Video Memory

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This is about a self-discovery that I made after learning of AS. I was reading about aspie traits, and so many of them felt familiar. But one was not - good memory. My memory is awful. I have big trouble remembering phone numbers and I am very forgetful (absentminded). I have read about people whose minds create pictures and movies when they visit new places, and then they can recall these recordings at will. How I would like to have such an ability! I wouldn't need to make all those pictures and spend money on developing them (still using an analog camera), get unnerved that the landscapes did not get as nice as I remember, and then keep all those pictures on a shelf where they gather dust as I never look at them! Yeah, why would I look at the pictures when they are so small, flat, not panoramic, not detailed and lacking vibrant colors, compared to what I remember? Hmm... wait a moment, what did I just say? And so I realized that my memory was not really that awful.

I started thinking about that and then it occured to me that I have whole movies from my mountain hiking trips. I can recall one of the trails that I hiked last Thanksgiving nearly in its entirety, as I would be walking on it. This particular trail was 3.6 miles long and required 3 hours hiking uphill. (I can't recall it in 100% though, for example one section had 6 switchbacks, of which I can remember clearly only 3; "clearly" means that I recall approximate positions of rocks on the trail. Also my mind makes mistakes as to the exact placement of objects, their exact number and sequence.) Recalling this movie and other videos from various trips, I figured out a regularity: I record best when I do not think about other things. All unrelated thoughts create gaps on "tapes". Of course, mountains are the best for recording, because they are beautiful and interesting, and make me to immerse my mind into surroundings and absorb them.

I have posted this theory on WrongPlanet ("Subconscious Intelligence" thread), and then I had a discussion with Scoots5012 about his memory. He told me that he has many detailed "recordings", and that he discovered the "record button" at age 3. I have also read "The Curious Incident" (by Mark Haddon), and the protagonist of that book also reported a similar "discovery of right way of looking at things", which enabled his video memory. That is in contrast to my experience, where the "recording mode" switches on by itself, and I do not have a control over it. I thought that it would be worthwhile to do some mental exercises in attempt to obtain a conscious control over this process.

I have decided to try the method from "The Curious Incident", that is to focus on the surroundings and try to get as many details as possible. This is a natural way of my "recording mode", but I augmented it by consciously resisting unrelated thoughts and reading all visible signs and billboards (more than usual anyway; I like reading signs, though I don't remember most of them). I have experimented twice, both times in relatively unfamiliar places: Chicago airport and on the lake while sailing. The experiments were successful. I seem to have discovered a "record button" at age 32. It remains to be seen how long lasting these memories will be.

Unfortunately, the "recording mode" comes at a price. The hero of "The Curious Incident" complains that "seeing everything" makes him very tired, so he dislikes going to new places. I also experience an acute exhaustion. After a couple of hours of recording, I suddenly become almost sick: I get dizzy, develop a migraine-like headache in frontal parts of my brain, can't concentrate, my mind goes into short "gaps" of non-thinking, I have minor trouble keeping balance and walking straight, my eyesight worsens and my hearing gets more sensitive (people talking normally seem to drill holes in my head). These effects subside after some time if I can rest. However, I am not stuck in the "recording mode", so I can regulate the amount of stress. I actually enjoy sightseeing and new places.

I am quite excited, but also puzzled, by this unexpected discovery. Of course, this is an ability that I always had, but I was not aware of its existence, and that it might be unusual. I wonder if anyone (save Scoots5012) had similar experiences with "recording" and video memory.

To clarify one thing. My discovery of my own personal record button was somewhat of subconscious action on my part. The date was august 6, 1982, and it was a wedding of one of my aunts, and it's the earliest event in my life that I have clear memories of. I've never really had to think about recording scenery, my brain seems to recording all the time, and then decideds what to discard and what to keep. It's the best way I can describe it.

[quote]Unfortunately, the "recording mode" comes at a price. The hero of "The Curious Incident" complains that "seeing everything" makes him very tired, so he dislikes going to new places.[quote]

I've noticed this too, that if I'm in a new place that has lots of visuals to take in, I'll tend to get a little fatigued. An example would have been in November 1999, when I drove down to the Waukesha to tape a football game as a favor for a co-worker at my job at the cable company. I had to follow a certain player around for the whole game since I was shooting a scouting video that would be sent off to college scouts ETC. During the two hours the game took, the act of concentrating on him the whole time left me very tired. I had an 1 hour 15 minute drive home, and even though the night before I got a full 8hrs of sleep, I was fighting to stay awake driving home on the interstate.

Scott, thank you for clarification. There is definitely a difference between us. Most of the time I keep my head "in the clouds" and barely register what is happening in front of me (or not at all). So far my "recording sessions" were very few and far between, but they were all subconsciously activated, without my control. During last month I was trying to develop a technique that will allow me to get into the recording mode at will (and stay in it), and apparently I have found it. But I doubt I will use it too much, as the "recording mode" appears to be too exhausting in the long run. Basically I get same problems as I would get watching several hours long movie in a theater. Unfortunately, whenever I now think of this technique, even for a moment, I can't help switching into the "recording mode" immediately. I sincerely hope that this novelty wears off. As nice as video memories are, I do not wish to spend the rest of my life dizzy and with migraines!

Ooh! I want to learn!

My sons long term memory is fantastic- he can remember the smallest detail; but on the other hand his short term memory sucks, and he cant remember things to save his soul....
we are working on some exercises to increase his short term memory- most games..
Michele

My memory is like a video recorder. I can remember stuff from many years back to the smallest detail. I too get headaches after having a recording session. After I watch a movie I frequently get headaches because I like to replay the movie in my mind well after I have seen it. I virtually memorize every scene and play it back in my video mind. Sometimes I am very forgetful, and I do get absent-minded and forget simple things like turning off ovens and stoves to even recording television programs.

Your son and I are both in the same boat, I have a bad short term memory for things, but an incredible long term memory for things that get locking into there.

For those who can, is there anyone else here like myself, who can remember something that happened, and give that memory a calendar date?

Video memory... associative thinking...

HEY have you read Temple Grandin's book, Thinking In Pictures? She speaks a lot about those kind of things! Might be your kind of read.