about life being overwhelming will produce anxiety , and beliefs about their life being unfair will produce anger. When I get them to re-frame their beliefs they often are relieved of their anxiety, depression, and anger.
What does re-frame mean? If you took the brown frame on a picture and the silver frame on another picture and switched them, the pictures would not look the same. This holds true for beliefs that you have about yourself. If you change the belief, you change the way you feel about yourself. Let's use as an example some of the beliefs from yesterday about your ability to memorize.
I have a poor memory - I can develop my memory and improve it with practice.
My memory is not as good as it used to be when I was younger - I have more that I have to remember now, and I can learn anything with practice.
I was not born with a good memory, it runs in the family - Nurture can trump nature, I can develop a good memory.
I am under a lot of stress, and I can't remember anything any more - When I am no longer under this stress my abilities will return.
I am depressed and I can't remember anything anymore - I can develop a better outlook and a better memory.
I have had too much alcohol and drugs in my life, my brain is fried - Even an out of shape person can exercise and rebuild their body, I can re build my brain.
I am good at music, art or ________ but not memorizing - I have some talents , and I can develop others.
I am a week away from Alzheimer's - I am a week away from a better memory with practice.
Changing your beliefs can make a big difference in what you can achieve. However, I am not saying that if someone is depressed or anxious that they should not take medication. Or if someone has ADHD that they should not take medication for it.. However, changing your beliefs can help the medicine work.
Tomorrow we will learn specific techniques to change your beliefs.
1977 Wednesday - NYC blackout that lasted 25 hours.
1978 Thursday - Lee Iaccoca fired from Ford Motor Co. He later takes over Chrysler Corp.
1985 Saturday - Live Aid Concerts held in London, Philadelphia, Moscow, and Sydney.
In yesterdays blog you learned what negative beliefs you have about memory. A list was created and you were encouraged to think of your own self limiting beliefs.
In my counseling practice, I often teach clients to re-frame their beliefs about themselves which could be causing them depression or anxiety. When someone has enough beliefs that life is bad and unsatisfying they become depressed. Similarly enough beliefs about life being overwhelming will produce anxiety , and beliefs about their life being unfair will produce anger. When I get them to re-frame their beliefs they often are relieved of their anxiety, depression, and anger.
What does re-frame mean? If you took the brown frame on a picture and the silver frame on another picture and switched them, the pictures would not look the same. This holds true for beliefs that you have about yourself. If you change the belief, you change the way you feel about yourself. Let's use as an example some of the beliefs from yesterday about your ability to memorize.
I have a poor memory - I can develop my memory and improve it with practice.
My memory is not as good as it used to be when I was younger - I have more that I have to remember now, and I can learn anything with practice.
I was not born with a good memory, it runs in the family - Nurture can trump nature, I can develop a good memory.
I am under a lot of stress, and I can't remember anything any more - When I am no longer under this stress my abilities will return.
I am depressed and I can't remember anything anymore - I can develop a better outlook and a better memory.
I have had too much alcohol and drugs in my life, my brain is fried - Even an out of shape person can exercise and rebuild their body, I can re build my brain.
I am good at music, art or ________ but not memorizing - I have some talents , and I can develop others.
I am a week away from Alzheimer's - I am a week away from a better memory with practice.
Changing your beliefs can make a big difference in what you can achieve. However, I am not saying that if someone is depressed or anxious that they should not take medication. Or if someone has ADHD that they should not take medication for it.. However, changing your beliefs can help the medicine work.
Tomorrow we will learn specific techniques to change your beliefs.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Importance Of Believing That You Can Have A Phenomenal Memory
Events on July 12
1954 Monday - Major League Baseball Players Association founded
1960 Tuesday - Sputnik 5 Soviet Space Satellite launched with 2 dogs on board
1979 - Thursday Disco Demolition Night at Cominski Park - The fans went wild
On yesterday's blog I listed typical beliefs people have who have poor memory skills. Most people thing ability to perform at anything is inborn "I have a poor memory". "I don't have the genes" etc. However, performance at anything, including memory is largely contingent on how good you believe you are. The brain is as obedient to what we put into it as a computer. There was a phrase in the 90's "Garbage in Garbage out". It was used to describe computer programming. Interestingly your brain works the same way. You put beliefs in and your brain will work to confirm them. I have seen attractive people treated as though they were unattractive because they believed they were unattractive. Smart kids under perform in school because they believed they were not smart. The corollary of this is that people who believe they are smart tend to develop into smart people. The same can be applied to any skill.
Recently I read the book "The Healing Code". It is about doing energy work to heal physical ailments by erasing the memories in the entire body of the belief or emotion that caused the ailment. It exposed the idea that thinking and feeling are included in all organs of the body and not just the brain. This can be applied to beliefs about your memory skills. Whether it's your liver, heart, kidneys or brain, if you believe you can't memorize things your whole body will stop you. I would recommend the book to anyone who needs to heal physically or emotionally.
Well, I have given you something to think about. In tomorrow's blog we will feature a specific way to change your limiting beliefs about your ability to memorize.
1954 Monday - Major League Baseball Players Association founded
1960 Tuesday - Sputnik 5 Soviet Space Satellite launched with 2 dogs on board
1979 - Thursday Disco Demolition Night at Cominski Park - The fans went wild
On yesterday's blog I listed typical beliefs people have who have poor memory skills. Most people thing ability to perform at anything is inborn "I have a poor memory". "I don't have the genes" etc. However, performance at anything, including memory is largely contingent on how good you believe you are. The brain is as obedient to what we put into it as a computer. There was a phrase in the 90's "Garbage in Garbage out". It was used to describe computer programming. Interestingly your brain works the same way. You put beliefs in and your brain will work to confirm them. I have seen attractive people treated as though they were unattractive because they believed they were unattractive. Smart kids under perform in school because they believed they were not smart. The corollary of this is that people who believe they are smart tend to develop into smart people. The same can be applied to any skill.
