Master of Memory: Accelerated learning, education, memorization - MMem 0395: Physical memory tactics for physical therapy tests

Episode Date: September 11, 2015

Eduardo is a physiotherapist and is interested in mnemonics for physical tests that are performed on other people. I suggest a mnemonic process and memory palace arrangement to begin memorizing them. What do you want to learn? Leave your question at http://MasterOfMemory.com/. Music credit: Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet, 2nd movement, performed by the US Army Band.

Master of Memory 395. Welcome to Master of Memory. I'm Timothy, and I'm here to answer your accelerated learning questions every day and to inspire and empower you to learn anything you want to learn faster than ever. Eduardo submitted a written question at masterofmemory.com slash question. Eduardo is a physiotherapist and a personal trainer, and he says, how would you memorize a physical test in which you need to memorize the name and the movement that's characteristic of the test? Like the Sperling test for vertebral herniation, where you need to apply vertical pression on the top of the head,

and the test is positive if the person feels any pain in the spine region. So this is really interesting, Eduardo, and it's one of the occasional questions that I get about applying mnemonics to physical skills and to things that actually involve some sort of kinesthetic action. And I think that there's a lot of this that you'll have to figure out on your own and applying your own way, but what I can do for you, Eduardo, in this episode is turn the project into a series of steps so that you can get started immediately with this project, with how to learn this stuff, and start taking some solid action one step at a time. Step one is to determine what you think is the most sensible way to categorize the different tests that you want to learn, ideally into about five or ten different categories. Pretty straightforward. Don't move

on to step two until you've done that. You can even pause this episode and just go ahead and do that. Organize the different tests that you want to learn into five or ten different categories that make sense to you. Okay, now that you've done that, step two is list 10 items from the first category and commit to turning those 10 items into mnemonics first of all. So decide on those 10 items from one of those categories. Step three, write down the visual images that are brought to mind by the names of each of those tests. Or maybe the stressed syllables of each of those terms in the names of each of those tests, or maybe the stressed syllables of each of those terms in the names of each of those tests. So what do those, what visual images come to mind? What do those things make you think of? For me, the spurling test for vertebral herniation might simply be a spine

that's sticking out of a spur, because the stressed syllable of spurling is spur. So I have an easy time remembering that. The spurling test for vertebral herniation. That's not too hard to remember from that simple image of a spine sticking through a spur. So create those images for those 10 objects and make sure that they're uniquely memorable

and that when you think of those images, it triggers the name of the test and vice versa. All right, step number four, choose a large public building that you frequent, one that you know well. That could be a restaurant. It could be a library. It could be a museum. Just go ahead and pick one, and that's your fourth step.

Don't proceed until you've picked one. Okay, step number five, divide that building into a few main areas. There are going to be five to ten main areas in this building, and that'll be based on step one that we did earlier, dividing your different tests into different categories. This step may be fairly difficult, but what you want to do is perhaps list out or just write down what those general areas are. For me, one of the first buildings that comes to mind is a museum from Tulsa, the Philbrook Museum, and I would just list out that my first area is the interestingly shaped parking lot and driving area in the front, And then the second one is the main atrium,

the lower floor. The third main area will be the first area of European paintings. And so I would just go on from there listing them in general terms like that. But I know what the outlines are of these areas. I don't have to create a whole map or anything like that. I just know where I'm storing each of these different things. Now step six is the last step that I'm going to give you. What you're going to do is pick the first of those areas. So for me, that would be the Philbrook parking lot and driving area. You're going to pick that area and then imagine yourself doing each of those 10 tests throughout the first of the main areas. So throughout that whole area. Now, you're going to imagine yourself doing the test, but make it exaggerated and make it very physical,

but incorporating the image that you wrote down and tying it strongly to the location. For example, if we were in that Philbrook parking lot, what I would do is, let's say I have a wall, or the gate, actually, the gate entrance to the parking lot, and there's a spur hanging from that gate with a spine sticking through it. And this spur is pushing on the top of someone's head as the gate is closing. Now, that's very memorable, and it's permanently stored because it's tied to a unique location where you'll always maintain it.

So for me, thinking about this gait at the Philbrook, I can easily remember that the Sperling test for vertebral herniation involves pushing on the top of someone's head and seeing if they feel pain in the spinal region. And I'll also know where I categorize that because it's in the general area in front of the Philbrook where I'm putting all tests that are in this specific area. So Eduardo, all that remains to be said now is just you need to take action and follow these steps. And then once you've done the six steps, you should be very well on your way. And feel free to write me at timothyatmasterofmemory.com, and I'll be happy to give you more assistance as you go along. For everyone listening, what do you want to learn? The world's knowledge can be yours.

Leave your learning request at masterofmemory.com slash question, and I'll talk to you again soon.