Incredible brain training techniques to boost memory and instantly record information
DON’T worry if you struggle to find the right word or forget where you left something – you’re not alone.
As The Sun reported this week, new research shows adults in their twenties are just as likely to suffer a brain freeze as retirees.
But there are plenty of ways to boost your memory and tricks for instantly recalling information.
Bestselling author Paul McKenna believes we are all capable of bringing back forgotten knowledge to the forefront of our brain.
Here, the hypnotherapist reveals some of the secrets to sharpen our sinapses.
- For information about all Paul McKenna’s books, including I Can Make You Smarter, visit the website Paulmckennabooks.co.uk
How you can boost your concentration
I HAVE attention deficit disorder and the key to learning is improving your concentration.
When I was growing up there were four TV channels. Now there are four million, thanks to the internet.
While many people think modern kids see nothing while surfing through all this content, a study from Harvard university in the US showed that they concentrate once they select a channel.
Being able to switch between active and passive concentration is one of the most powerful tools you can have.
You can do that by using what I call the “slider”, after the sliding controls on a music studio mixing desk.
Imagine these controls in your mind, with passive concentration (your ability to simply relax and absorb information) on the left, and active concentration (your ability to fully engage your mind) on the right. Then follow this exercise . . .
- Remember a time when you were in a state of passive concentration — say, watching a TV show or listening to music.
- Return to that time as though you were back there now. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. As you do, make sure your concentration slider is all the way to the left. Repeat at least three times.
- Now, remember a time when you were in a state of active concentration — a time where you were fully engaged.
- Return to that time as though you were back there now. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. This time, make sure your concentration slider is all the way to the right. Repeat at least three times.
- Now gently move the slider back over to the left and think of another time where you have been relaxed and absorbed in a state of passive concentration.
- Now gently move the slider back over to the right and think of another time where you were fully engaged in a state of active concentration.
- Repeat this back and forth movement of the slider at least three more times.
Mind mapping
MIND mapping is one of the greatest inventions in all of learning. It was the single biggest leap in my ability to study.
I used to write linear, from left to write, whereas the brain works with a central idea followed by others branching out.
When you read a new text, pick out a central concept, for example the main point of a Harry Potter book could be “magic”, then draw branches out from it to smaller ideas, such as spells, wands and so forth.
Adding drawings can help fix the information in your mind. I have been asked to help a lot of actors learn their lines when a play is particularly long.
What I tell them is to start with the central idea, which is known as chunking up, then learn each section of the script bit by bit, which is called chunking down.
It is the same concept as mind mapping — break down what you need to learn into bite-sized bits, rather than attempting to take it all in at once.
Get in the zone
IF you put yourself into a state of extreme curiosity you are going to absorb information much better.
You can get electrified by any topic, even if it is something that doesn’t initially seem interesting, like trainspotting. When I saw my first James Bond movie I was in a state of excitement and fascination.
At school we had a geography teacher who was so dull he turned the wonder of nature grey.
Put me in charge of teaching geography and I would create an action movie where a baddie is trying to control the weather. Inside that film I would attach the information students need to learn.
Natural learning
THE reason people learn to drive quite easily is because they sit behind mum and dad watching them change gear, look in the mirrors, indicate and steer.
They put themselves inside the mind of the driver as they travel along the road. All this stored information comes out when they then get behind the wheel of a car for the first time.
When I took part in Top Gear’s Star In A Reasonably Priced Car challenge on TV I asked to be able to sit next to The Stig as he went around the racing track.
I imagined stepping into the Stig, noting every curve, how he accelerated through the bends, and so on.
When it came to sitting in the driver’s seat myself, I was able to repeat a lot of what I had learned by watching him and moving my body the same way.
This is something we can all repeat when picking up a new skill.
How to rediscover your natural learning state
- Think of something that you find genuinely fascinating. It might be music, swimming or motorcycles.
- When you have chosen something, think of a time when you were engrossed in learning about it. Return to that time in your imagination now, seeing what you saw, hearing what you heard and feeling how good you felt.
- Now, as you continue to enjoy exploring this memory, make the colours rich and bright and bold, make the sounds loud and clear and the feelings strong. Do this until you have really amped up the feelings of fascination, absorption and enjoyment.
- At the height of these feelings, squeeze your thumb and middle finger together on your right hand and create an associational link between the two. Continue to go through the memory in your mind as you do.
Supercharged memory
WHILE the traditional school method of learning by rote — repeating something over and over — does work, there are better techniques.
A far more efficient way of embedding something in your mind is to connect a word with an action, image, smell, sound or taste.
If you are studying the German language, for example, it is better to say “hund” — dog — while looking at one or stroking one.
A lot of people have a problem remembering names.
The late Sir David Frost told me his secret was to pull the picture of a face towards him and say their name over and over again.
Another trick is to choose a famous person to associate with.
Say if you want to remember that a new business client is called Sharon, think of Sharon Stone.
If you put the two pictures together in your head it creates a stronger link.
I have helped the police in several cases if a witness was unable to recall a crucial piece of evidence.
When one man couldn’t remember the number plate of a car involved in a fatal hit and run, I started by asking him what the weather was like on that day.
Gradually, by asking him more questions, he started to build up a picture in his mind of the street at the time of the incident.
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At the end of our conversation he had remembered the full number plate.
All the information is there in the unconscious.
Returning to your sense of hearing, seeing, taste, smell and touch can re-trigger those key details.
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