Recently I read the book "The Healing Code". It is about doing energy work to heal physical ailments by erasing the memories in the entire body of the belief or emotion that caused the ailment. It exposed the idea that thinking and feeling are included in all organs of the body and not just the brain. This can be applied to beliefs about your memory skills. Whether it's your liver, heart, kidneys or brain, if you believe you can't memorize things your whole body will stop you. I would recommend the book to anyone who needs to heal physically or emotionally.
Well, I have given you something to think about. In tomorrow's blog we will feature a specific way to change your limiting beliefs about your ability to memorize.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Importance of Believing You Can Have A Phenomenal Memory.
Events of July 11 -
1804 Wednesday -VP Aaron Burr kills Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
1979 Wednesday - The Skylab falls over Australia.
1991 Thursday - Total solar eclipse visible in Hawaii.
If you did the exercises up to now you have learned the entire calendar for this year in a short period of time. Additionally, you have learned things about Flashbulb Memories. Memorizing a year of the calendar is likely something you never thought you could do before, but now you know you can. With that accomplishment you can think and wonder what else might you be able to do that you never thought you could. Let's examine some possible beliefs that you may have had about your memory. Here are some typical examples.
I have a poor memory
I have an average memory
My memory is not as good as it used to be when I was younger
I was not born with a good memory. Poor memory runs in the family
My brother and sister have good memories, but I was not born with the gene.
I am under a lot of stress, and I can't remember anything anymore
I am depressed and I can't remember anything anymore
I have had too much alcohol and too many drugs, my brain is fried
I am all brawn and no brain
I am good at music, art, or sports, but not at memorizing
I am good at conceptualizing but not at memorizing
I am a week away from Alzheimer's
I am having too many senior moments
Most people can relate to at least one of these beliefs. Many people can relate to several of them. In tomorrow's blog we will learn how to change negative beliefs to build your confidence.
1804 Wednesday -VP Aaron Burr kills Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
1979 Wednesday - The Skylab falls over Australia.
1991 Thursday - Total solar eclipse visible in Hawaii.
If you did the exercises up to now you have learned the entire calendar for this year in a short period of time. Additionally, you have learned things about Flashbulb Memories. Memorizing a year of the calendar is likely something you never thought you could do before, but now you know you can. With that accomplishment you can think and wonder what else might you be able to do that you never thought you could. Let's examine some possible beliefs that you may have had about your memory. Here are some typical examples.
I have a poor memory
I have an average memory
My memory is not as good as it used to be when I was younger
I was not born with a good memory. Poor memory runs in the family
My brother and sister have good memories, but I was not born with the gene.
I am under a lot of stress, and I can't remember anything anymore
I am depressed and I can't remember anything anymore
I have had too much alcohol and too many drugs, my brain is fried
I am all brawn and no brain
I am good at music, art, or sports, but not at memorizing
I am good at conceptualizing but not at memorizing
I am a week away from Alzheimer's
I am having too many senior moments
Most people can relate to at least one of these beliefs. Many people can relate to several of them. In tomorrow's blog we will learn how to change negative beliefs to build your confidence.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Be Proud Of What You Have Mastered
Events of July 8 -
1969 Tuesday - First American troops withdraw from Viet Nam.
1981 Wednesday - The Senate approves Sandra Day O Connor's appointment to Supreme Court 99-0
1986 Tuesday - Longest throw of an object. An aerobie flying ring 1257 feet.
It is now time to take some credit for all that you have accomplished in just two weeks worth of blogs. If you did all the exercises to memorize a year of the calendar then it probably took you only an hour or two to learn the entire year 2011. You can amaze people with your new ability to remember dates. Try entertaining at a party by telling them what day of the week their birthday was or will be this year. Later we will expand our range of knowing the dates.
Some of you might be wondering why bother to memorize the calendar. What use will it be? This exercise was done to build your confidence that you can memorize a plethora of information in a shorter time than you thought was possible. This opens possibilities for what else could you become proficient a t memorizing. Let your imagination be free. Maybe you could be a straight a student and spend less time studying. Maybe you could memorize information for work, facts about your favorite baseball team. The possibilities are endless!.
Next week we will do more to build your self confidence.
1969 Tuesday - First American troops withdraw from Viet Nam.
1981 Wednesday - The Senate approves Sandra Day O Connor's appointment to Supreme Court 99-0
1986 Tuesday - Longest throw of an object. An aerobie flying ring 1257 feet.
It is now time to take some credit for all that you have accomplished in just two weeks worth of blogs. If you did all the exercises to memorize a year of the calendar then it probably took you only an hour or two to learn the entire year 2011. You can amaze people with your new ability to remember dates. Try entertaining at a party by telling them what day of the week their birthday was or will be this year. Later we will expand our range of knowing the dates.
Some of you might be wondering why bother to memorize the calendar. What use will it be? This exercise was done to build your confidence that you can memorize a plethora of information in a shorter time than you thought was possible. This opens possibilities for what else could you become proficient a t memorizing. Let your imagination be free. Maybe you could be a straight a student and spend less time studying. Maybe you could memorize information for work, facts about your favorite baseball team. The possibilities are endless!.
Next week we will do more to build your self confidence.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
How we link things
Events of July 7
1940 Sunday - Richard Starkey ( Ringo Starr) born
1987 Tuesday - Oliver North begins testimony at Iran - Contra hearings.
2005 Thursday Four bombs explode in London Underground.
One of the keys to having a good memory is linking bits of information together. In many ways we do this naturally from the time we are small children. Suppose a five year old boy visits his aunt every two or three months, and one time when he goes he plays with a plastic football. Two or three months go by and the next time they go to his grandparents he immediately searches for the football. One time I was visiting a friend and his daughter had a little boy over. I was playing hide and seek with them and spinning them around on the floor. Although I visited this friend frequently it was almost a year before the boy was there when I was there. Although he was only five, and had been four the last time. He immediately came up to me and asked if I would spin him around on the floor.
