The brain stores short and long term memories.
Information that is not needed to be maintained for a long period of time such as the selection on a menu is processed in the front of the brain called the pre-frontal lobe. Short term can then become long-term memory in the hippocampus, sounds like a hippopotamus doesn’t it?) located deep in the brain. The hippocampus takes memories from different sensory areas of the brain that are going on simultaneously and connects them into a single memory that includes the senses connected with that experience. Such as a memory of a party and not several separate memories. As memories are played through the hippocampus the connections between neurons associated with a memory eventually become a “fixed combination”, so for example when you hear a certain song, you are likely to have other memories associated with that same song (That’s our song).
When recalling memories, it re-fires many of the same neural pathways we used when sensing the experience in the first place, as if re-creating it ( Ahh, remember that beautiful vacation).
The information that requires our attention for the moment such as an address we are looking for goes into short-term memory (“ What’s that address again we are looking for?”). We hold short-term data for about half a minute( not very long huh?). Information that could help us in the future such as something scary to avoid goes into the long term memory, and can last a lifetime (Hey watch out for that loose step it’s a doozy).
Yes our brains are amazing.
Janet Montgomery is a Certified Hypnotherapist in private practice in Woodland Hills, Ca. She writes and records self hypnosis and guided imagery Cds for the Live Well Series .She also teaches self hypnosis classes and is a staff hypnotherapist at Porter Ranch Medical Center.
Contact Janet at (818)458-8564 or visit her at www.janetmontgomeryhypnotherapy.com and www.livewellseries.com.
