Phenomenal memory is an amazing phenomenon. By this definition we mean the ability to store information extremely quickly and reproduce it later. Moreover, the material can have amazing volumes in the complete absence of semantic connection between its components. That is, if a person with such an ability is given a leaflet with a random set of letters, numbers, images and symbols, he will remember him, no matter what.
The opinion of experts
Interestingly, for scientists, phenomenal memory is as much a mystery as it is for all other people. It is impossible to understand the mechanism of the ultrahigh speed of assimilation by the human brain of information that only a computer can remember at such a pace.
There is only an assumption. Allegedly, electrical impulses produce something like a “coding” of the gray matter of the brain - by analogy with the recording of zeros and ones in a computer. What is this talking about? The fact that the human brain is a system of "recording" information is similar to a computer. Only two nuances differ. This is the speed of "recording" and the amount of memory. But, nevertheless, some people have a phenomenal memory. And their speed of "recording" exceeds the usual.
Photographic memory
This is the most common “variation” of the phenomenal ability discussed. The people to whom it is peculiar are no different from the rest. They can forget about a relative’s birthday, about buying bread on the way home, or paying for the Internet.
But, let’s say, such a person found himself in an unfamiliar city. He stayed there all day, and after that he left. And after many years he again happened to find himself there. What then? He will not have the slightest difficulty remembering all the roads, bus stops, the location of shops, etc. Having closed his eyes and trying to reproduce his long past path in this city, he will be able to “see” not only the streets, but even the names on the signs, numbers houses, faces of passers-by.
Other types of superpowers
Now we can talk about the types of phenomenal memory that are less common than photographic. In particular, about auditory.
People to whom it is peculiar easily remember audio information in a huge volume. Usually musicians can boast of this ability. And many. It is enough for them to hear a musical composition once, in order to later reproduce it on their instrument. And some composers even immediately rewrite the music they like by ear into a music book. They don’t even need to double-check the correct composition, having previously played it. Musicians know very well how notes and registers sound. Therefore, transferring what they heard to the paper, mentally they replay the composition.
There are still people with a phenomenal memory of a mathematical nature. And she really can be called superpower. Because such individuals are able to perform complex calculations in the mind. And even recall in detail those that were made by them earlier.
People with text memory also cannot but surprise. After all, it is enough for them to read or hear the text once (whether it be a story, a verse, a novel, etc.) in order to reproduce it later.
Developing ability through imagery
Many admire those who have a phenomenal memory. The development of this ability is obsessed with a considerable number of people, and they can be understood. Well, if there is no such gift, then you should not despair. You need to tune in to self-improvement and begin to train.
You need to remember the first rule. All information must be transformed into images (usually visual). They should be:
- Colored. The brighter the colors, the easier it will be to remember what is painted in them.
- Big ones. The image should be large, regardless of the actual dimensions of the imaginary object.
- Detailed. Details are important, and we must learn to focus our attention on them.
- Bright. There is no need to even explain. Everyone understands that dim images are remembered extremely poorly.
- Voluminous. Trying to consider the image in his head from all sides, it is possible not only to detail it, but also to contribute to the development of the imagination, which is also important.
This method is suitable even for busy people. It is very convenient to develop phenomenal memory in images, because they surround us everywhere.
Associations and Mnemonics
These are perhaps the most popular ways in which memory can be developed. For example, in order to remember a long mobile phone number, many try to find an important date in it, their birthday, zip code, etc. Some do otherwise. They create images: the two look like a swan, the unit resembles a candle, the five looks like an English S, etc.
What about mnemonics? This set of techniques implies the creation by a person of event chains. Here, the ability to think figuratively plays an important role. For example, you need to remember the chain of the following words that are not interconnected in any way: bus, snake, hat, bottle, rain, yellow. How to do it? Easy! It is enough to imagine how a snake in a yellow hat rides on a bus in rainy weather. It turns out a bright picture, right? That was said above. The brighter the image, the easier it will be to remember something.
Reading
Its importance and importance in the process of self-education cannot be overestimated. Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding characters, which is aimed at understanding the text. People with phenomenal memory tend to learn a lot of literature.
To develop this ability in yourself, you need to read. Just do it right. Choosing the "right" literature (with sufficient semantic load), you can proceed to a thoughtful and thorough reading.
It is as if a person should “catch” every word written in the book with his eyes, and immediately analyze it. Surely many were in a situation where they seemed to read a whole page, but did not understand anything. This is due to lack of concentration and a thorough approach. But noticing every written word, a person will learn to comprehend everything that he reads. And later to remember. In the future, it will also be possible to develop a reading speed. Phenomenal memory (as an ability) is inextricably linked with the ability to temporarily get acquainted with and understand textual information.