Thread: Memory: the Forgotten Fundamental

Well, memories that were manually memorized are generally more difficult to alter than memories that were automatically stored (there are exceptions, of course). Plus, if we exercise these memories repeatedly, then the same neural pathways that made it possible for us to remember them are further strengthened (memory consolidation), not only making it even harder for these memories to suffer almost any form of alteration, but also improving how fast we can access the same memory every time.

Now, if I understood correctly, if a dreamer who is self-aware were to access memory during a dream, then that person would most likely reach a fully lucid state. Moreover, the aim is not to delve too deeply into any specific memory, but to just access it, to understand that you have a life prior to the dream. This last part is what is proving a little difficult for me (and as I read, for others too) because it's tricky to access memory without involving with any specific memory. As explained before, someone could disconnect from the dream and wake up, or the memory itself could suffer alteration, bringing forth a false memory of the event. Still, perhaps it's a matter of perspective, and solution to these issues may lie in a difference of it. That is, recognizing that the meaning behind the memory is what matters here (reconnecting with waking-life awareness), and not the memory itself.

With all this in mind, I thought, since challenges may arise, could one improve the overall result by use of memorization? What I mean is that, we strive to access memory without falling into any of these pitfalls, but, even if we do (and we will), we can still benefit from our mistakes by taking advantage of the situation. That is, if we were to mistakenly fall into using an episodic memory, and if that memory has been successfully consolidated in memory, then we could (theoretically) use that memory (which would remain unaltered and easy to access) to reconnect with waking self-awareness, and thus reach a fully lucid state. Therefore, even if we were to fail initially, we might still succeed in the long run.

Anyway, this is too much theorizing, and I would love to have some form of evidence to corroborate any of it. But, I'm still a novice and working on it so, for the time being, that's all I got.