As we get older, we continue to associate sights, sounds, feelings, scents, and tastes with different situations. Maybe you hear a song on a first date and that song always reminds you of that date. Or you go to your high school reunion, which includes a walk through your old school. Memories immediately flood your mind when you see your old homeroom, the gym, and the scent of the building.
Okay , so we all do this. What does it have to do with memory? You can consciously learn to link disparate facts in your head so they are no longer disparate to you. Then the thought of one triggers the thought of the other. For example, there is no obvious connection between the Beatles Ringo Starr, the Iran Contra hearings and Oliver North, and the explosions in the London underground. But suppose you imagine that there is a mistake in the sale of the weapons to Iran and they went north to London and packed by Oliver from the Dickens novel.They were transported by train and divided among four trains. They exploded on the train because they were loosely packed by star shaped rings. If you imagine this scene the pictures will trigger scenes of Oliver North, Ringo Starr and you will connect them with your image of an underground train explosion (elaborative rehearsal). Then as you imagine the scenes say July 7 in your head ( rote rehearsal) and you will remember that these scenes were on July 7.
Some of you might be thinking that creating these pictures is a little strange. Two things, first you do not have to tell anyone who you think might think it is strange, and second, it simply works. If you have followed this blog from the first ( and I would recommend doing it in sequence). you have already used the imagining combined with simple counting by sevens to memorize an entire year of the calendar. You are well on your way!
Tomorrow we will review everything we have learned! Hopefully you are getting confident that you have a better memory than you thought you did when you started. If now, next week you will learn how to build your confidence!
1940 Sunday - Richard Starkey ( Ringo Starr) born
1987 Tuesday - Oliver North begins testimony at Iran - Contra hearings.
2005 Thursday Four bombs explode in London Underground.
One of the keys to having a good memory is linking bits of information together. In many ways we do this naturally from the time we are small children. Suppose a five year old boy visits his aunt every two or three months, and one time when he goes he plays with a plastic football. Two or three months go by and the next time they go to his grandparents he immediately searches for the football. One time I was visiting a friend and his daughter had a little boy over. I was playing hide and seek with them and spinning them around on the floor. Although I visited this friend frequently it was almost a year before the boy was there when I was there. Although he was only five, and had been four the last time. He immediately came up to me and asked if I would spin him around on the floor.
As we get older, we continue to associate sights, sounds, feelings, scents, and tastes with different situations. Maybe you hear a song on a first date and that song always reminds you of that date. Or you go to your high school reunion, which includes a walk through your old school. Memories immediately flood your mind when you see your old homeroom, the gym, and the scent of the building.
Okay , so we all do this. What does it have to do with memory? You can consciously learn to link disparate facts in your head so they are no longer disparate to you. Then the thought of one triggers the thought of the other. For example, there is no obvious connection between the Beatles Ringo Starr, the Iran Contra hearings and Oliver North, and the explosions in the London underground. But suppose you imagine that there is a mistake in the sale of the weapons to Iran and they went north to London and packed by Oliver from the Dickens novel.They were transported by train and divided among four trains. They exploded on the train because they were loosely packed by star shaped rings. If you imagine this scene the pictures will trigger scenes of Oliver North, Ringo Starr and you will connect them with your image of an underground train explosion (elaborative rehearsal). Then as you imagine the scenes say July 7 in your head ( rote rehearsal) and you will remember that these scenes were on July 7.
Some of you might be thinking that creating these pictures is a little strange. Two things, first you do not have to tell anyone who you think might think it is strange, and second, it simply works. If you have followed this blog from the first ( and I would recommend doing it in sequence). you have already used the imagining combined with simple counting by sevens to memorize an entire year of the calendar. You are well on your way!
Tomorrow we will review everything we have learned! Hopefully you are getting confident that you have a better memory than you thought you did when you started. If now, next week you will learn how to build your confidence!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
More on Flashbulb Memories
Events for July 6
1976 Tuesday - First women's class enters West Point.
1983 Supreme Court rules that women cannot be paid less in their retirement plans.
2005 IOC awards the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to London.
It has happened a few times in our history where two major events happened just a few days apart. On Sunday April 9, 1865 Generals Lee and Grant sat down at Appomattox Court House in Virginia and signed the cease fire agreement ending the civil war. Then five days later on Friday April 14 Lincoln was shot. Although "Hardly a man is now alive" that remembers that famous week and year. Most people now remember Princess Diana's death on Sunday August 31, 1997. Many Americans learned of it that night before while it was still Saturday August 30 our time. Then five days later on Friday September 5 Mother Theresa died.
Sometimes flashbulb memories come at the same time and the intensity can affect people's performances. On Sunday January 25, 1981 there was an announcement during the pre game of the Super Bowl that the hostages had just landed back on American soil, and a ceremony was held at the stadium which delayed the start of the game. Some of the Philadelphia Eagle's players said later that that affected their readiness to play, and used it as the excuse for losing to the Oakland Raiders.
Flashbulb memories can condense with people's personal lives too, particularly if it is a combination of a good memory and a bad memory. A friend of mine settled on his dream home on Tuesday December 29, 1992. Then a few days later on Thursday January 7, 1993 his father died.
Most people will remember that Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding was about the same time as the day Bin Laden was killed. However, if the events had been more than a month apart people would be less likely to make the connection. The further apart the events were the less likely people will remember them together. This is because people link up where they were on the days it happened. The further time lapse the more likely that people will be in a different circumstance.
In tomorrow's blog we will learn more about how people link things together and how you can use that tendency to improve your memory.
