Myth 1: Is all in the genes

On of the largest misconceptions about a good memory is that you are born with it. Most people don't believe that they can significantly improve their memory. It is not in their reality that they could be able to memorize even an entire book a couple of weeks from now.

It is not their fault that they believe this. Through years in school they learned that the only way to remember something is trough repetition. Most people just dismiss the entire notion of memory improvement, and they unknowingly miss out on countless opportunities in their life.

Reality:

Fact: The official world record holder can accurately remember a number that is 67,890 digits long.

Fact: Another record holder can remember 64 full decks of playing cards (3328 cards), in order, after seeing them only once

Fact: Both of these people were born just like you, with no special memorizing abilities.

It is not your fault that your memory is bad. Through years in school you have been taught that the only way to remember something is through repetition. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Memory is a skill, that can be learned by anyone. You are living in a world where 99% of all people use only a fraction of their brains memory power. If you choose to unleash this hidden potential within your brain you will have a tremendous advantage over everybody else. It will be like knowing how to read and write, in a world where nobody else can.

Myth 2: Drugs can improve your memory

Some companies try to trick you into buying expensive drugs that will improve your memory.

Reality:
We are not going to spend a lot of time on this, because it is so stupid. There is no drug on the market today that can significantly improve your memory, and we suspect that we won't see one in the future either. Why?

The plain reason being that using your memory is a combination of the right knowledge & a practical skill (the skill being by far the most important), like learning how to read and write or playing the guitar.

You have the capacity to learn how to speak Spanish in your brain. Millions have learned it. You have the capacity to have an amazing memory in your brain. Unfortunately only a few people have discovered how. To bring out your memory you need to have the right knowledge, then practice as little so it becomes automatic. It's as simple as that.

Seriously. Would you be duped into buying a "learn how to speak Spanish" pill?

Myth 3: You can improve your memory by only reading a book

A lot of companies selling memory improvement product try to create the illusion that you can improve your memory by just reading their book, or listening to a CD. Unfortunately it is not that simple…

Reality:
Memory is a practical skill and it requires practice. It is extremely hard to learn a practical skill from reading a book. Reading every bodybuilding and nutrition book in the world will not make you fit! Even if you know all the right workout routines, and you know exactly what you should eat, this information will be useless if you don't apply it.

Having a great memory is not about the "know how", but actually being able to use it without thinking about it. It should be as effortless as breathing. If you want to learn memory techniques, try Google. But the results you will be getting are very limited.

To get top notch results, you need a complete memory program with a scientific base. You need instructors to guide you, so you avoid doing mistakes that will hinder your progress. And you need step-by-step exercises to make this a part of you, something that you effortlessly do without thinking about it. Do not spend money on an memory product that doesn't offer at least a few of these.

Many myths exist about people with phenomenal memory but when you scrutinize them it often appears that those phenomenal people are students who studied memorization techniques and their abilities are within the average or even lower range of what the GMS® has to offer.

GMS® allows to achieve astonishing results. Memorization ability can be increased 60 times and more in comparison with the norm.  Such fantastic results prove that memorization skills have reached a totally new level.  The results become obvious when you compare your trained abilities with the starting point. This means that our natural ability to memorise has its limits.  Our brain memorizes only visual information along with the audible that comes with it.  In order to learn to memorize anything else you need to study mnemonics with the same level of determination as we put forward when we learn how to read and write.

Memorization speed

After you have formed the memorization skills, the memorization speed for figurative codes (the previously memorized images for frequently repeated elements) will amount to about 6 seconds per each element on average.

This means that you will be able to memorize 20 two-digit numbers in 2 minutes and 200 two-digit numbers in 20 minutes. Memorizing one phone number is equal to memorizing 4 elements – which is about 24 seconds!

The memorization speed for the elements of other types of information which also need to be encoded into visual images (new words, terms, names, notions) is much slower. For high-quality memorization of a concept you might need several minutes.

Memorization speed depends highly on your skill of encoding information into visual images and associations.

Memorization volume

Memorization volume is the amount of elements you can memorize in one setting.

