The Persistance of Memory

Our third dimensional mind is a super computer operating a light speed. The difference between the mind and the computer is that our memory banks can't be deleted like a computer file. We have no recycle bin to empty out all of our good and bad memories, so we keep some of these memories the rest of our lives. Some of them we carry around with us like a dead weight which clouds our sense of reality.

Memories such as: a special life event, meeting a special someone, a birth or even a death, can make lasting impressions on our inner self which sometimes never fades. Why do we carry these memories around with us, and why do we remember some things in great detail the rest of our lives?

All of our senses work to complete one common goal: our perception of reality. Some smells evoke different memories from the past such as taking us back to school with the smell of construction paper, or a friend who wore a certain cologne or perfume reminding us of an event from the past. These memories from smell alone can take our mind back years ago as we remember the mood we were in at the time, or even the season of year it was when the memory occurred.

Mental thoughts

Our third dimensional mind works overtime as it files away memories the best it can. Most of the time once you've started down memory lane, the mind and the ego kick in to feed your sense of self whatever "mental medicine" required.

One memory evokes another memory and so the mental game is played over and over a thousand times a minute. Now we've gotten lost in the memory of it all, as we start the memories back over again where they first began. If these are bad memories that can't easily be filed away sometimes the mind can play on forever into infinity. The trick to getting out of this destructive behavior is to be mentally conscious, and this is not easily done.

Are you sad or depressed and feeling melancholy, or are you happy and remembering the good times. Your sense of self is what controls your emotional outlook in life. Do you look at yourself as a failure, or just a work in progress? Are you afraid to try new endeavors because of past memories of failure? How you perceive yourself is sometimes how you believe others also see you.

With a low sense of self the mind continues to play over and over bad memories because that's exactly how you're feeling, and the mind knows this before you even feel it. You're feeding the mind the required information it needs to start the memories, whether it's good memories or bad ones.

Once you've set the mood for the mind "past experience recall" kicks in and the mind is off and running. I suppose the main focus of my article will be the persistence of "bad" memories. Good memories everyone loves, but bad memories are another story indeed.

How can you get rid of bad memories? Is it possible to totally get rid of them completely? I suppose the short answer to this question is yes and also no. First you have to learn to re-train your mind to work in a productive way for you. When you want to be good at a certain endeavor you usually practice it over and over. And this is just what you have to do with the mind to re-train it. Now you can learn to control your mind, not the other way around

Listen to your thoughts

The first thing is to be mentally conscious and to be aware of your thoughts. Don't try to solve every thought that enters your mind, just be conscious of the ones that enter.

If they're bad thoughts which you have no power over them throw them out immediately. Don't even try to rationalize anything from these thoughts throw them out. Most of these thoughts are memories from the past or worries about the future, so get rid of them. You can't change the past it's over, and of course the future hasn't happened yet.

The third dimensional mind is an expert at problem solving, that's what it does best, so don't waste your mental abilities on bad memories which you have no control over. As soon as a bad memory enters your mind nip it in the bud before it has time to grow.

After a while the mind will get use to this routine, and it will soon become second nature for the mind. But this is just the same as "any" addiction; it will always be a full time job.

Evaluate your thoughts and your reactions

After you've gotten used to being mentally aware you've began to notice a pattern of your memories and thoughts. Why do these continuous memories keep replaying themselves in your mind? The destructive emotion of fear is what controls our minds and our thoughts. Any fear based emotions are created by the ego. Our sense of self has been threatened once fear enters the mind and the ego soon takes over.

The reason for replayed memories and thoughts are because they're not resolved in your mind yet. They're just floating around your mind waiting for "you" to file them away. If a bad memory can't be resolved let it go. Don't let your ego help you to hold unto these thoughts because of something that you might have done wrong in the past.

Forgive yourself and let it go. This will be like releasing a heavy load off of your inner well being. Remember; no one is perfect we all make mistakes, so forgive and forget and move on. Once you've learned to release these bad memories it will get easier the next time one enters your mind. Although they will return from time to time, but the time they spend in your mind will be drastically reduced.

Replace bad memories or thoughts with new ones

The mind is the strongest muscle we have, and it loves to be used. Keep your mind occupied when you feel a bad mood coming on. Shake up the usual habits of thought and change it.

When you feel like your mind wants to calculate the theory of relativity give it something productive to think about. When a bad thought or a bad memory comes into play replace it with a good memory or thought. Immediately change your way of thought, this will give the mind a new way of reason, and also provides a challenge which the mind loves.

Learn to meditate

This is an excellent way to help re-program the mind. Learning to shut down the mind of all of its endless mental chatter can be a thing of pure bliss. Meditation should be included into your daily routine just as washing your face or brushing your teeth. The mind needs some time to completely shut down so that it can "somewhat" resolve issues.

After you've learned to shut down some of the mental chatter in your mind a beautiful quiet place lays waiting. Some people live their entire lives without even knowing that this place exists. Beyond all of this mental chatter in your mind lies your inner voice. This voice is what I refer to as the "God" part of us. This is also what some people refer to as our intuitive mind.

This is where your inner healing takes place in the mind. Old issues are resolved as you see them in a completely different light. The mind is in a more rational frame of reference as new ways of thought comes into play.

The "persistence of memory" is all about our mind talking to us over and over until we finally understand what the rest of the story really is. Are we just passing through this world without a cause, or is there really a purpose for all of our memories and the millions of thoughts which dominates the mind?