1976 Tuesday - First women's class enters West Point.
1983 Supreme Court rules that women cannot be paid less in their retirement plans.
2005 IOC awards the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to London.
It has happened a few times in our history where two major events happened just a few days apart. On Sunday April 9, 1865 Generals Lee and Grant sat down at Appomattox Court House in Virginia and signed the cease fire agreement ending the civil war. Then five days later on Friday April 14 Lincoln was shot. Although "Hardly a man is now alive" that remembers that famous week and year. Most people now remember Princess Diana's death on Sunday August 31, 1997. Many Americans learned of it that night before while it was still Saturday August 30 our time. Then five days later on Friday September 5 Mother Theresa died.
Sometimes flashbulb memories come at the same time and the intensity can affect people's performances. On Sunday January 25, 1981 there was an announcement during the pre game of the Super Bowl that the hostages had just landed back on American soil, and a ceremony was held at the stadium which delayed the start of the game. Some of the Philadelphia Eagle's players said later that that affected their readiness to play, and used it as the excuse for losing to the Oakland Raiders.
Flashbulb memories can condense with people's personal lives too, particularly if it is a combination of a good memory and a bad memory. A friend of mine settled on his dream home on Tuesday December 29, 1992. Then a few days later on Thursday January 7, 1993 his father died.
Most people will remember that Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding was about the same time as the day Bin Laden was killed. However, if the events had been more than a month apart people would be less likely to make the connection. The further apart the events were the less likely people will remember them together. This is because people link up where they were on the days it happened. The further time lapse the more likely that people will be in a different circumstance.
In tomorrow's blog we will learn more about how people link things together and how you can use that tendency to improve your memory.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Putting it all together for 2011
July 5 events -
1971 Monday - 26th Amendment to the Constitution ratified. It lowered the voting age to 18.
1989 Wednesday - Rod Stewart bangs head on stage during a concert and it knocks him out.
1989 Wednesday - The Premier episode of Seinfeld. It ran until Thursday May 14, 1998.
Tonight as my wife and I were watching fireworks I remembered the past few times we saw fireworks. The last time was on Monday November 29, 2010 at Disney World. Then on Friday October 1, 2010 we saw a magnificent display at Niagara Falls. Then the previous two New Year Eve's in Ocean City as part of their First Night activities. Many people have asked me if having Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory is a burden due to remembering all the bad things. It has been in the past but I have learned to cope and make it a good thing. There will be more on that in future blogs. The corrollary of that is that having a good memory is good because I remember all the good times with more clarity than most people. This example of the fireworks is an example. I go to the beach and watch fireworks and have pleasant flashbacks of past vacations and fun nights.
Two blogs ago you practiced chanting sequences of numbers. One eight fifteen twenty two twenty nine etc. Today we are going to combine yesterdays images with the chants to quickly calculate any day in 2011.
To prove that this really works, let's prove that today July 5 is a Tuesday. Out image for July is fireworks. We had the fireworks turn into a frying pan, the symbol for Friday. Now we know that the first day of July is a Friday. Any day in the first week of the month is simple addition. If the first is a Friday, the second is a Saturday, the third is a SUnday, fourth Monday, and fifth Tuesday.
Labor Day is the first Monday in September. For September we have a student carrying a three as if it was their school book So September 1 is a Thursday, 2nd Friday 3rd Saturday 4th Sunday 5th Monday. Labor Day is a Monday.
Halloween October 31. For this calculation, The fastest way would be to remember November 1, the next day. We have a turkey that multiplies in two. November 1 is a Tuesday so Halloween, the day before is a Monday. Let's now use the same November image to calculate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. Since we have established that November begins on a Tuesday we can reason that the first Thursday is the 3rd. Then we chant three ten seventeen twenty four. Thanksgiving will be the twenty fourth.
Finally, let's calculate Christmas. For December we have Santa multiplying by three. The month begins on a Thursday. The Thursdays are then one eight fifteen twenty two. If the twenty second is a Thursday then the twenty third is a Friday, twenty fourth is a Saturday, and the Twenty Fifth is a Sunday.
If you would like to practice this more. Calculate when your birthday is this year. The birthdays in your family, your friends or randomly generate some dates and calculate them.
Try these randomly generated dates.
January 27
February 18
March 12
April 24
May 21
June 14
July 27
August 15
September 26
October 14
November 7
December 31
I encourage you to practice this. It can be a boost of confidence to know that after a little practice you know the date of every day for this year. There are many tricks to come in future blogs.
1971 Monday - 26th Amendment to the Constitution ratified. It lowered the voting age to 18.
1989 Wednesday - Rod Stewart bangs head on stage during a concert and it knocks him out.
1989 Wednesday - The Premier episode of Seinfeld. It ran until Thursday May 14, 1998.
Tonight as my wife and I were watching fireworks I remembered the past few times we saw fireworks. The last time was on Monday November 29, 2010 at Disney World. Then on Friday October 1, 2010 we saw a magnificent display at Niagara Falls. Then the previous two New Year Eve's in Ocean City as part of their First Night activities. Many people have asked me if having Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory is a burden due to remembering all the bad things. It has been in the past but I have learned to cope and make it a good thing. There will be more on that in future blogs. The corrollary of that is that having a good memory is good because I remember all the good times with more clarity than most people. This example of the fireworks is an example. I go to the beach and watch fireworks and have pleasant flashbacks of past vacations and fun nights.
Two blogs ago you practiced chanting sequences of numbers. One eight fifteen twenty two twenty nine etc. Today we are going to combine yesterdays images with the chants to quickly calculate any day in 2011.
To prove that this really works, let's prove that today July 5 is a Tuesday. Out image for July is fireworks. We had the fireworks turn into a frying pan, the symbol for Friday. Now we know that the first day of July is a Friday. Any day in the first week of the month is simple addition. If the first is a Friday, the second is a Saturday, the third is a SUnday, fourth Monday, and fifth Tuesday.
