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The following Article was written by Kotori Distari and posted with permission.

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Memory Tips 101

This article was written based off of my personal experiences and current knowledge at the time. What is written here is based off of my opinion from personal trial and error and may not be standard for most, so please read objectively with that knowledge in mind.

We’ve all been frustrated when we can’t quite recall the nagging bit of information poking us in the back of the head or even when we’ve totally forgotten something and know it, but can’t recall what it was that was forgotten. There’s many tools available to one wishing to improve their memory, but how many of these tools will allow us to recall memories we’ve thought long forgotten?

There are many more, but for now I’m going to talk about three different types of tools one can use to help recall memories. This is especially helpful for one trying to recall images seen in dreams or meditations.

Key Word Triggers
It’s very hard to keep full images and thoughts in mind when they all fight for attention. To help one retain the full sequence of events in mind pick a few key words that put you in the “now” moment of recalling these images. This will help you build up the full memory of images by taking one word and allowing your mind to naturally recall more images associated with the first word or set of words.

There is a bit of trial and error with this method as you, the individual, have to determine for yourself what words jump out at you and will help jog your memory. For example lets say that I’m trying to recall a dream about a castle - for me just a word about a castle may not jog my memory enough. Instead the word about the pink flower outside may jog my memory more to fully recall the entire scene.

So while it may take a few tries to discover what best works for you personally -- using this method it does help one retain some recollection of images or memories that appear to be fleeting at first.

Post-it Notes
Okay...this one is a bit odd -- and here’s your warning now: you may turn into a walking yellow sticky pad when using this method. When properly contained I feel that it is a practical method for helping one organize thoughts to recall images that are just at the edge of thought. However when using this method you may want to stock up with affordable post-it note pads that may not be brand name -- I believe you can find these at dollar stores or even with some office supply stores.

The method is fairly simple -- what you do is write down the fragments that you recall on individual slips of post-it note. Now you can stack the notes on top of each other until you have time to sort it out later, but I recommend a small note book that you can keep solely for sorting out these notes. Simply because you can make additional notes on the side if needed. The nice part about using post-it notes is that if you find yourself remembering something in a different chronological order than you originally sorted you can easily re-arrange your notes.

I’ve found this method very good for long term recollection as when I remember more it is easier to re-organize and add to develop the full image of what my mind has been recalling in tiny bits and pieces. It’s a very good method for those seeking a bit more organization than the jumbled notes that usually come from a first recollection. One can expand and fill in the gaps easier too since it is very easy to re-sort the fragment memory bits as well as add to it at anytime.

Spider Web Chart
Okay, now these you may remember from a word association chart in English class -- I call them spider web charts and I use them a bit differently than what you might recall from English classes. Pretty much you start with a word at the center and encase that in a circle. From there you draw a line from it to any additional thoughts and encase that in a bubble as well. Any thoughts that are spurred by that added thought you add to that bubble and so forth with any other thoughts.

What is nice about this method is that you can start to draw lines to other thought bubbles that may tie in with another and lead you off on another tangent or train of thought. This method is very good for the chaotic thought process that comes from trying to recall a vast series of images. Usually a long or intense dream will have so many images scattered left and right that it’s hard to formulate a full thought.

With this method one can take the tiny bits and pieces to branch from one thought to another and eventually recall a full scene or image -- possiblly even lead to more image recall. Some may think it daunting to keep a dream journal, but using this method is simplistic in design and one can add onto it later as more is remembered. This is very good to use with recalling reoccuring dreams or images.

Hopefully these methods have added a few more tools to help you recall and develop or fine tune any current recollection methods you use to remember images or dreams. As always there are many more methods out there -- these are just a few that I’ve found solid and reliable in use over the past few years. I used to find remembering anything almost daunting...now, it seems I remember too much.

The methods outlined above are just guidelines and not set in stone. Feel free to adapt the method to your own individual use. Remember, just cause something works for one person does not always mean it’ll work for another. Plus, you will gain the most bennifit by making slight alterations that allow you as an individual to recall more.

Feel free to direct any questions or opinions to me by way of the board on any of the methods listed in this article.

Copyright 2006

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