What is memory?

Memory seems to be recalling experiences from your brain.

They have found in experiments that when you imagine something you have never experienced, and when you recall something you once did experience, you use the same systems in your brain.

So imagination employs memory. Indeed it does.

The predominant theory about memory now is this… They figure our so called memories are just a process our brains use to reconstruct old neural patterns. This is why they can be so spotty and things like perceptual dissonance can be so easily established. If you vividly imagine that something happened, even though something else actually happened, when you try to recall it later you will have only an impaired ability to recall factual details of the experience if you can recall anything factual at all. They believe when you recall any memory, what you are doing is reconstructing those neural signals, and each time you make your brain repeat a memory, it subtly alters the memory often adding additional overlayed information based on whatever you are experiencing at the time of recall.

Yes, a story-generating brain.

You meant difficulty in recalling details of the ACTUAL experience, not details of the memory? You can never recall a memory in the way we imagine we do. Normally, the added content to a memory would be useful, as something in our immediate environment would often be the reason we recalled the memory, and adding the new experience to the previous generalized so called memory would deepen and elaborate our knowledge of that sort of experience.

Adding frameworks of “probable” context or “implications” of that memory for future experience.

They have proven without a doubt that information can be inherited through reproduction. As well, they have established that experience alters genetic expression. The right circumstances will lead to an offspring displaying depressive tendencies even if the father had no such behaviour themselves. They just had to experience sufficient stress before contributing to the conception, and even if that mood altered offspring goes on to avoid any real stress or psychological cause for depression, the trait will still be passed to their offspring.

Information can be inherited through reproduction? You mean get information from your parents? Indeed, they have found that RNA in sperm activates key processes in the fetal development. This RNA is produced at any time. It occurs simply because you experience a period of stress, especially distress, and will go on to affect the genetic formation of any offspring. Stated more simply, your children are just as much the offspring of your mind as they are of your body, if not more so.

Could be both helpful/adaptive and bothersome, but yes, it does make sense.

Everything communicates on a very deep seated and instinctive level. More and more those scientists they call ethologists are proving that very many of the processes we used to assume animals didn’t engage in, or psychological traits they supposedly don’t display, they in fact actually do. We can empathize with other species and they with us because we do in fact share those reactions and perceptions in common, and their experiences affect us as much as our experiences affect them. So this genetic information conversation cross pollinates the consciousness of very many species, if not every species.

Now I know why I identify with dogs and trees so keenly.

Dogs can really pick up on your emotions.

They have been proven to have what researchers call theory of mind, often stronger than many humans do. They are better at predicting human reactions more often than humans are, thus when someone says they trust their dog’s judgement about people, they aren’t just being silly. It’s a sound attitude to have.

Dogs can sense if a person has bad intentions.

I always feel complimented when a dog likes me. I do as well, and very young children.

I growled at a little dog once, thinking he would know I was kidding…he didn’t. He got upset. They don’t necessarily understand human humour. I might add I don’t think humans really understand human humour.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~