Labor Day is the first Monday in September. For September we have a student carrying a three as if it was their school book So September 1 is a Thursday, 2nd Friday 3rd Saturday 4th Sunday 5th Monday. Labor Day is a Monday.
Halloween October 31. For this calculation, The fastest way would be to remember November 1, the next day. We have a turkey that multiplies in two. November 1 is a Tuesday so Halloween, the day before is a Monday. Let's now use the same November image to calculate Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. Since we have established that November begins on a Tuesday we can reason that the first Thursday is the 3rd. Then we chant three ten seventeen twenty four. Thanksgiving will be the twenty fourth.
Finally, let's calculate Christmas. For December we have Santa multiplying by three. The month begins on a Thursday. The Thursdays are then one eight fifteen twenty two. If the twenty second is a Thursday then the twenty third is a Friday, twenty fourth is a Saturday, and the Twenty Fifth is a Sunday.
If you would like to practice this more. Calculate when your birthday is this year. The birthdays in your family, your friends or randomly generate some dates and calculate them.
Try these randomly generated dates.
January 27
February 18
March 12
April 24
May 21
June 14
July 27
August 15
September 26
October 14
November 7
December 31
I encourage you to practice this. It can be a boost of confidence to know that after a little practice you know the date of every day for this year. There are many tricks to come in future blogs.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Memorizing the calendar for this year - Step 4
Events on July 4 -
1966 Monday - LBJ signs Freedom of Information Act.
1967 Tuesday - Freedom of Information Act goes into effect.
1982 Sunday - The Space Shuttle Columbia on it's fourth and final test run lands at Edwards Air Force
with astronauts Ken Mattingly and Henry Hartsfield. President and Nancy Reagan greet
them.
1986 Friday - Statue of Liberty reopens to the public. The Reagan's preside over the ceremony the night
before.
1997 Friday - First Photos of Mars online from the arm of the Pathfinder.
2007 Wednesday - Sochi Russia selected by the IOC as the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
2007 Wednesday - The 50 star flag becomes the longest flying American Flag. The previous record was the
48 star flag from 1912 - 1959.
Today we are actually going to begin using the symbols of the months and the days of the week to start memorizing the calendar for this year. We will begin by combining the symbols for the months with the days of the week to learn which day of the week the first day of each month is. Then tomorrow we will apply the chant to quickly calculate the date that every other date is in each month.
We will take the symbols for the months and combine them with the symbol for the day of the week that the first day of the month is. Following are the combinations:
January - Snow - Saturday - Saturn. Imagine Saturn's rings turn into snow and fall into the planet.
February - Heart - Tuesday - number two - Imagine a heart multiplying by two.
March - Shamrock - Tuesday - number two - A shamrock multiplying into two.
April - Rain - Friday - frying pan - rain coming out of a frying pan.
May - Flower - Sunday - The sun - A flower turning into the sun.
June - Flag - Wednesday - Hump of a camel - A camel's hump decorated with the red, white, and blue.
July - Fireworks - Friday - Frying pan - Fireworks that look like a frying pan in the sky.
August - Beach - Monday - Moon - Imagine people on the beach in spacesuits like the lunar explorers.
September - Schoolbook - Thursday - Number 3 - Imagine s student carrying a large number 3 as if
it were a schoolbook.
October - Pumpkin - Saturday - Saturn - A pumpkin with rings around it.
November - Turkey - Tuesday - Number 2 - A turkey multiplying to two.
December - Santa - Thursday - Number 3 - Santa saying ho ho ho and a new Santa each time he says it.
Study this for about 15 minutes to a half hour, or until you can instantly name the day of the week that each month begins. In tomorrow's blog we will put it all together and you will have all the tools to quickly know the day of the week any date in this year is or will be.
1966 Monday - LBJ signs Freedom of Information Act.
1967 Tuesday - Freedom of Information Act goes into effect.
1982 Sunday - The Space Shuttle Columbia on it's fourth and final test run lands at Edwards Air Force
with astronauts Ken Mattingly and Henry Hartsfield. President and Nancy Reagan greet
them.
1986 Friday - Statue of Liberty reopens to the public. The Reagan's preside over the ceremony the night
before.
1997 Friday - First Photos of Mars online from the arm of the Pathfinder.
2007 Wednesday - Sochi Russia selected by the IOC as the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
2007 Wednesday - The 50 star flag becomes the longest flying American Flag. The previous record was the
48 star flag from 1912 - 1959.
Today we are actually going to begin using the symbols of the months and the days of the week to start memorizing the calendar for this year. We will begin by combining the symbols for the months with the days of the week to learn which day of the week the first day of each month is. Then tomorrow we will apply the chant to quickly calculate the date that every other date is in each month.
We will take the symbols for the months and combine them with the symbol for the day of the week that the first day of the month is. Following are the combinations:
January - Snow - Saturday - Saturn. Imagine Saturn's rings turn into snow and fall into the planet.
February - Heart - Tuesday - number two - Imagine a heart multiplying by two.
March - Shamrock - Tuesday - number two - A shamrock multiplying into two.
April - Rain - Friday - frying pan - rain coming out of a frying pan.
May - Flower - Sunday - The sun - A flower turning into the sun.
June - Flag - Wednesday - Hump of a camel - A camel's hump decorated with the red, white, and blue.
July - Fireworks - Friday - Frying pan - Fireworks that look like a frying pan in the sky.
August - Beach - Monday - Moon - Imagine people on the beach in spacesuits like the lunar explorers.
September - Schoolbook - Thursday - Number 3 - Imagine s student carrying a large number 3 as if
it were a schoolbook.
