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Memory Reflection

by philip.loew Posted on October 21, 2011

1. How would you begin the process of recovering your memory? Who would you turn to, where would you search, and how would you proceed?

If I suffered from retrograde amnesia, I would begin the process of recovering my memory by going to my family. The reason I would start with family is because your family is the people that genuinely know who you are, the people that honestly tell you your accomplishments and mistakes and the ones that know all your history. Through them, you can learn who you use to be as a person. Because family is so close-knit and interpersonal, you probably inadvertently have some of the same habits and behaviors. Having that said, by simply observing them, you can get a grasp of both your personality as well as those of your family. Furthermore, like mentioned previously, family knows almost everything about you- including your goals, aspirations and past failures. With that, you can learn about your past, know who you are at the present state, and what your goals and lifelong dreams are before you suffered from retrograde amnesia.

The other people I would turn to are my friends. I would go to friends because besides family, friends are the ones that also know you the best. They can remind you of the good and bad memories you shared, the funny and one-in-a-lifetime experiences you had, and the secrets shared that your family does not know about. With these two sources, you should have an almost complete knowledge of who you truly were and are as an individual.

2. Please describe the emotional journey you imagine you would be going through as you attempt to reconstruct your life. Imagine the feelings you would have.

First and foremost, I would be confused, overwhelmed, depressed and just simply frustrated. Because retrograde amnesia makes you forget all the memories before the brain injury, I will have no recollection of anyone or anything. With that said, I will constantly be questioning who these people are, why they keep on insisting they know me and why they keep on mentioning the memories or experiences we shared. On one hand, I would be frustrated because I can’t remember any of those memories. On the other hand, I would feel guilty that I do not remember any of those memories that my friends and family value so much. However, as new memories are made and past stories are shared, I am sure that I will feel comfort and reassurance that my friends are family are truly genuine in the stories that share. At that point, when I make new memories, I will then be able to feel comfort and be hopeful once again.

3. Suppose you were able to pick and choose the memories you wanted to recover from your life. What types of memories would you choose to retain and what types of memories might you decide to edit out of your remembered experience? Positive, negative, painful, happy, angry, frightened, etc. Please elaborate and explain some your decision making process.

If I were able to pick and choose the memories I wanted to recover from my life, I would keep most of them. While most people would want to block away the bad memories, I feel as though some bad memories are necessary to make one stronger. Whether it is losing a good friend or not getting a particular grade, you learn from those mistakes about how to move on and how to do better the next time around. From those bad experiences, you grow and mature as an individual. On the contrary however, happiness and joyous memories need to be kept too so those memories can be repeated and treasured as time goes on. All in all, I would mostly keep all of my memories— the positive, negative, happy and angry moments. As mentioned before, I would like to keep most of my memories. The part of my memory I would not like to keep however is the painful memories whether it is the time you saw a loved one passed or the painful memories associated with losing a best friend. That feeling of anguish and resentment really hurts physically and mentally both in the past and present. If I were able to choose the memories I wanted to recover, I would choose both the bad and the good but exclude the pain associated with the bad memories.

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Hi everyone! =)

by philip.loew Posted on September 16, 2011

 

Hi everyone! My name is Philip Loew. I am currently a junior here at the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College. So far, Baruch has been an awesome experience with great friends and great classes! Anywho, I thought I share a few things about myself.

I am originally from Manhattan, New York, spent a few years in Brooklyn and eventually moved to New Jersey for high school. However, once I received acceptance to Macaulay, I moved back to my apartment in the city yet still travel back to my house in New Jersey on weekends. In my spare time, I love to hang out with friends and family as well as walk around Princeton (I live ten minutes away from the University).

Having been in Baruch for three years now, I plan to major in Finance. While school work has been my top priority, I did recently become more involved in school. I am currently rushing for Delta Sigma Pi (a business fraternity) as well as in Phi Eta Sigma- the honors society at Baruch College.

Attached, you will see a link for the American Cancer Society. I am currently a volunteer at the American Cancer Society: Hope Lodge on West 32nd st. The reason I post a picture of this facility is because it is an organization I not only volunteer at, but is also a place I hold very dear to my heart. Having family members who previously had cancer, I wanted to volunteer my time at a place that help patients with cancer in hopes that they live a little easier- even small things help! Trying not to boast, I would just like to say that I often volunteer here in hopes that I bring smiles to patients’ faces amidst their treatments.

