Memory Loss — Causes and Remedies
People are often found suffering from amnesia in old age. Many middle-aged and young ones also complain of lack of sound memory. This also impedes their success in many respects. Be that the act of passing an examination with good scores, carrying out profitable business transactions, or even the daily chores — all suffer due to lack of good memory.
Before going in for any treatment or therapy one should try to investigate the cause of waning memory. Also, one should understand the basic mechanism of memory storage in the brain. If one learns the structure of the machinery of a car, the basics of its movements and controls before learning to drive it, the possibilities of mistakes and consequent hurdles are eliminated to a great extent well in advance.
Except in early childhood and during the last few days of life at a very old age, the natural capabilities of brain to memorize remain almost the same. It is the change in our concentration, tendencies and habits, which makes the difference.
As per common observation, it is believed that memory is sharp in childhood and begins to reduce gradually with growing age after youth. But, the truth is quite different. In fact, in younger age, there is lesser pressure on mind; there are no responsibilities and problems to face in general; the free and fresh mind easily stores cognitive images of every event, thought or perception in the active layers of memory in this age. As one grows older, the domains of his cognition, perceptions, mental activities, social and sentimental encounters and duties also expand significantly. In such a situation, it is natural that, unless one takes extra precaution in classifying important matters and accordingly brushing up the memory from time to time, one is bound to forget some things.
Inattentiveness — The Root Cause
Inattentiveness, disinterest or indifference in an event or subject matter is found as a prominent cause of its blurred registration in memory. Such perceptions and associated information are soon washed out from the memory. On the contrary, the issues of our direct concern or interest and the perceptions occurring in a state of mental alertness create intense impressions on memory.
It is a common observation that college students find it difficult to memorize the texts pertaining to their studies but, recalling complete story and narrating the details of every scene of a film is very easy for them. A grandmother may forget the complete names and ages of her grandchildren but not the dates of specific festivals or religious celebrations. A working man may forget the date of any other event but not his salary-day. Such incidents illustrate that by and large, memory storage and retrieval depends upon one's priorities and interests.
Oblivion as a Blessing
Along with the blessing of memory, the Almighty has bestowed oblivion on the human mind as a boon because it helps waning out the untoward traces and stresses of unpleasant memories of tragedies, assaults or insults etc. If the memory of all day-to-day affairs and a large number of unimportant activities became permanent, there would not be any room left for storage of new knowledge. Selective waning of memory thus proves to be essential in many respects.
Structure of Memory
Our brain is like a multi-sensor tape-recorder, which can record infinitely many audio, visual, mental and emotional perceptions and associated events in its memory. The memory cells are wonderful sensors, which are automatically activated at the time of memorizing and recalling. If the memory of an event or a memorized subject matter is not retrieved for a long time, it gradually weakens and gets faded.
The kind of impression an event or text creates in the memory largely depends on the state of mind at the time of its registration in the memory cells. The audio, visual, mental or emotional perceptions made in a calm, alert and focused state create more intense impressions as compared to those occurring haphazardly or in an agitated, depressed, or indifferent state of mind.
At physiological level, one's memory bears upon the strength of connections and order of smooth communication between the huge numbers of neurons constituting the functional units of his brain. Rigidity of these accounts for fading memory in old age. High co-operativity and activity of the interconnected neurons account for sharp memory while the impedance of inter-neuron transmissions weakens the active memory.
The yoga exercises of prāñāyāma (deep breathing in a controlled fashion) help harmonize oxygen supply to the brain; dhyāna-dhārañā (meditation) help concentrate bioelectrical energy available to the brain and thereby generate a controlled excitation, which accelerates the inter-neuronal activities. Adept practice of these elementary sādhanās of spiritual refinement on regular basis results in sharpening and empowering the memory along with intensifying mental concentration.
In view of the relationship of memory with the structure and functions of the brain, we may find a remedy for oblivion and key to improving our memory in the methods of refining our attitude and controlling our day-to-day activities. Adopting some spiritual disciplines and practicing simple sādhanās of dhyāna-dhārañā would offer great help in elevating our mental concentration and gradually lead to the realization of sharp memory and brilliance.
Most of the infinitely many potentials of human brain remain dormant unless one endeavors to activate associated processing in the neuronal network. Modern research shows that at the most 7% of the true capabilities of the brain are used by humans — including the most distinguished intellectuals and talented personalities. High-level spiritual sādhanās focus on activating the unused 93% of the 'latent' power of the brain.
"Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion." — Sir Isaac Newton
"The ideas of the moral order and of God belong to the ineradicable substratum of the human soul." — C.G. Jung
"Science is the slow revelation of God's blueprint." — Hattie Gerst