October - Pumpkin - Saturday - Saturn - A pumpkin with rings around it.
November - Turkey - Tuesday - Number 2 - A turkey multiplying to two.
December - Santa - Thursday - Number 3 - Santa saying ho ho ho and a new Santa each time he says it.
Study this for about 15 minutes to a half hour, or until you can instantly name the day of the week that each month begins. In tomorrow's blog we will put it all together and you will have all the tools to quickly know the day of the week any date in this year is or will be.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Flashbulb Memories
Events on July 1-
1961 Saturday - Birth of Princess Diana.
1991 Monday Death of actor Michael Landon.
1997 Tuesday - Death of actor Robert Mitchum.
2000 Saturday - Death of actor Walter Mathau.
2004 Thursday - Death of actor Marlon Brando.
Many of you will remember watching Prince Andrew and Kate Middleton's wedding on April 29 of this year or hearing it on the news even if you do not have a particularly good memory for events. Then on May 1 or 2 hearing of Osama Bin Laden's death.This is because the events are significant and called a flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memories are when you intensely remember significant events on the news or in your personal life.
If you are old enough you remember where you were when you heard about President Kennedy's assassination, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy's assassinations. Younger folks will recall Charles and Diana's wedding, the Challenger Explosion, and later that year Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding. Most people recall Princess Diana's death, then Mother Theresa's five days later. Earlier this year, I was giving a presentation on memory to students at Atlantic Cape Community College. Many of them were born around the time of the Gulf War in 1991, and they were old enough to recall 911.
Flashbulb memories can occur over personal events. Most people will recall the birth of a sibling or a death in the family. You recall graduations, your wedding and the births of your children. Interestingly, you may think that you recall every detail of those days. However, it has been shown that , while you will recall the event itself well you often mispercieve details. This is because you are highly emotional during these events so the details can become confused. Similarly, when you have just received good or bad news it is hard to concentrate on reading or studying.
We could take a break from our calendar project each weekend. If you are highly motivated you can peruse these blogs and review what you have learned. Next week I will take everything you have learned with the symbols and incantations and apply it to memorizing the calendar. Have a good weekend!
1961 Saturday - Birth of Princess Diana.
1991 Monday Death of actor Michael Landon.
1997 Tuesday - Death of actor Robert Mitchum.
2000 Saturday - Death of actor Walter Mathau.
2004 Thursday - Death of actor Marlon Brando.
Many of you will remember watching Prince Andrew and Kate Middleton's wedding on April 29 of this year or hearing it on the news even if you do not have a particularly good memory for events. Then on May 1 or 2 hearing of Osama Bin Laden's death.This is because the events are significant and called a flashbulb memory. Flashbulb memories are when you intensely remember significant events on the news or in your personal life.
If you are old enough you remember where you were when you heard about President Kennedy's assassination, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy's assassinations. Younger folks will recall Charles and Diana's wedding, the Challenger Explosion, and later that year Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's wedding. Most people recall Princess Diana's death, then Mother Theresa's five days later. Earlier this year, I was giving a presentation on memory to students at Atlantic Cape Community College. Many of them were born around the time of the Gulf War in 1991, and they were old enough to recall 911.
Flashbulb memories can occur over personal events. Most people will recall the birth of a sibling or a death in the family. You recall graduations, your wedding and the births of your children. Interestingly, you may think that you recall every detail of those days. However, it has been shown that , while you will recall the event itself well you often mispercieve details. This is because you are highly emotional during these events so the details can become confused. Similarly, when you have just received good or bad news it is hard to concentrate on reading or studying.
We could take a break from our calendar project each weekend. If you are highly motivated you can peruse these blogs and review what you have learned. Next week I will take everything you have learned with the symbols and incantations and apply it to memorizing the calendar. Have a good weekend!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Memorizing this year - Part 3 - The Chant
Historical events on June 30
1966 Thursday - Mike Tyson born.
1966 Thursday - Beatles land in Tokyo for concert tour.
1975 - Monday - Cher marries Greg Allman four days after divorcing Sonny Bono
In order to calculate a date it is helpful to do a series of chants where you start with a number and count by sevens. That way you can just know what the first day of a month is and do a quick calculation for any date that month. Our exercise today is to practice these seven sequences. Say them out loud a few times, preferably with no one in the room who might commit you to your local mental health screening center.
One eight fifteen twenty two twenty nine
Two nine sixteen twenty three thirty
Three ten seventeen twenty four thirty one
Four eleven eighteen twenty five
Five twelve nineteen twenty six
Six thirteen twenty twenty seven
Seven fourteen twenty one twenty eight
If you practice these sequences you will quickly be able to calculate any date just by knowing the day of the week the first day of that month occurred. Tomorrow we will combine the month and day exercises to know the first date of all months for this year.
1966 Thursday - Mike Tyson born.
1966 Thursday - Beatles land in Tokyo for concert tour.
1975 - Monday - Cher marries Greg Allman four days after divorcing Sonny Bono
In order to calculate a date it is helpful to do a series of chants where you start with a number and count by sevens. That way you can just know what the first day of a month is and do a quick calculation for any date that month. Our exercise today is to practice these seven sequences. Say them out loud a few times, preferably with no one in the room who might commit you to your local mental health screening center.
One eight fifteen twenty two twenty nine
Two nine sixteen twenty three thirty
Three ten seventeen twenty four thirty one
Four eleven eighteen twenty five
Five twelve nineteen twenty six
Six thirteen twenty twenty seven
Seven fourteen twenty one twenty eight
If you practice these sequences you will quickly be able to calculate any date just by knowing the day of the week the first day of that month occurred. Tomorrow we will combine the month and day exercises to know the first date of all months for this year.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Memorize a year - step 2
June 29 history
1964 Monday - Civil Rights Act passed in Senate after 83 day filibuster.
1977 Wednesday - Supreme Court ruled out death penalty for rapists of adults
Yesterday we learned how to create symbols to represent the months. Today we will
create symbols to represent the days of the week. Here are some suggestions.
