Category Archives: Memory

Something that I have struggled with my whole life is remembering names, especially of people I meet.

This past couple of years I have made an effort to remember names and three things have helped me:

1) One thing that really helped me start remembering names is deciding I have been living a lie – I do not have any more difficulty remembering names than the next person. Believing that about myself caused me to not even try.

2) The second thing that helped me remember names was repetition out loud. I would ask someone their name and repeat the name in our conversation that follows. By saying their name out loud a few times it would stick with me. This method has made a huge difference.

3) This should probably be first but I came to the realization that I was honouring my new friends by remembering their names and that if I cared about them and wanted their friendship, the least I could do was remember their name…

Overall, I was no longer going to have this negative can’t do attitude. I found out I may not be the best at remembering names of people from the past but I am doing a whole lot better than I ever thought I would in the present!

Something I learned from being involved in Recovery International and practicing cognitive behavioral training (CBT) is the concept of ‘muscle memory.’

Muscle memory is the idea that ‘Your muscles teach your brain a higher set of values’, something taught by Dr. Low who founded Recovery International and who pioneered CBT.

As a segway, most people probably associate the term ‘recovery’ as referring to recovery from alcoholism. I will elaborate on that concept in other posts as I am also involved in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Back to muscle memory: I am convinced that it is true and have noticed a number of things I have learned through my muscles. Hands on training is what most call it but it definitely applies to playing a musical instrument. That is why music learning in elementary school and high school is so crucial to a child’s learning and caries throughout their life.

In other posts I get into home schooling. I homeschooled my seven children while posted abroad on the mission field, some through to grade 12.

P.S. Dr. Low did not refer to CBT as therapy but rather as training since with training you can learn to help yourself. With therapy you always depend on a therapist to relieve your problem.