Photographic Memory Anyone?

[TGO]

I searched and found a minimal amount of material concerning recall of the DMT experience from someone who has a photographic memory (but if this has been discussed, I would love for it to be merged). I was wondering if there are any Nexians who have a photographic memory and if so, does it help in retaining information revealed to you in hyperspace? I would imagine that it does but I wouldn't know as I have an average memory...:d

The reason I bring this up is because recalling the WHOLE experience can obviously be difficult. My trip reports are always based around but a mere fraction of what I saw. For me, it is impossible to take it all in and remember every detail..I always know there is so much more that I forgot. I try to latch onto at least three things and make a point to remember them. In my latest report the things that I said to myself and took note of were (in no particular order):

"the tunnel swirl"

"bubble control room popped"

"Stick your head through the screen"

"bright white happiness"

"quick, zippy character"

So obviously focusing on these things as I come down helps me piece together the experience. Jotting things down on a piece of paper while it is fresh helps a lot too! I think it would be pretty interesting to hear (or see a trip report) from someone with a photographic memory.

Thoughts?

 

[JDSalinger]

Interesting question, I am far from having a photographic memory however my father does and is brilliant in many ways. I am afraid I'm years off showing him DMT, if ever (though would love to hear his take on the experience)...

I fully recalled my first break through around a week after while walking on LSD, hasn't happened since and not sure if it will ever again but that was a life changing event for me.

This post reminded me of an autistic girl I see from time to time from high school. She can remember everything I have ever told her, word for word, and it seems so with what she reads as well. Its amazing/sad because we as a society have deemed her as useless, including her parents.

 

[Nathanial.Dread]

Claims of neurotypical people having truly eidetic memories have been pretty consistently debunked by cognitive science. The phenomena seems to occur almost exclusively in children, and people on the ASD spectrum, for reasons that are far from clear.

A more common phenomena is people who *believe* they have eidetic memories (and may very well have very vivid conscious precepts of memory), but under controlled conditions, it's usually apparent that their memories are not actually particularly accurate, and may just be unusually vivid or compelling.

Blessings
~ND

 

[JDSalinger]

Claims of neurotypical people having truly eidetic memories have been pretty consistently debunked by cognitive science. The phenomena seems to occur almost exclusively in children, and people on the ASD spectrum, for reasons that are far from clear.

A more common phenomena is people who *believe* they have eidetic memories (and may very well have very vivid conscious precepts of memory), but under controlled conditions, it's usually apparent that their memories are not actually particularly accurate, and may just be unusually vivid or compelling.

Blessings
~ND

My claim about my father was made with this definition in mind, he can remember particuliars under concentration; such as a poem.

 

[TGO]

Thank you for the responses! I had no idea that a photographic memory is essentially a myth, interesting nonetheless. I guess the only way to really enhance recall is to practice mental exercises designed to improve memory.

Guess I'll break out the old game "Memory" from back in elementary school.

 

[Nathanial.Dread]

Thank you for the responses! I had no idea that a photographic memory is essentially a myth, interesting nonetheless. I guess the only way to really enhance recall is to practice mental exercises designed to improve memory.

Guess I'll break out the old game "Memory" from back in elementary school.

You can train your memory to accomplish some pretty impressive things (look up the Memory Palace technique - I like to use it when playing cards), but the problem is, they require a pretty high level of conscious, cognitive engagement to work and I'm not sure any of us are 'all-there' enough during a trip to hyperspace to try and make them work.

For what it's worth, I've found that, when I meditate, I often recall what I dreamt the night before in unusually vivid detail, so maybe that could help?

Blessings
~ND

 

[Psilosopher?]

If photographic memory is a myth, then why is Stephen Wiltshire so good?

As a child, I used to be able to memorise the number plates of cars in order of them passing me. I could remember about 10 in a row before I started to forget.

 

[Nathanial.Dread]

If photographic memory is a myth, then why is Stephen Wiltshire so good?

As a child, I used to be able to memorise the number plates of cars in order of them passing me. I could remember about 10 in a row before I started to forget.

Did you read my comment?

The phenomena seems to occur almost exclusively in children, and people on the ASD spectrum, for reasons that are far from clear.

Blessings
~ND

 

[Psilosopher?]

If photographic memory is a myth, then why is Stephen Wiltshire so good?

As a child, I used to be able to memorise the number plates of cars in order of them passing me. I could remember about 10 in a row before I started to forget.

Did you read my comment?

The phenomena seems to occur almost exclusively in children, and people on the ASD spectrum, for reasons that are far from clear.

Blessings
~ND

Ah. Apologies, didn't see that.

I think the best way to remember complicated things is through mnemonics (in my experience). I can't remember faces or names (including my own), but I can remember the conversations I have with people. I associate a person with something that they're very interested in, and forever after I will remember them with a nickname. In my youth, there was a family friend's kid who would always wear shirts with white stripes. So I called him White Stripes for about 12 years. I still don't know his name.

In my field of science, I remember the order of a normal differential blood count for leukocytes with a mnemonic. "Never Lick My Enormous Balls". Neutrophils, Lymphocytes, Monocytes, Eosinophils and Basophils. A bit crude, but I find it amusing and easy to remember.


Do you guys use any mnemonics or memory aids?


EDIT: On an article about Memory Palace. "Make it crazy, ridiculous, offensive, unusual, extraordinary, animated, nonsensical — after all, these are the things that get remembered, aren’t they? Make the scene so unique that it could never happen in real life. The only rule is: if it’s boring, it’s wrong." I guess I'm not the only one that aims for vulgar.