Memorization volume is limited  not only by the speed but also by your brains' stamina. When you memorize 100 two-digit numbers in 10 minutes you will need to take a break.

The volume of memorized information can be compared to the number of push-ups you can do. Lets say you can do 10 push ups. After some training you can increase the number of push-ups up to 50 but your muscles will still get tired. Now, if you can do 10 sets of 50 push-ups each you will end up doing 500 of them and you will feel so tired that you might need to take a day off.

This example shows you that the memorization volume can be increased.  Increasing your volume 20 times compared to the norm is more than sufficient for the practical use of memorization techniques.  If you can learn to memorize 100 elements at one time e.g. 100 two-digit numbers, words, syllables etc., it will be sufficient for the practical use of GMS®.

The volume of memorized information is limited by your memorization speed and the weariness that is inevitable in the process of memorization.

Memorization quality

Memorization quality reflects the amount of correct answers you can give right after memorization. GMS® can help you achieve high, almost ideal, memorization accuracy.  According to the “Giordano Memorization System” norms no more than 10 percent of mistakes are allowed.  If you make just 11 mistakes when memorizing 100 numbers then the test is failed.  Mistakes within the 10 percent range are regarded as occasional. They can be corrected through repeated memorization of the forgotten elements.

Memorization reliability

Memorization reliability means that you can store information in your head for a long time: days, weeks, months, years or even decades.

You can also regulate the storage time for the imemorized material. You can memorize 100 numbers and read them back from your memory without a single mistake but  if you do not perform special exercise at this point you will not be able to reproduce the numbers the next day.

New information should be reviewed, and then affixed for the long-term storage. You do not need the information source to review the information - the information is reviewed by recollection.

If you memorize data that you need to use the following day the information memorization process will automatically retain it in your brain.

GMS® can make it possible to effectively  store relatively large volumes of information in the brain – information that is seldom used but may be necessary.

Mental summarizing

What is the volume of information that can be memorized? GMS® will allow you to memorize absolutely everything that you normally write down in notebooks or on a cheat sheet.

GMS® memorization is similar to stenography and summarizing with the record made directly into your brain.

You only record the most important and essential and then the sense of it with its wording is fixed in the memory. GMS® memorization ensures very deep understanding of the memorized material. When it comes to memorizing precise information i.e. dates, numbers, names, terms etc., GMS® guarantee absolutely literal memorization of such data.

Information organization in the brain

GMS® allows you to memorize information in a certain sequence. Memorization does not make much sense without this skill since memorizing a phone number is all about memorizing the right sequence of familiar ciphers.

Information is always memorized consecutively and can be recalled in direct or reverse orders.

Fixation of a sequence during memorization is a technical necessity. This does not mean, however, that later you will have to run through all the information in your head. You will easily answer questions in chronological order without paging through all the dates in your memory. Memorizing a sequence is necessary to fix the information smoothly into your memory by viewing it in your imagination during the first days after memorization. A sequence can be set aside after such fixation and you will simply remember the information. It becomes part of your conscious mind.

GMS® also allows you to create a structure. Thus, when you memorize a conceptual system of a discipline you will be able to fix not only the sense and the names of new to you concepts but also their hierarchical organization.

You can build branching tree-like structures in your memory in the same way you organize folders on the computer.

Do not view GMS® as phenomenal memory but rather as a memory tool. It provides you with means of precise memorization. It helps organize a warehouse in your head much like a cheat sheet or notes organized by its volume and a subject.

Using GMS® requires constant work with our memory- similar to keeping a diary. If you want your diary to be complete and exciting you need to make notes every day and sometimes reread them.

Forming a memorization skill does not mean that the information will be memorized by itself. You need to put some effort to it - intentionally operate your attention and use mental algorithms (memorization techniques).

Positive effects

When you train one function of your organism you train other functions as well. If you build your body you also train your coronary system, character, thinking, etc. People become more positive and more satisfied with their lifes which results in better social interactions as well as improvement of the overall wellbeing.

Positive effects of GMS®

Your unintentional (automatic) memorization improves.