Sunday - The sun, your church.
Monday - The moon, your school or workplace.
Tuesday - The number 2.
Wednesday - The hump of a camel, since Wednesday is often referred to as hump day
the middle of the work week.
Thursday - The number 3 as it sounds like third.
Friday - A frying pan or a TGIF sign.
Saturday - The planet Saturn with it's rings.
You may want to look at a calendar you have at home, pick a week, and insert these images into the block with the date in it. Spend about 15 minutes creating the images on your calendar and they will stick. It would also be helpful to rehearse the images you have for the months again.
Tomorrow I will teach you a rhythm of numbers to recite which will be an aid in memorizing dates. By next week you can have this entire year memorized.
1964 Monday - Civil Rights Act passed in Senate after 83 day filibuster.
1977 Wednesday - Supreme Court ruled out death penalty for rapists of adults
Yesterday we learned how to create symbols to represent the months. Today we will
create symbols to represent the days of the week. Here are some suggestions.
Sunday - The sun, your church.
Monday - The moon, your school or workplace.
Tuesday - The number 2.
Wednesday - The hump of a camel, since Wednesday is often referred to as hump day
the middle of the work week.
Thursday - The number 3 as it sounds like third.
Friday - A frying pan or a TGIF sign.
Saturday - The planet Saturn with it's rings.
You may want to look at a calendar you have at home, pick a week, and insert these images into the block with the date in it. Spend about 15 minutes creating the images on your calendar and they will stick. It would also be helpful to rehearse the images you have for the months again.
Tomorrow I will teach you a rhythm of numbers to recite which will be an aid in memorizing dates. By next week you can have this entire year memorized.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Today's Phenomenal Memory Tip
Events on June 28
1965 Monday - First combat forces in Viet Nam.
1971 Monday - Overturn of Muhammad Ali's draft evasion charge.
1978 Wednesday - Supreme Court ruled that Allan Bakke, 38 was discriminated against in being denied
admission tom medical school at University of California, Berkeley
In the next few days I will teach you a technique for memorizing a year of the calendar. All you need to know is how to make pictures in your head, and do a very simple calculation.
First, let's create some symbols for the months of the year.
January - snow
February - heart
March - shamrock
April - rain
May - flower
June - flag
July - fireworks
August - beach
September - schoolbook
October - pumpkin
November - turkey
December - Santa
If you do not like some of these symbols you can create your own. For example - You might prefer a menorah to use for December instead of Santa, or a manger. It is important to create pictures that you are comfortable with.
Tomorrow we will create symbols for the days of the week.
1965 Monday - First combat forces in Viet Nam.
1971 Monday - Overturn of Muhammad Ali's draft evasion charge.
1978 Wednesday - Supreme Court ruled that Allan Bakke, 38 was discriminated against in being denied
admission tom medical school at University of California, Berkeley
In the next few days I will teach you a technique for memorizing a year of the calendar. All you need to know is how to make pictures in your head, and do a very simple calculation.
First, let's create some symbols for the months of the year.
January - snow
February - heart
March - shamrock
April - rain
May - flower
June - flag
July - fireworks
August - beach
September - schoolbook
October - pumpkin
November - turkey
December - Santa
If you do not like some of these symbols you can create your own. For example - You might prefer a menorah to use for December instead of Santa, or a manger. It is important to create pictures that you are comfortable with.
Tomorrow we will create symbols for the days of the week.
Monday, June 27, 2011
When I first started memorizing the calendar as a five year old, I created visual and auditory images of the prime time television lineup to every date in that year. First, I would look at the name of the month that appeared in red at the bottom of each page, then I would look at the number in the square and say the combination in my head a few times. For example, June 22 Wednesday. At first this might seem boring and typical of the way most people memorize. However, I added visual and auditory images. As I looked at each block, I would visualise an image of a character who would be on prime time television that night. For June 22 I would see an image of Batman and play the tune in my head. For the 23rd Thursday it would be Robin - same tune, June 24 The Green Hornet, and June 25 Flipper. I would spend about a minute for each day of the year doing the same routine. I practiced the entire sequence for five consecutive days Monday February 28 to Friday March 4. By the end of the week I knew the day of the week that every day of the year 1966 occurred or will occur on. I had a year of the calendar memorized before I knew how to read.
Since I obviously had never read a book on memory, I discovered my new ability serendipitously. Unwittingly I was applying several mnemonic principles.
1. Rote Rehearsal - saying the combination of date and day a few times, for example Monday June 20
2. Elaborative rehearsal - Creating an association with pictures, sounds, and any combination of senses.
By paring the visual image with the block and the date and playing the tune I was creating associations between disparate items. Now I would see a block with a date in it and think of an image of Batman or Flipper (a dolphin) and by combining the two images I would think of the day of the week (Wednesday if it was Batman and Saturday if it was Flipper).
Elaborative rehearsal can be enhanced if you combine more than one sense in your image. I combined the visual sense by picturing the images, and the auditory sense by playing the theme songs in my head. The more senses you apply the stronger the image is that you created as a memory aid. I could have added sensory material for Flipper for the Saturdays by imagining the feel of swimming in the water riding Flipper (Kinesthetic) or imagined eating dolphin meat (Gustatory). The images would have been stronger but they were strong enough using two senses. Most images that you create will be strong enough with two senses and some with just one sense. However, the more senses that you employ the stronger the image.
Many memory experts advocate creating a silly picture for your images. By silly, they mean that is bizarre enough to not happen in real life. You might imagine Batman turning into a bat, or Robin turning into a real Robin. Or for Sunday imagine the Disney castle growing Mickey Mouse ears. While it helps to have a bizarre picture, often if you combine the rote rehearsal of reciting the fact with the elaborative rehearsal of creating pictures and sounds, the picture is still effective and you will remember.
