It helps. It’s like a ritual. Like reminding my brain to change my mindset from whatever I was doing to pure memorization, creativity, and visualization of everything. Not just the use of fingers, but I play a song in my head, imagine a fire starting to concentrate at the center of my brain (weirdly I do feel something in my head, placebo effect much? Is it positive/negative?)
More now than ever before, after reading a lot of fantasy about cultivation and meditation, the idea became attractive, although I can only conclude to be brain processes and nothing more if something calms my brain or makes it concentrate and deepen its prowess: I want that, however ridiculous.
Of course, you could become dependant on the rituals, needing to use them before you or while you do anything related with the concept of imagination or memorization. So be aware of the cognitive biases and maladaptive schemas at play.
For example, I invented a group of fictional characters including: Ayumi, Ayiko, Ferdinang, Alena, Elizabeth, and 9-10 versions of myself (as alternate personalities/characters, say one version of me is pure anger, another pure love, another pure correct, another pure chaos, others are about equilibrium). Although these characters were intended for thinking and exploring strategies of thinking, and even pseudo multitasking thinking (as a means to consciously trigger unwanted thoughts that would be wanted at that point by using the method of loci to hold ideas in a back and forth).
The ritual for activating memorization focus would be to invoke Ayumi and Ayiko (I tend to vary how I see Ayumi: she’s an omnipotent being aware of being a concept that exists in the realm of all my paracosms, she’s the manifestation of the idea, if God exists, how does he explain his existence? does she ask why I exist? how I am here?). Just as such, wherever I am, I visualize this seemingly Japanese/Chinese/Han-looking woman (Ayumi) and the Red vixen/fox (Ayiko), while Ayumi doesn’t always look the same, Ayiko is always a fox that only varies in size, the more chaotic is my mind the less as a fox is Ayiko, and the more at ease I feel, the more divine is Ayumi (a giant even). They can interact with me, but I can’t with them, as they are my thoughts. (I don’t play pretend, it’s more like the dialogues of Platon than anything else).
Back to the fingers, do they help YOU? I don’t know. But consider this, all religions aid people to fit into behaviors via repetitions, the rituals serve as triggers to mindsets, thoughts, feelings, and more complexities. Having your rituals can be positive or negative, as long as you remain aware (of what you’re seeking) while also letting go (the point of the ritual). For example, when I was in the Pentecostal Church, I used to speak in tongues, even today I know how to trigger what makes me do so, and when I do (active the ritual behavior) it follows other behaviors, suddenly I want to shake my head, and jump and dance letting go of my control by just keeping the pattern and expecting something (this was the awareness part, when in that time I thought there was something divine making me do it). But consider another ritual, this time involving getting focused on memorization or imagination, define the want and strategize the trigger: when I snap my fingers three times, I will focus on X. Do it, and try focusing on X after you snap the fingers three times (DO TRY to focus), repeat this at different times, multiple times. Create the association, and just like memories are made, create that habit. However, this want I chose is too vague (what is to focus in memorization?). If it were just concentrate then, every time whenever you’re do the ritual, focus on whatever task you have in front.
The ritual of the example:
- Want/goal: to focus on task X
- Trigger: snap the middle fingers of each hand at the same time three times in a row and at the end try focusing on the task
You can use this one I just invented, try it and see. It’s just about memory and habit-making. Realize the similarities between the habits of emotional attachments and memorization. If every day you hear the name and see the face of a person there’s always a joke or laughter, don’t get surprised if that person becomes a joke or a comedian to you.
This is all my opinion and it can be revised later.
I still think there’s a conscious relationship between the things we think, memorize, and associate, our emotions, habits, and mind complexes.
. It could use other inteligences. Not only visual spatial. You are using kinestesic inteligence. It could be motivational and fun. And help to memorize more. I always thought si ce I saw that movie that it could ve useful. I use it to imagine when I lost something at home.