Recollection ability and meditation.
Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:22 am
Since last year I've noticed that as a result of meditation (or I'm assuming it is a result of that), my recollection ability has improved. I know that is a natural result of meditation and the further one goes the clearer the mind becomes.
One thing I've uncovered deep in the swamp which is my mental continuum are early childhood memories. I've been able to recall in fairly close detail toys, my car seat, taking a road trip and other things which I've confirmed as being actual memories. I e-mailed my mother asking for verification on whether or not I'm recalling actual events and things, and it turns out I'm on the mark.
Going further and further back I think I also have memories of being an infant.
The interesting thing, and perhaps the reason it is so difficult to recall that far back, is that there is no language when you're that young. As you get older everything becomes associated with words and language, so trying to recall memories not immediately associated with language and the categories it creates is difficult. But when you're just a baby there are no words, no abstract labels and fewer categories to distinguish.
Maybe that is why we generally don't recall infancy? The state of mind is so unlike what later develops so as to become so distant and difficult to relate to. Someone might suggest the brain isn't developed enough for long-term memory storage, but that doesn't jive with all the accounts we have of people recalling even as far back as being in the womb or even conception (and of course past lives).
At U of Virginia at the department Ian Stevenson worked in they have plenty of cases of children recalling prenatal events:
Prenatal and Birth Memories
Some young children report memories from before or during their birth. In the case of reported memories before birth, some describe being aware of events that occurred when they were in the womb, while others talk about events from another realm or heaven.
Occasionally, young children describe parts of their birth process that their parents say they were not told about. While current understandings of infant memory do not allow for such memories to be possible, some children describe them nonetheless.
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/in ... advice.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
That last statement there really intrigues me.
One thing I've uncovered deep in the swamp which is my mental continuum are early childhood memories. I've been able to recall in fairly close detail toys, my car seat, taking a road trip and other things which I've confirmed as being actual memories. I e-mailed my mother asking for verification on whether or not I'm recalling actual events and things, and it turns out I'm on the mark.
Going further and further back I think I also have memories of being an infant.
The interesting thing, and perhaps the reason it is so difficult to recall that far back, is that there is no language when you're that young. As you get older everything becomes associated with words and language, so trying to recall memories not immediately associated with language and the categories it creates is difficult. But when you're just a baby there are no words, no abstract labels and fewer categories to distinguish.
Maybe that is why we generally don't recall infancy? The state of mind is so unlike what later develops so as to become so distant and difficult to relate to. Someone might suggest the brain isn't developed enough for long-term memory storage, but that doesn't jive with all the accounts we have of people recalling even as far back as being in the womb or even conception (and of course past lives).
At U of Virginia at the department Ian Stevenson worked in they have plenty of cases of children recalling prenatal events:
Prenatal and Birth Memories
Some young children report memories from before or during their birth. In the case of reported memories before birth, some describe being aware of events that occurred when they were in the womb, while others talk about events from another realm or heaven.
Occasionally, young children describe parts of their birth process that their parents say they were not told about. While current understandings of infant memory do not allow for such memories to be possible, some children describe them nonetheless.
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/in ... advice.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
That last statement there really intrigues me.