Most memory experts will say that elaborative rehearsal is more effective than rote rehearsal. By itself it is. However, I have found through my learning and teaching memory that memorizing is the most effective when rote and elaborative are combined.
Would you like to learn how to memorize a year of the calendar in a short time? In the next few blogs I will show you a way to learn a year much more quickly than the way I did it.
Since I obviously had never read a book on memory, I discovered my new ability serendipitously. Unwittingly I was applying several mnemonic principles.
1. Rote Rehearsal - saying the combination of date and day a few times, for example Monday June 20
2. Elaborative rehearsal - Creating an association with pictures, sounds, and any combination of senses.
By paring the visual image with the block and the date and playing the tune I was creating associations between disparate items. Now I would see a block with a date in it and think of an image of Batman or Flipper (a dolphin) and by combining the two images I would think of the day of the week (Wednesday if it was Batman and Saturday if it was Flipper).
Elaborative rehearsal can be enhanced if you combine more than one sense in your image. I combined the visual sense by picturing the images, and the auditory sense by playing the theme songs in my head. The more senses you apply the stronger the image is that you created as a memory aid. I could have added sensory material for Flipper for the Saturdays by imagining the feel of swimming in the water riding Flipper (Kinesthetic) or imagined eating dolphin meat (Gustatory). The images would have been stronger but they were strong enough using two senses. Most images that you create will be strong enough with two senses and some with just one sense. However, the more senses that you employ the stronger the image.
Many memory experts advocate creating a silly picture for your images. By silly, they mean that is bizarre enough to not happen in real life. You might imagine Batman turning into a bat, or Robin turning into a real Robin. Or for Sunday imagine the Disney castle growing Mickey Mouse ears. While it helps to have a bizarre picture, often if you combine the rote rehearsal of reciting the fact with the elaborative rehearsal of creating pictures and sounds, the picture is still effective and you will remember.
Most memory experts will say that elaborative rehearsal is more effective than rote rehearsal. By itself it is. However, I have found through my learning and teaching memory that memorizing is the most effective when rote and elaborative are combined.
Would you like to learn how to memorize a year of the calendar in a short time? In the next few blogs I will show you a way to learn a year much more quickly than the way I did it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
You Can Have A Phenomenal Memory
Hi, I'm Frank Healy and I have a phenomenal memory. I know the day of the week every date was or will occur from 1753 to 2999. I also know the weather in my area every day since 1966, historical events, and what happened in my life every day since 1966.
It started when I was five years old the week of February 27 to March 5, 1966. I was home sick from school for a week. Too sick to be up playing. My uncle Billy had given me a calendar for the year.Having nothing to do, I lay there and connected every date with a picture of what would be on prime time television that night. I would look at the squares with the numbers and create a picture in each square of what would be on prime time television that night. For Sundays it was Walt Disney, Mondays The Monkees, Tuesdays Combat, Wednesday Batman, Thursdays Robin (since batman was on Wednesday and Thursday I needed a different picture for the two days) Friday The Green Hornet, and Saturday Flipper. By the end of the week I had the calendar for that entire year memorized by connecting each date with a television show.
As the days and weeks went by I would recite in my head the date as events occurred in my life. Consequentially, I developed a good autobiographical memory. By the end of the year, I realized that I knew the date that everything happened since I began memorizing. As the years went by, I continued to make notes in my head on what events and weather occurred, and the day of the week each date was.
In 2007 I published my book "Living With A Phenomenal Memory" which is a detailed account of my memory and how I memorized the calendar, schoolwork, facts about the Beatles, Marx Brothers, Space travel, and other assorted facts. It is available through iuniverse at http://www.iuniverse.com/ and Amazon.
You may have seen the specials on 60 minutes of the people who have been studied at the University of California. On February 9, 2011 I was studied by Dr. McGaugh, and was the twelfth person they have determined who has HSAM - Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory.
Each weekday beginning on June 27 I will be posting a tip on how to improve your memory. Some of the tips might be spread over several days. However, it is good to exercise your brain every day. Stay tuned for tomorrow's tip!
It started when I was five years old the week of February 27 to March 5, 1966. I was home sick from school for a week. Too sick to be up playing. My uncle Billy had given me a calendar for the year.Having nothing to do, I lay there and connected every date with a picture of what would be on prime time television that night. I would look at the squares with the numbers and create a picture in each square of what would be on prime time television that night. For Sundays it was Walt Disney, Mondays The Monkees, Tuesdays Combat, Wednesday Batman, Thursdays Robin (since batman was on Wednesday and Thursday I needed a different picture for the two days) Friday The Green Hornet, and Saturday Flipper. By the end of the week I had the calendar for that entire year memorized by connecting each date with a television show.
As the days and weeks went by I would recite in my head the date as events occurred in my life. Consequentially, I developed a good autobiographical memory. By the end of the year, I realized that I knew the date that everything happened since I began memorizing. As the years went by, I continued to make notes in my head on what events and weather occurred, and the day of the week each date was.
In 2007 I published my book "Living With A Phenomenal Memory" which is a detailed account of my memory and how I memorized the calendar, schoolwork, facts about the Beatles, Marx Brothers, Space travel, and other assorted facts. It is available through iuniverse at http://www.iuniverse.com/ and Amazon.
You may have seen the specials on 60 minutes of the people who have been studied at the University of California. On February 9, 2011 I was studied by Dr. McGaugh, and was the twelfth person they have determined who has HSAM - Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory.
Each weekday beginning on June 27 I will be posting a tip on how to improve your memory. Some of the tips might be spread over several days. However, it is good to exercise your brain every day. Stay tuned for tomorrow's tip!
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