How Deep Are Your Memories?

Memory is one of the most powerful ways to deepen your understanding of consciousness. Using our memory deliberately can also be a great alternative if you want a bit of downtime in your day, instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media.

There are many different types of memory. One is recalling useful facts, and techniques to increase recall are widely available so I won't discuss them here. More interesting from a consciousness perspective is what I call 'deep memories'. Deep memories are memories that lie below the surface of what you normally remember about an event, emotion, or person.

A deep memory is therefore something which you would never usually recall — like the sound of the train that ran behind your house when you were five or exactly what you saw on your first day at school, or the color of a model train you had at that age.

A DEEP MEMORY CAN INVOLVE ANY SENSE, JUST NOT THE FIRST ONE

A deep memory can involve any of your external senses of touch, sound, sight, smell and hearing, but it is usually not the sense that you first recall when you direct your attention to the memory. Normally, when we remember things, we are not very deliberate about which sense we are directing our attention to, and we don't usually slow our minds down enough to go deeper and recall these smaller details. For instance, if your memory is about a vacation trip to Venice, Italy, and your first memory is of the oppressive summer heat and throngs of tourists in winding streets, a deep memory might be a visual snapshot of a single water lily on a quiet pond found by accident in a courtyard, or the sound of an Italian argument through someone's window.

So deep memory involves both some deliberate effort and focusing of your attention, but also a little bit of randomness and serendipity. A deep memory could also involve some of your internal consciousness senses such as emotion, thinking, intuition, or instinct that you felt at the time but otherwise paid little attention to. This effort is part of the pleasure. Deep memories are always just out of view when you first direct your attention to the memory. That’s the joy and mystery of them.

Deep memories take some effort and focus to get to. They are always just out of view when you first direct your attention to the memory.

One word of caution. The first time you do this exercise, it's best not to recall strong emotions. Recalling past emotions, even positive ones, can quickly become overwhelming for many people, or trigger a chain reaction of emotions that are then difficult to manage if you don't already have some more advanced consciousness management techniques. So ease yourself in.

Deep Memory EXERCISE

Close your eyes and pick a time in your life when you felt happy. Please don't pick a negative memory unless you have the confidence to work through negative emotional states that may get triggered.

Gently direct your attention to the most obvious aspects of that memory — whether it is a place, a person, an idea or activity. Do this for about a minute.

Now, go deeper. Direct your attention to distinct sensory aspects of that memory in turn — the color of the leaves, the sound of a car door slamming, what was being talked about, how you felt. Seek to go deeper into one memory rather than wide and shallow across many memories.

The key is relaxed, directed attention. This is not a difficult, goal-orientated exercise — it's a training in deliberate attention management. Use relaxed observation rather than strained concentration.

Once comfortable, slowly allow your attention to naturally explore what is connected to that original memory, using your curiosity as a guide.

Continue until you come across something you really haven't remembered for some time, that would never have occurred to you if you had not done this exercise.

Continue for at least 10 minutes. Check with yourself how you now feel. Usually, this exercise will leave you feeling relaxed, curious and appreciative of the uniqueness of your life.

Realizing that there is much more hidden in our memories than we may think is also an antidote to the onslaught of modern media. In a sense, exploring deep memories is the consciousness equivalent of scrolling through social media, but it's one that will improve brain function rather than dull it.