Memorisarion and aphantasy

I would like to memorize cards and I have aphantasy.

I can’t create anchors.
I never retrieve the cards.
I would appreciate any tips. Thank you.

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I’d suggest training words a bit, actually. I also don’t see “images” or anything when I place cards or numbers, I just think about the scene existing at that locus and what “makes sense” for the interaction. And that’s a skill that I feel came from grinding words, where you have no idea what you’re about to see and you have to create more on-the-fly scenes. So because the mental “pictures” don’t exist for me in the traditional sense, I’ve put a lot more training energy into creating arbitrary “reasons” that the thing is happening at that locus, and I feel that has translated decently to cards/numbers.

@LynneKelly has written extensively about this exact issue; Here’s a good link to start.

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Thank you very much!!

For me, the secret is to use logic and story, not images. So every card is a person, with Action and Object. I tend to use only one of those aspects though, finding using two cards at a time easier than the three I used to use.

I have refined this since I wrote Memory Craft and discovered that I have aphantasia. I now have each of my suits reflecting a characteristic - historical, occupations, family member, friend.

I do look at the card image (the A with a club, friend Jane with her truck so the round bits are wheels with a flat tire, for example) and try to find a way that will trigger the character. Or I use logic. Whatever my brain seems to prefer.

I find these very different groups make the story easier to link to the card at short notice.

My memory palace for cards is one I walk often and know very well. I had to physically encode it because trying to imagine it wouldn’t work.

I hope that helps.

Lynne

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Thanks for tour reply!
I reduced 4 per loci to 2 per loci.
My palace is NATO alphabet.
From Alfa to Tango.
Tomorrow i will try audio.
Since i haver 20 loci letters i put a rhytim ta-ta ta-ta ta-ta, and 2 sounds plus NATO

Exemple
Loci1, loci 2, loci 3.

Al-pha vol-ta bru-ce
Bra-vo prin-ce pe-ter
Char-lie she-rék se-te


Volta is shirt for travolta my Ace of clubs
sete is Seven on portuguese for Ronaldo, my King of diamonds.
..
Best of luck
..
Custódio

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Makes sense. I focus on the emotion of the scene for words too. If a particular emotion doesn’t quickly connect with the words, I impose one onto it. I make myself feel a certain way about it so that I remember how that location felt.

How do you connect cards with the loci?

I imagine the character and action (PA/O) at the location. But each of my locations is a single concept. So a table is a picnic, the lake is water … the location is more a story starter than an image. I add the person and then the action/object however my brain creates the story. You need to trust your brain to make the logical link. I used to do proper PAO but now I do PA or PO, whatever comes naturally.

AC and 2D: I get friend Jane with a rubbish collector’s bin. If that is at the picnic table, then I need Jane and a rubbish bin. I would have Jane dropping her picnic rubbish next to the bin, so that I get the emotional response of ‘bad act, Jane.’ Emotion always helps stories.

I don’t imagine I could ever get as fast as those just creating images, but it worked fast enough for me to get below 5 minutes for a deck for competition. I know I could get it down a lot more with practice, but I am putting all my practice time into a few other palaces (countries of the world, history, Chinese) at the moment. But this discussion has got me wanting to do cards again!

Hope that makes sense.

Lynne

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Apreciate tour reply.
I Will give a try.
Stay well.
Custódio
PS..feedback later.

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While the videos here are obiously focused on multiblind memorizing, you might find the core prinicipal helpfull (for context, Mark Boyanowski is the former world recors holder for multi)

I just give up.
J can’t link the scenes.

I am so sorry.

Imagination, not visualization.

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““You need to trust your brain to make the logical link.””
..
What do you me by that?

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I mean to relax and not overthink it. Just let your brain come up with the link by just playing with the words. Trying hard to work out a link interrupts your brain’s natural ability to make associations.

It’s something I learnt slowly - I am very much an overthinker!

Lynne

Hello, Lynne
I still can not do it.
For some reason i dont remember anything. Loci dont work for me.
Can you give me one example of your
self dialogue for a pair of cards.
Thank you very much.
Custódio

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If my first two cards are the Queen of Spades and the Four of Diamonds, then I have QS - person is Queen Victoria. 4S action is painting a picture. My brain would say, picnic table where Queen Victoria is painting a picture.

So my self-talk would be: picnic, queen vic paints. Even with aphantasia, I would have a concept of that image, just not see anything in my mind’s eye, because I don’t have one!

Lynne

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Thanks for your reply.
..
And later how do you remember
those 2 cards.?
..
How do you link information to the locus.?

Sorry, I was vague. The picnic table is the locus.

My palace is a walk starting at the botanical gardens. I can say the locations as a sort of mantra:

picnic table, lake, fountain, toilets, gate …

Picnic-locus Queen Vic - QS and painting 4D.

Ok .
Thank you.