Photographic Memory? Maybe

Did you know that scientists don’t believe that a true photographic memory exists in adults as is popularly portrayed in movies and on television? Commonly called in the scientific world as eidetic memory, it is a rare ability and is observed more commonly in children. They seem to have the ability to see an image after it is gone. I guess they’ve done tests to come to such a conclusion.

Actress Marilu Henner, of Taxi fame, is well-known for her ability to recall an amazing number of events from her life. For instance, if you name any date, she can tell you where she was on that day, what she wore, with whom she’d gathered, and what they all did. This type of memory  is called HSAM or Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory.

People with this ability usually excel at remembering their personal experiences rather than facts or numbers. I had a friend who remembered the birthday of every person in our graduating class. Unbelievable. True, we were from a small town in Alabama, but there were over one hundred of us. That’s an awful lot of numbers and dates to recall at will.

WIRED DIFFERENTLY

When I was in college, I had a friend who everyone said had a photographic memory. She didn’t have to study for tests, because, once she read something, she had it imprinted on her brain. At our ages now, I have to wonder if she can still recall all those boring details in our music history books. Anna? Are you out there?

My husband marvels at my ability to recall certain experiences in my life. My sister almost fainted when I related the following story to her. She was seven years older than I, so she had a real memory of this.

Photographic Memory? Maybe @DDuPreeWilliams #Faith #PhotographicMemory Share on X

When I was a baby in a crib, our mother worked just down the street as a cashier in a local grocery mart. Every day, she came home to nurse me. I told my sister—Mama would come through the living room and open the door to the room where my crib sat. It was located behind a door and when Mama pushed it open, the door was angled in front of my crib. Mama pushed the door closed, and there she stood, in her work uniform. I recall the crib placement, and Mama coming around the corner to gather me in her arms. My sister corroborated each of these things. She was shocked that I knew all those details. But that memory, like many others, plays in my mind like watching a movie.

Apparently, remembering these kinds of incidences isn’t uncommon. Yes, my memories are quite vivid. I have a vivid recollection of some events, but not all. I think not remembering some things is just as important, and I’m sure most of  us would prefer to forget some things. The scientific world knows these as strong autobiographical and episodic memories. Not enough to be HSAM.

Here’s the thing. God wired each of us differently. I have a thing for recalling phone numbers. Or I did prior to cell phones. These days, I can recall the numbers of my best friends’ from my youth, but don’t ask me to tell you the number of the doctor I called just this morning.

I’d say memories can be both a blessing and a curse. But God reminds us in His Word in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to take every thought captive. I guess that includes those thoughts that bring about these vivid memories.

WHAT WAS THAT WORD?

These days, I’m having issues with remembering words. And I’m a writer. I know the word, even scientists refer to a tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon when it comes to remembering certain words. Apparently, this is quite common in writers who tend to have a huge number of words stored in the filing cabinets of their brains. Estimates are from 20,000 to 40,000. I don’t think I have that many, but God knows. As I was writing this, the word corroboration wouldn’t come to me. I came up with collaboration and knew that wasn’t correct. As soon as I reached for my phone, the right word came to me. I’m glad to know that not remembering a word that I know very well is common in writers of all ages and especially for those of us of a certain age.

REMEMBER GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS

One day, the details of my life may not play quite so vividly as they do now. Names and words may escape me. Dates will escape me. But my prayer is that I never forget the God who has walked beside me every step of my journey through this earthly life. Long after I’ve forgotten where I left my phone (a daily occurrence), may I still remember the God in whom I placed my hope.

Blessings, y’all!

(My life verse is Psalm 39:7 ESV, And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.

One of our favorite groups. They are soooo good! I pray this blesses you and brings back some precious memories. My Granny sang this. Precious, precious memory.