If the volume of memorized information is small it seems that the information is memorized spontaneously without any special effort. Memorization skills become automatic on the subliminal level. This is like you turning on the lights in a dark room - you do it without thinking.

Everyday forgetfulness disappears

Everyday forgetfulness can be a serious problem. thanks to the GMS® I do not suffer from it - I always remember where I put the keys and in which coat I left my wallet.

Memory sensibility is improved

What is memory sensibility?  It is the ability of your brain (imagination) to instantly react to perceived stimuli. Memory sensibility is trained through performing GMS® exercises. It has a big impact on your ability to recall the memorized data.

Increasing your memory sensibility is also connected to memories from the past. You will be able to recall the events of your past more easily.

You can check your memory sensibility right now. I will show you how to do it and how it works.

Look at the objects in your house. Can you remember where and when you bought the things around you?

When I am looking at a set of cutlery I see a street kiosk with “University” written above it. I bought the set in the evening, on the 20th of August of 1996 (I was wearing a light coat) for only $20.

When I am looking at my phone I remember how I bought it from a friend and what a bargain it was. The phone made my friend sick with its ringer But I did not care - to me it was OK.

There are numerous examples of such recollection when you look at the things that surround  you in your own house.

This is how it normally works. If you cannot remember those little things your memory sensibility is lower than it is supposed to be. Look at the objects around you and try to test your memory sensibility by recalling dates, events, people, etc, related to them.

One of the most important factors for our physical and mental health is our diet.

In Japan they love fish and they even eat it  raw. It has been known for centuries that fish is food for the brain. Maybe that is why the Japanese are so healthy and invent a lot of electronic miracles? Up trough the ages people in general have not been very engaged in the scientific substantiation of proper nourishment.

In an article in "The Questions of Nourishment" the author recommends eating tuna so that the brain does not get tired too quickly. "The Questions of Nourishment" magazine support all their articles with chemical formulas and scientific tests. Scientists studied the reaction of the brain to various products and came to the conclusion that food influences our cogitative processes in the most miraculous way. Our mood, our memory and our thinking largely depend on what we eat.

Our brain is designed by nature in a way that its activity and chemical composition depend much what we had for breakfast, if we had any at all. The scientists of the institute of nourishment have published many useful and interesting facts.

We will show you some of the. Try to take advantage and use their discoveries for at least a few days. And, perhaps, you will be convinced by your own experience that your mood, well being and memory really depends much on consumed food.

Breakfast

 Many people are used to eating for breakfast food containing carbohydrates. For example, sweet rolls or donuts. Starch and sugar contained in that type of food lead to the serotonin secretion increase in our brain. Serotonin is a soothing neurotransmitter. As a result of eating sweets in the morning we fail to reach a vigorous enough condition for our day and find ourselves going downhill because the activity of our organism decreases.

Sausage, eggs and ham contain high amounts of cholesterol and fat. These substances are digested slowly and cause our blood flow from our brain to our stomach which delays our cogitative processes. When you eat a sandwich with sausages for breakfast you will instantly feel that your morning activity starts to gradually fade away with each piece of swallowed food.

Nutrition experts (Shelton, Bragg) recommend that a good breakfast should consist of products with a very low content of fat or better yet fat-free. Here are some examples of such products: low-fat cottage cheese, fresh fruits and freshly squeezed juice, lean ham, low-fat cream cheese. The fructose contained in fruits is digested slowly and unlike processed sugar is not harmful to our bodies.

Do you dring coffee every morning? The scientists do not discourage you from drinking coffee yet they recommend it in small amounts - 1 cup a day- and made out of grains. Several cups of coffee will result in overabundance of caffeine which may  not only prevent a person from having a good reaction and clear thinking but can also prove to be harmful to the heart in the long run.

