Age Proofing Your Brain...
I’m going to make an admission to you here. Full transparency and ready for you to throw a missile that dunks me in a large water tank!
I mislay things... like keys, my glasses and important documents!
I also forget things... like uncle’s birthdays and addresses, and which city did I really meet my first friend in? (You know those dumb types of mindless security questions you have to setup these days!)
What, you the same? You mean I’m not the only one in early stages of losing my memory as I get older?
So, I’m stringing you along. I know my memory lapses are normal as I get older.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
I could talk about memory tricks stage artists use for performance reasons which discuss tips like “association”, “chunking” and the “Loci Method”, but today I’m going to focus on one method called “revivification.”
I like this method because it works for all ages but is especially accessible for senior folks who want to preserve their memories of the good and happy times.
Before I explore how revivification works and helps for memory I want to briefly discuss why the bad memories “stick” more than good ones.
We remember details about experiences where we were frightened or fearful or hurt, more easily than those happy moments spent with family or friends. This has to do with our genetic code. It was important for our ancestors to remember a bad experience to ensure it didn’t happen again or they handled things better. After all it could make the difference between eat or be eaten!
Most people can remember the first time they touched a hot stove and rarely repeat it deliberately.The detail is stored for ever.
But most happy memory details can easily fade away... if left alone.
So, revivification is a process to revive those memories and bring back the smiles and happy thoughts. It’s good for our memory and our well-being.
The process is not difficult but requires a trusted second party.
Recount the memory you want to revive and to relive. But you have to dwell on the specifics. Only by dwelling on a memory and having another party explore it with you will you begin to “remember” the detail. The amount of detail you’ll remember will be in proportion to the amount of emotion you attach to the memory.
Significant family events are opportune fodder for this revivification exercise.
Have your friend make sure to stop you as you recount to ask questions or clarify or comment on what you’re recounting. Have them ask you to repeat to ensure they understand and catch the happiness of the event but also force you to relive it in as much detail as you can. The point here is to “dwell” on the memory.
As I mentioned seniors who are struggling to hold onto their happy memories benefit from this exercise. It also helps their overall memory and expands their brain capability.
Revivification is just one tool in the memory box of tricks. I have pulled together a richer article about how to reduce memory loss as you age and ways to age proof your brain here >>>
Hope you enjoy.
Erika Slater CH Free At Last Hypnosis Massachusetts