Memory and Concentration
Do things seem to slip your mind somehow? Do your thoughts wander and are you easily distracted? Is it difficult for you to concentrate fully on what you are doing? Some people find that the harder they try to concentrate, the more difficult it is and the more frustrated they become. this cycle can help you change that pattern by focusing your attention where you want it.
Hypnosis for improving memory and concentration is especially helpful to students. they can learn more material in a lesser amount of time (this seeming expanding or shrinking of time is technically called time distortion). They improve their grades by increasing the speed with which they learn and, at the same time, have better retention of the material. Even foreign languages are easily learned with help from this method. Not only students, but world travellers and business people use self-hypnosis as a study aid in learning other languages. You can do this also.
A solution-focused hypnotic recording to play at home before your study period will help to reinforce your focus on your study material. Your added edge will be to play recording a few times while you are in a self-hypnotic state. Give your inner mind the suggestion to record and retain the information until you need to retrieve it. And, even though it could be many years later when you are in a foreign country, the words you learned will be there when you need them.
This session can help you improve both your memory and your concentration. You’ll enjoy using your mind to increase your awareness, and you’ll think more clearly and creatively with less effort.
Memory: Some definitions, further principles and additional information
The three components of memory
1. Sensory memory (SM): The mind’s brief recognition of what we see, hear, smell, touch and taste.
2. Working memory (WM): The small amount of material that we can briefly hold in the mind at any given moment.
3. Long term memory (LTM): Information that is no longer in conscious thought but is stored for potential recollection.
Encoding
How we get information into LTD includes: paying attention, association with other information, analysing for meaning and elaboration of details. This is generally carried out automatically by the unconscious mind and strengthens the chances of our remembering it.
Retrieval
This is the process of bringing information from LTM into the conscious state of the WM. This is achieved by either recognition or recall. The former is information that is presented to you as something that you already know. The latter is produced by a self initiated search of LTM which may be triggered by a cue. This is a thought, picture, word, sound etc. For example you may be able to remember a person’s last name by hearing their first name or vice versa.
Factors which effect memory
Application: not paying attention, negative expectations, mental lethargy, being disorganised.
Mood: Anxiety, stress, depression, obsessive thoughts.
Health: Organic illness, certain medications, problems with sight or hearing, alcohol, fatigue, poor nutrition. When you realise that it is really important for you to stop and pay full attention to a task or to listening to information, make a real effort to focus your awareness fully. Distractions can easily displace the current content of the WM, hence having forgotten what you went into the kitchen for, because you wondered why the postman was late as you passed through the hall. Needless to say distractions can be dangerous when driving, taking medicine, using machinery etc.
General pointers
1. In order for information to have meaning, you must understand what you are learning.
2. In order to remember something thoroughly it must be of interest to you and have some value and/or relevance in your life.
3. Attention is not learning, but little learning takes place without attention.
4. Your understanding of new information is reliant on what you already know that you can meaningfully connect to it.
5. You can aid your memory of information by organising it into categories or groups that have meaning for you.
6. Relax. Stress and tension interfere with the memory process. Take several deep breaths…relax…and wait for the memory to pop into the conscious mind.
Bibliography
1. Atkinson Rita., Atkinson Richard C., Smith Edward E., Bem Daryl J. and Nolen-Hoeksema Susan.Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology (2000). 13th Edition. Harcourt College Publishers. USA.
2. Higbee Kenneth L. Your Memory How it Works & How to Improve it. 2001. 2nd edition. Marlowe & Company. New York.
3. Fogler Janet and Stern Lynn. Improving your Memory How to Remember what your Starting to Forget. 2005. The John Hopkins University Press. USA.
4. Mason Douglas J. & Smith Spencer Xavier. The Memory Doctor. 2005. New Harbinger Publications. USA.
5. Davies Roger & Houghton Peter. Mastering Psychology 1995.2nd Edition. Macmillan. London.
For an appointment please ring Therapy House, 6 Tuckey Street, Cork city on 021-4273757 or email us on ichp@hypnosiseire.com