Lunch

You will often find that  old cook books recommends a glass of wine or even one-two small shots of hard liqueur after lunch. Many people who are now in their 50s - 60s are used to doing this. However, the use of alcohol of any kind is rather dangerous. In one of his works Korsakov described one famous writer who got used to drinking vodka during his traveling the north of Russia. He was not an alcoholic, and he was never observed being drunk. But he developed a habit of drinking vodka in small doses which on its turn led to the structural and functional disorder in his brain. After being examined at the Korsakovs' clinic the writer was diagnosed with multiple neuritis – extensive lesions of the nerves of the brain. From a first sight he was a normal person but at closer contact would reveal the disorder of his short-term memory - the ability to fixate just occurred events. In one-two minutes he would forget about the conversation with the doctor and would greet him again as though he saw the doctor for the first time that day. Such a disease, described by Korsakov for the first time, is called "Korsakovs' syndrome". Its symptoms are very similar to that of the Alzheimers' disease.

Many people realize the harm the alcohol can do to our brain but only a few know the danger of a lunch that consists of three or more dishes containing carbohydrates: bread, potatoes or pasta, sweet dessert. A group of psychologists discovered that similar combinations of products make women sleepy and men weak which results in slacking. After such a lunch it takes about 4 hours to restore persons' ability to concentrate. There is a saying: "Up until lunch a person at work fights with hunger and after lunch they fall asleep". Sleepiness may not be the result of a bad night of sleep. The sleepiness is caused by an incorrectly chosen combination of food that reduces the activity of the brain.

What should you eat for lunch then? The lunch should contain products with a high amount of protein. Poultry or fish rich in protein fill the blood of a person with amino acids, including tyrosine.

Let me also write a few words about the protective barrier of nervous cells of the brain. Each cell of the organism has an external membrane - a protective cover which not only separates the cell from other parts of the organism but also serves as the transmitter of various substances. Through the membrane the active withdrawal of harmful by-products of vital cellular activity is carried out. Many cells of the brain have a double membrane and not every chemical substance can penetrate into the nervous system. Physicians, who are well informed about these processes, invented a special way for the introduction of medicinal substances directly into the nervous system - subarachnoid way. Some substances get into the brain only by means of their direct injection into nervous cells. What is it that prevents getting substances into the nervous system? It is the double protective membrane that does it. The protection mechanism of the brain from chemical substances is called a "blood-brain barrier".

Tyrosine easily gets through this protective filter in the brain and turns into chemical elements  that help to increase brain activity - dopamine and norepinephrine.

When you suddenly feel confused, helpless or depressed,  it should serve as an indicator of deficiency of these elements in your brain.

Meat, fish, an egg yolk, porridge, peanuts and soy products contain a nutritious element called choline which also freely penetrates through the blood-brain barrier. Choline is the chemical predecessor of the neurotransmitter of the brain - acetylcholine which plays an important role in the development of memory. 

Dinner

It is obvious that before we go to sleep there is no need to stimulate our brain. If you include food with brain stimulating elements in your dinner it would definitely affect the quality of your sleep and eventually you may develop a sleep disorder. Try not eat food like tender steak or fish for dinner but rather have it replaced with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help your brain release serotonin which calms your brain and is required for proper rest.

Is it good for you to eat dairy products before sleep? The answer is - no. A small glass of weak tea with oat cookies or a roll with jam would be good. Pasteurized dairy products contain Welch's bacilli and various putrefactive microorganisms that may cause diarrhea.

According to some scientists the influence of carbohydrates on the brain is much deeper than we think. Tryptophan acts not only as a somnolent, but also as a painkiller. (Tryptophan is able to get through the blood-brain barrier and turn into serotonin).

Many of us eat sweets, unconsciously trying to improve the state of our health. Especially in the fall when it is not unusual to have a seasonal depression which often characterized in the need for longer sleep.

The hormone melatonin, secreted by the pineal gland, regulates the cyclic rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. When days are shorter in the fall and the winter the pineal gland secretes more of this hormone which leads to the increased secretion of serotonin. As you can see the nature itself regulates the amount of calming elements in the brain, therefore you do not need to eat sweets in order to calm down.

What is the recommended amount of sweets per day? Only about 1.8 grams of carbohydrates help to produce enough of the tranquilizing effect of serotonin in the brain. A bigger amount will cause the increase of your weight rather than calmness.

