The mind plays interesting games when it comes to our remembering memories. It can overload us with lots of information: with words reminding us of the time of day, who we were with. It can flood us with a running commentary on where we were and what was happening. Or, to be mischievous and trying it can offer us one word that is impossible for us to remember. The word unlocks a plethora of memories, all of which we can remember. We know the word we’re looking for but can’t call it up. Sometimes it might take several days for the word to pop up, and this often happens in completely random moments. We’ve evidently been working hard subconsciously on getting it.
While the mind can be quite helpful, the body does a much better job remembering experiences. Pictures dominate and re-fill us with a sense of wonder and awe. The body remembers the temperature of the air on the skin, the smell and touch of the sun and the day, the tastes—salty, dry, pungent, sweet. The body provides us with the feelings we had in our stomach—relaxing or tightening—and gives us the overall feelings we were having of happiness, sadness, anger, fear. From the tingle in the toes to the sweat on the brow—the body is excellent at remembering.
Last night I was talking with a friend about visiting the Grand Canyon. I have been 4 times, the first when I was 5 years old and the other times as an adult. As soon as the Grand Canyon was mentioned my mind started giving me information. It went on and on about the four times I had been there, who had been with me, what we did and on and on and on.
Then the oddest experience happened. My body took over and started giving me information about the last time I was there. I remembered an astoundingly red sunset hitting the rocks of the canyon making it look like a painting. I remember the temperature on my skin as it dropped with the onset of nighttime. I have a sense of who I was with and pleasant feelings about our conversation (although I don’t know what it was about). I can recall feelings of happiness and of wonder at the immensity of the sky and the canyon. I was able to remember so many things because of the information I was getting from my body and my senses.
The experience the body memory gave me carried with it a lot of energy. It put me back into the memory as if it was happening in the present. My world stopped momentarily and all there was was the Grand Canyon sunset. It took my breath away.
When I was brought back, my mind jumped in. It talked about the changes that had been made to the park since I was little, the large numbers of people who now visit it, and complained about the amount of time it took to drive there. My mind was rather cranky!
I realized that nothing my mind was talking about was helping to bring the memory into the present. It was all focused in the past and the future. When my body gave me the experiential memory, I re-experienced it in the moment. No wonder it carried with it more energy.
It takes practice to listen to the body. I have to remind and allow myself to tune into my body and listen to my senses as the memories come up. I have to let the memory relive itself in my body. With the body fully engaged, the memory can be as vivid and real as if it were happening right now.
The mind has its place. I find when it comes to memories it is important to train the mind to work with the body to provided helpful, reinforcing information. Perhaps the best scenario would be a combination of the two—working together to fill in the gaps that each alone might have missed or forgotten. The mind would substantiate the body’s experience and the body would bring the mind into the present making the memories even more experientially vivid.
I like to remember the good things that have happened in my life that have been important. I like bringing the gestalt of the experience into the present. I like the details my mind provides and the "feeling" memories my body brings from my senses. Mostly I like to replay pleasant memories and let myself re-experience them fully.
While the mind can be quite helpful, the body does a much better job remembering experiences. Pictures dominate and re-fill us with a sense of wonder and awe. The body remembers the temperature of the air on the skin, the smell and touch of the sun and the day, the tastes—salty, dry, pungent, sweet. The body provides us with the feelings we had in our stomach—relaxing or tightening—and gives us the overall feelings we were having of happiness, sadness, anger, fear. From the tingle in the toes to the sweat on the brow—the body is excellent at remembering.
Last night I was talking with a friend about visiting the Grand Canyon. I have been 4 times, the first when I was 5 years old and the other times as an adult. As soon as the Grand Canyon was mentioned my mind started giving me information. It went on and on about the four times I had been there, who had been with me, what we did and on and on and on.
Then the oddest experience happened. My body took over and started giving me information about the last time I was there. I remembered an astoundingly red sunset hitting the rocks of the canyon making it look like a painting. I remember the temperature on my skin as it dropped with the onset of nighttime. I have a sense of who I was with and pleasant feelings about our conversation (although I don’t know what it was about). I can recall feelings of happiness and of wonder at the immensity of the sky and the canyon. I was able to remember so many things because of the information I was getting from my body and my senses.
The experience the body memory gave me carried with it a lot of energy. It put me back into the memory as if it was happening in the present. My world stopped momentarily and all there was was the Grand Canyon sunset. It took my breath away.
When I was brought back, my mind jumped in. It talked about the changes that had been made to the park since I was little, the large numbers of people who now visit it, and complained about the amount of time it took to drive there. My mind was rather cranky!
I realized that nothing my mind was talking about was helping to bring the memory into the present. It was all focused in the past and the future. When my body gave me the experiential memory, I re-experienced it in the moment. No wonder it carried with it more energy.
It takes practice to listen to the body. I have to remind and allow myself to tune into my body and listen to my senses as the memories come up. I have to let the memory relive itself in my body. With the body fully engaged, the memory can be as vivid and real as if it were happening right now.
The mind has its place. I find when it comes to memories it is important to train the mind to work with the body to provided helpful, reinforcing information. Perhaps the best scenario would be a combination of the two—working together to fill in the gaps that each alone might have missed or forgotten. The mind would substantiate the body’s experience and the body would bring the mind into the present making the memories even more experientially vivid.
I like to remember the good things that have happened in my life that have been important. I like bringing the gestalt of the experience into the present. I like the details my mind provides and the "feeling" memories my body brings from my senses. Mostly I like to replay pleasant memories and let myself re-experience them fully.