 

 

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Comments Across the Site

"1. After reading the reflection writer’s description, what do you think was happening to them during the meditation on a physiological level? Having just learned about stress and hormones, we have read that mindful-meditation helps one calm the body and the mind. Physiologically, I believe that mediation is useful because it would result in a decrease in heart rate. As seen as how the monks meditate, they feel at ease and at peace once they are in deep mediation. While meditation does calm the physical body and blood pressure from rising further, it does not mean that the body is any less aware. Having said that, the person meditating would also be very aware of his/her surroundings at the present moment, but in a good way that focuses on relaxing rather than focusing on the noisy, outside distractions. 2. Based on your readings throughout the semester, what areas of their central and peripheral nervous systems may have been effected during the meditation? By meditating, the person inevitably activates certain parts of the central and peripheral nervous system. For example, meditation would probably increase the gray matter in the hippocampus. As we learned, the hippocampus is the primary part of the brain involved with learning and memory. By relaxing, the brain may then be more susceptible to newer information and retain that information easier when relaxed rather than stressed. Another region in the brain meditation would probably help slow down is the amygdala—a region connected to anxiety and stress. More specifically, the amygdala is the primary ‘fear response’ indicator. By calming the body through meditation, one could probably decrease the need for the fear response. 3. What questions do you have for the writer about their experience? When we did that breathing exercise in class where we traced the path of our breaths, I found myself distracted by outside noise and the people around me. Having said that, how did you focus on the words of the instructor or the actions asked of you? As a corollary, were you able to find that you were able to block out the outside noise and distractions? Lastly, I would ask whether or not you felt happier and more relaxed (i.e. lower blood pressure) as a result of meditating. 4. Based on the description provided, would you be open to trying the same meditation exercise? Back in high school, we use to have “Meditation Fridays” as an elective instead of the conventional sports. At that time, I thought it was silly and went on to continue playing the usual basketball. Giving it a try, I went once and never stopped going. I have found that I am in a better, more positive mood as a result of meditation. I also felt more relaxed afterwards. With that said, I would definitely be open to trying the same meditation exercise and would also be brave enough to try some classes in the city that offer meditation classes."
posted on Nov 13, 2011, on the post Mindful Meditation

"Sorry to intrude again. I forgot to input the last part. I, like jiaying, suggest that the next step would be to test your hypothesis in the manner described. Perhaps you can have one group eat breakfast consistently for a certain period of time while also having another constant group who have not had breakfast. This may perhaps lead to some analysis of whether or not eating breakfast truly helps."
posted on Oct 2, 2011, on the post Breakfast & Learning

"Askar, The research question that you pose is one that concerns many college students. What drew me to this post specifically was the fact that it is a concern that many doctors and parents have. Does breakfast really help? And if so, does eating breakfast increase performance academically? I admit that many doctors say eating breakfast helps 'get the juices flowing,' if you may, but in the end, I just think that this is simply not true. While breakfast does help with sustaining hunger before lunch or the inevitable growling one has, I do not believe that breakfast necessarily helps performance academically. I feel nothing beats the good old way of studying hard and not cramming the night before. A potential problem/caution to look out for is ultimately the sample or people you survey. Like said previously, many people do not take survey seriously. On another note, one must also look out for bias. For example, certain people may respond to this experiment if they truly feel strongly about the topic. However, those ambivalent people on the sidelines may simply not just respond. As a result, there may be skewed results. However, this is just my opinion. Of course, you must have a pretty large sample, if you want this experiment to be representative of a large population. While I may disagree, I do applaud your efforts at choosing such a debatable topic."
posted on Oct 2, 2011, on the post Breakfast & Learning

"Hi Lily! It sounds great that you/have a group that wants to volunteer. They really need volunteers! Plus, there are tons of famous people such as Fran Drescher that came to visit and speak! I actually got to meet her-she's a sweetheart. Please feel free to e-mail me should you have any further inquiries. All the best."
posted on Sep 18, 2011, on the post Hi everyone! =)

"Hi Anna! Glad to know that there is a fellow student that lives in Manhattan. I, too, live ten minutes away and the expressions on my friends' faces are priceless. What is even more interesting is that you are in Macaulay, like me. Also like me, I love to explore the city, both alone as well as with my friends. I wish you the best of luck in Macaulay and maybe I'll see you on the streets one day!"
posted on Sep 18, 2011, on the post HELLO!