Is it necessary to observe a diet, or is it necessary to always eat at a certain time? These questions may seem strange  to most of us who have been trained to eat at a certain time since we were children. Even at work we always have lunch at the same time every day. What is the result of the often repeated action? It becomes a habit. The gastric juice starts to secrete at a certain time causing a false feeling of hunger. And what if you are not able to eat at your regular time? The gastric juice will secrete anyway causing erosion of the paries of your stomach. This is one of the main reasons for gastritis and gastric ulcer. It is difficult to concentrate on anything if you have a stomachache. Also if you are used to eating at a certain time then try not to miss it.

It is known that the speed of movement of nervous impulses along the axon (a nervous fiber) depends on the thickness of the myelin cover - the white substance of the brain covering the cell from the outside. Fresh fish contains an amino acid which is a part of neurospecific protein S-100. This protein is found in membranes, cytoplasm and cell nucleus. It is proven that in intensive training of laboratory rats the amount of this protein sharply increases in the hippocampus which results in the blockade of the synthesis of protein S-100 and leads to the shutdown of the mechanism of synaptic plasticity. It means that new connections are formed extremely slowly and the animal is poorly trained. This protein is a part of the myelin cover. The thicker it is the better the impulse "flies" along the nervous fiber resulting in quicker reaction and the speed of thinking.

In recent years a lot of literature on proper nourishment has appeared. And we already know what food is harmful to the heart and what we should not eat for the prevention of cancer. Now, sitting down at the table, you should think about the influence of food on the activity of the brain, especially if you have decided to take to GMS Course.

Note for Smokers

Smokers are known to want to sleep in the afternoon. In fact they do not want to sleep but rather to lie down for their muscles are devoid of oxygen and have a hard time keeping the body in a vertical position let alone going somewhere.  If a person sleeps in the afternoon he will have a hard time falling asleep at night. This disorder in the cycle of sleep/wakefulness is one of the most dangerous to your organism and can develop into the disease called dissynchronism. We will discuss it later in more detail.

If you smoke you deprive yourself of ENERGY and not some abstract energy but real energy needed every minute of your life - OXYGEN. Oxygen is the most important to our organism. Without food one can live for about 40 days, without water - 2 weeks, without sleep - 13 days, and without oxygen - around 2 minutes.

The organ that is most sensitive to the lack of oxygen is the brain. If the brain is deprived of blood for only a few seconds the person loses consciousness. Thus a smoker constantly deprives himself of oxygen and remains in a semi-conscious condition. Beware of the drivers that smoke for there is a lot of them out there on the road. We all know that drinking and driving is a serious crime but has anyone ever considered the number of accidents caused by smoking and driving?

This site is about memory and memorizing. Is it possible to memorize and be a smoker at the same time? Of course it is. But the problem is that many smokers DOES NOT WANT to memorize or read.

Smoking excites our brain and the paralytic muscle reaction is often confused with the calming effect of tobacco. Curare (a toxic alkaloid found in certain tropical South American trees that is a powerful relaxant for striated muscles) calms even better - it will completely paralyze all muscles in the organism. Cigarettes do not calm - they excite our brain and at the same time reduce its motional activity. Due to this paradoxical effect of tobacco many creative people tend to smoke. On one hand the brain gets excited but the other – the muscles are paralyzed and you no longer want to get off your chair. An ideal combination for a creative person who decided to write a new book!

But what does this over excitation of the brain lead to? It leads to the increased instability of attention. And the instability of attention is the main enemy of reading and memorizing. The increased activation of the brain also leads to heart failure, high or low blood pressure as well as shortness of breath. I do not talk about the ischemic illness of the heart related to oxygen starvation of the cardiac muscle which works without interruption and requires plenty of oxygen. For a smoker the frequency of heartbeat increases meaning that the heart will develop the pattern of one and a half - two times more quickly, than it is necessary.

If you do not want to read a book or if you are down and don't feel like memorizing anything then you can blame your smoking habit which affects stability of your attention. The world champions in mnemonics not only do not smoke but also use certain plants that contain elements calming to the brain and improving its blood supply which increases their attention stability.

Just follow the surgeons' warning found on every cigarette pack and quit the destructing habit.