Ways To Begin Developing A Photographic Memory

By Margaret Myers


Being able to remember or recall things at a glance can be an extremely useful skill to have. Developing a photographic memory - also known as an eidetic memory - can be most beneficial in a variety of situations, circumstances or even professions. Those with an exceptional level of such skill are often referred to as eidetickers.

Having such an ability is helpful in situations where things have happened very quickly and information needs to be processed almost instantaneously in order to be accurately recalled later on. An example of such would be in situations of assault or other crimes. Being able to capture an image of the scene in one's mind can make all the difference in the long run.

If you are a victim or even a witness so some such occurrence, having an excellent photographic memory is a good way to assist police officers in solving the crime or catching a criminal. You may remember distinct features of the assailant, and this could be used to accurately sketch what he or she looks like. As a result, this could speed up how quickly the crime is solved.

Even if you don't have this memory naturally, you can develop one. Methods include the Loci System, the Dark Room Method and the Linking Method. The Dark Room Method is said to be practiced by the military, and such a skill in such a profession would be indispensable. The other named methods are actually quite similar.

The Loci System involves the use of bizarre imagery to facilitate memory. The development of this method has been based on the fact that the brain is always more apt at remembering things out of the ordinary, or outright bizarre. As with the linking method, the Loci System encourages the use of creating bizarre story lines to associate with particular landmarks or items on a list, so that they become more memorable.

The Dark Room Method is a simple process which is supposed to be quite effective once it is practiced consistently and daily. The recommended period to do this exercise is about one month in order to get the best results. To practice this method requires a dark room, a source of light that can be turned on or off easily, a book or page of text and a piece of card with a cutout to fit a paragraph of text in.

Place the card with the cutout space directly over a paragraph of text in the book to memorize. Sitting in the dark room, allow the eyes to adjust to the darkness at first and then turn on the light source for a moment, looking at the text in the cutout space. Turn the light back off and the image of the text should remain before the eyes.

Doing this repeatedly for 15 minutes will ensure that the paragraph is easily memorized. As a result of this exercise, other things will become easier to remember at just a glance. As with any skill, practicing is the key to making it work long-term. Bear in mind, however, that this type of memory can be flawed and should not be used as an exclusive source of information.




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