Page 22 - The Memory Program How to Prevent Memory Loss and Enhance Memory Power

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CHAPTER 1

Evaluate Your Memory

A good storyteller is a person who has a good memory, and hopes other people haven't.
— IRVIN S. COBB, AMERICAN HUMORIST

WOODY ALLEN ONCE SAID that the brain was his second favorite organ. While the brain may indeed
be the number two choice for many of us, it is by far our most important organ, and memory is one
of its most critical functions.

In this part of the book, you will learn how to assess your memory and determine whether it is
normal or abnormal. You will also learn about the basic processes underlying memory formation and
retrieval in the brain, and how aging affects these processes. This information will help you fully
understand the reasoning behind the different elements in the Memory Program.

Everyone Forgets

Some of us forget names; others cannot recall places they've been to before. Our ability to associate
names, faces, and places in the context of time helps us to reinforce our memories. Lost memories
that suddenly resurface indicate that our brains store much more information than we are aware of in
everyday life. Sigmund Freud was convinced that the root cause of “forgetting” is an unconscious
conflict that creates a mental block when we consciously try to remember.