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expandingmemorysystems

ExpandingMemorySystems

Onceyouhavemasteredsimplememorysystemssuchasthenumber/shapesystem,youcanusemnemonic
enhancerstoexpandtherangeofthesystems.

Asanexample,youmightusetheconventionthatencasingamnemonicimageiniceaddstentoasimple
number/shapeimage:i.e.ifyouhavepreviouslylinkedthenumber2totheword'wine'byusinganimageof
adrunkenswanguzzlingabottleofwine,thenyoucanchangeittolinkwineto12byimaginingtheswan
frozeninice.

FirstStageExpansion

TonyBuzan,inhisbook'UseYourMemory',suggeststhefollowingscheme.Modifyittoreflecttheway
thatyourmindworkssothattheimagescreatedareasvividaspossible:

MnemonicEnhancersappliedto:
SimplePegSysteme.g.MajorSystem
NormalRange
090099
Imagineimage:
1.Frozeninice:1019100199
2.Coveredinthickoil2029200299
3.Inflames3039300399
4.PulsatingViolently4049400499
5.MadeofVelvet5059500599
6.Completelytransparent6069600699
7.Smellinggood7079700799
8.Inabusyroad8089800899
9.Floatingonacloud9099900999

Asanotherexample,youcouldlink'compactdisk'tothenumber38byimagininganeggtimer(8)withits
middlegoingthroughthecentreofaCD,engulfedinflames(3039).Perhapsyoucouldstrengthenthe
imagebyimaginingtheplayofthelightoftheflamesoffthegroovesoftheCD.

Thislistofimagescanberememberedincorrectorderbyusingasimplepegsystem.

Expandingthisapproachagain

Onceyouunderstandthistechnique,youcanexpanditagainandagain.Forexampleyoucouldtakeittothe
nextlevelbyassociatingtheimagesproducedwithastrongandvividcolour,forexample:
MnemonicEnhancersappliedto:
SimplePegSysteme.g.MajorSystem
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01/12/2016 MemoryTechniquesExpandingMemorySystems|AcademicTips.org

InitialRange
090099
FirstLevelExpandedRange
0099000999
Imagineimagecoloured:
1.Red10019910001999
2.Orange20029920002999
3.Yellow30039930003999
etc.

Theexpansionheremightbered1,orange2,yellow3,green4,blue5,indigo6,violet7,white
8,grey9,andblack0.Ifyouprefertousecoloursinadifferentway,thendoso!

Keeponexpandingthemethod

Youmighttodecidetoexpandthissystemtoadditionallevelbyassociatingsoundstotheimages(e.g.a
sopranosinging,windchimes,etc.)byassociatingsmellslinkingfriendstoimagesetc.

Summary

Sobyusingthesetechniquestoexpandmnemonics,youcansignificantlyenhancethepowerofsimple
systemsandthevolumesofinformationthatcanbeheld.

Ataparticularcomplexityofimageyoumayfindthatmnemonicenhancersbecometoocomplexor
unwieldymaybeafterusingthreeorfourenhancerstogetheryoufindthatthesystembreaksdown.This
willbeindividualtoyou,andisforyoutodecide.Thisisperhapsthestagetostartinvestigatingsomeofthe
morepowerfulmemorysystems.

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