 

[TGO]

[youtube]

^^^ :lol:

Thanks for the tips, I'll have to look into memory palace. I don't make use of mnemonics very often but I feel that the more senses you get involved, the easier it is to remember. In the DMT space, senses can get confused or even meshed together which makes it difficult.

When I was in high school (10th grade I think it was), I remember we had a test on the Civil War where we had to know every battle in order chronologically. We also had to know the general for each side per battle, the date, the location, who won and many other details. I recorded myself reading the information and would play it back on my ipod over and over until it stuck. I aced that test and countless others by using that method through high school and into college. I'm more of an auditory learner though so that approach is perfect for me.

 

[Poekus]

Our Dutch teacher in high school learned the whole class to memorize 25 objects dictated by the teacher to recall them in a single instance no one excluded. This was done by visualization staple technique. So visualize and staple it on the previous visualization. So yes photographic memory is real and everyone can develop and train it.

 

[TGO]

Our Dutch teacher in high school learned the whole class to memorize 25 objects dictated by the teacher to recall them in a single instance no one excluded. This was done by visualization staple technique. So visualize and staple it on the previous visualization. So yes photographic memory is real and everyone can develop and train it.

Interesting take on the matter. The mind is quite a powerful tool, and as such, it doesn't surprise me what people can achieve through dedication and practice. However, I was specifically meaning people that were born with the natural ability to retain information at a much higher rate than the average joe, or an average joe who has trained his mind to perform incredible feats. But honestly, I am still wanting to hear from someone who has implemented their natural or self-trained ability to recall in vivid detail in relation to the psychedelic experience, be it DMT or any other psychedelic.



For the record, most of this thread was inspired from watching Psych from start to finish...

 

[Intezam]

we think it wouldn't work, they will see to it that we cannot take some informations back.

Once, during a last years haoma session, we heard a poem, that would cause instant inmediate liberation in the all (liberation through hearing) who hear it.

It was a short poem, maybe a 2 liner (??). When we said: Dude, you are a genius, our soul container was flushed and ground down with THE ALL flashing until no moar intezams (not even kushari.exe) were left, and we was spat back into this world.

We tried to remember that poem, but it too now is beyond range.

 

[TGO]

we think it wouldn't work, they will see to it that we cannot take some informations back.

Once, during a last years haoma session, we heard a poem, that would cause instant inmediate liberation in the all (liberation through hearing) who hear it.

It was a short poem, maybe a 2 liner (??). When we said: Dude, you are a genius, our soul container was flushed and ground down with THE ALL flashing until no moar intezams (not even kushari.exe) were left, and we was spat back into this world.

We tried to remember that poem, but it too now is beyond range.

That sounds like one epic poem! What you are getting at does make some sense, after all, these beings seem to take time out of their day to hang with us for a few minutes, but there must be a few of them out there thinking, "pffft, another human...great, lovely...better take some measures to safeguard our secrets since Bob is just giving them away again..."

:d

When I first went to hyperspace, it was so alien and overwhelming that I didn't even know how to process the information. So, when I came back to Earth, I had the classic, "who what where when what?" and the memory was 90% gone. Sometimes the brain likes to shove traumatic/intense/other- worldly things behind a curtain, or under a rug, so to speak...only to be unveiled again at a later time. Every time I smoke now, I find little (or HUGE) details of previous trips laying about. Deja Vu to the max sometimes...

anywho....

 

[sirylj]

.

 

[Intezam]

Funny that you mention a coin. Two nights ago we dreamt of a certain coin and still it doesn't make any sense.

The dream was:

Spoiler

We was sitting with one our ustad (musical teacher), who was a formidable 6.5 tall sky blue eyed Rohilla Pathan (when he was alive) inside an off grid hut in an unknown jungle. We was exchanging some formal greetings when about three heavily armed goondas (dacoos) entered the hut. But they soon left after seeing that we too was heavily armed.... (...it was just a dream - remember?)

When we continued our exchange of formal greetings, he said that he took this 'coin' of one of these goondas. "He also said: "that idiot tried to purchase 'stuff' with it at a village store -- not knowing it's power and significance"

When we asked to see the coin, he gave it to we. Funny to see that again (the way he waterproofed every single item, matches, coins, beedies....etc in his shirt pockets by wrapping it into wax paper and the like - we remembered that very trait of his' ) It looked like an ordinary british raj 1/4 anna copper coin, but when we looked moar closely we saw a funny date (1710 - 1917) which didn't make any sense. The image of their white queen was also absent, instead it was written on in big latin letters: RWALA STATE
Again that doesn't make any sense since the Rwala people never had their own state, nor minting their own coins. Also we have nothing to do with these highway robbers......at that point we woke up....that was it, it doesn't make sense...strange

 

[nina]

I can vividly recall the things I saw and experienced on DMT--entities were 2D and had simple designs, which really helped when I was trying to draw them.

Dreams are also very easy for me to remember (although they do fade as time goes by!)

My memory isn't the best when it comes to movies, books, etc., though. I can't really remember the details.

 

[TGO]

I can vividly recall the things I saw and experienced on DMT--entities were 2D and had simple designs, which really helped when I was trying to draw them.

Dreams are also very easy for me to remember (although they do fade as time goes by!)

My memory isn't the best when it comes to movies, books, etc., though. I can't really remember the details.

This is pretty interesting. I like the differences in how a brain chooses to filter information. I'm the opposite of you, I can recall books, movies, events etc. but I lose about 90% of the "hyperspace information" once I start coming down from DMT. I tell myself, "okay, don't forget this and that...oh yeah, that was super important, write that down first...jot this down! hurry!..."

As soon as the information is pumped into me, I start forgetting, it seems...I think it is purely because it is such a vast amount, all at once, that I find it hard to process...but as with everything and anything....it takes practice and persistence I suppose!