Memory and Emotion

Another very important thing to know about the mind and memory is that every experience, regardless of its source is stored as a body memory. The mind does not make fine distinctions about whether the experience came from an internal or external source, whether it came from an actual physical situation or from a gook, movie, TV program, dream, psychic intuition, or your imagination. It's all stored as body memory. All the mind cares about is the intensity of the experience; that is, how much physiological (emotional, chemical, muscular) reaction occurred during the experience. That is the mind's only basis for how "real" the experience was.

The practical side of this is that an intensely imagined experience is just as good as the real thing, at least as far as memory-based behavior is concerned. Hawaiian and other shamans have used this bit of wisdom for untold ages as a tool for healing and self-development. Recently this ancient shamanic understanding has been put to modern use by Olympic athletes, among others, with extremely effective results. By using full sensory imagination in which they perform perfectly every time, the athletes create body memories which make the physical performace easier and better. The same process can be used to train yourself in any skill, state, or condition whatsoever.