Doctor SpinThe PR BlogCognitive PerformanceMy Mind Palace (and How It Helps Me To Think Better)

My Mind Palace (and How It Helps Me To Think Better)

The art of adding a dimension of physicality to your mind.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

What is a mind palaceโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and how do you use it?

In this artยญicle, Iโ€™ll share my learnยญings and insights from conยญstructยญing a mind palace for myself.

A mind palace (also known as a โ€˜memory palaceโ€™) is a menยญtal conยญstruct of a metaยญphysยญicยญal buildยญing with difยญferยญent imaยญginยญary โ€œrooms.โ€

By adding a dimenยญsion of physยญicยญalยญity to your mind, the idea is that youโ€™ll be able to use your mind palace for memยญorยญisaยญtion (the Method of Loci)โ€‰โ€”โ€‰but potenยญtially also for othยญer cogยญnitยญive enhancements.

Here we go:

My Interest in Mind Palaces

Do you know those pop culยญture moments that stickโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and stay with you? Here are a few such examples from my mind:

  • The narยญratยญor says, โ€œI just wanted to desยญtroy someยญthing beauยญtiยญfulโ€ in Fight Club (clip).
  • The Alec Baldwin ABC speech in Glengarry Glen Ross (clip).
  • As Neo, Keanu Reeves realยญises he is the one in The Matrix (clip).
  • Matt Damon, as Jason Bourne explains, that he can run flat-out at โ€œthis altiยญtude for two miles before my hands start shakยญingโ€ (clip).
  • As Butch Coolidge in Pulp Fiction, Bruce Willis explains, โ€œZedโ€™s dead baby, Zedโ€™s deadโ€ (clip).
  • As Dale Cooper, Kyle MacLachlan is throwยญing rocks togethยญer with the Twin Peaks police departยญment to increase the effectยญiveยญness of his deducยญtions (clip).
  • The Al Pacino speech in Any Given Sunday (clip).

For me, such a semยญinยญal moment is from Sherlock, the British TV show starยญring Benedict Cumberbatch:

In the series, Sherlock Holmes and the vilยญlain Charles Augustus use a memory techยญnique called the mind palace to comยญmit informยญaยญtion to memory. 1The teleยญviยญsion series Hannibal, starยญring Mads Mikkelsen as the geniยญus psyยญchoยญpath with a pecuยญliยญar taste for human flesh, also menยญtioned a mind palace. Weird eatยญing habits and, more importยญantly, โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

The idea of havยญing a mind palace appealed to me.

Is the mind palace a propยญer techยญnique that one can use?
And if so, how does it work?

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) has a mind palace of his own.
Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) has a mind palace. (Credit: Promotional)

The Method of Loci

As it turns out, a mind palace isnโ€™t just a teleยญviยญsion trope. 

The mind palace is a mneยญmonยญic methยญod used by ancient Greek and Roman scholยญars to comยญmit large chunks of informยญaยญtion to memory called the Method of Loci (loci = Latin for locยญaยญtion). 2Method of loci. (2023, December 3). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Mโ€‹eโ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹dโ€‹_โ€‹oโ€‹fโ€‹_โ€‹lโ€‹oci

Example:

Letโ€™s say you want to memยญorยญise a deck of 52 cards. For this, you could think of a house with 13 (52 divided by 4) difยญferยญent rooms, rooms you pass through in a pre-decided order. 

The first room is a hallยญway with a large antique mirror. 

As you memยญorยญise the first playยญing card, letโ€™s say an ace of hearts, you menยญtally attach the card to the mirยญrorโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and then you move on to the next room in your sequence.

You place 13 cards in 13 rooms attached to 13 difยญferยญent pieces of furยญniture. Then, you take the same route three more times, securยญing a new card for anothยญer piece of furยญniture in each room. Every room now conยญtains four pieces of furยญniture with one unique playยญing card attached.

When you test how many of the 52 cards you rememยญber, you enter the first room (the hallยญway), look at the first piece of furยญniture (the antique mirยญror), and find the ace of hearts.

โ€œThe design of a virยญtuยญal memory palace sigยญniยญficยญantly impacts memory perยญformยญance, comยญbinยญing the loci methยญod with modยญern techยญnoยญlogy for effectยญive learnยญing.โ€
Source: Technische Universitรคt Braunschweig 3Huttner, J. (2021). Virtual Memory Palaces: The Impact of Design on the Memorization Performance. Technische Universitรคt Braunschweig. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹2โ€‹4โ€‹3โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹/โ€‹Dโ€‹Bโ€‹Bโ€‹Sโ€‹.โ€‹084โ€‰โ€“โ€‰202102161019โ€‘0

Our Brainโ€™s Built-In GPS System

In 2014, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarยญded to John Oโ€™Keefe from University College London, May-Britt Moser, and Edvard Moser from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. 4The Nobel Assembly. (2014, October 6). The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014. NobelPrizeโ€‹.org. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.nobelโ€‹prizeโ€‹.org/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹zโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹/โ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹4โ€‹/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹eโ€‹aโ€‹se/

Scientists found that cells in our brain conยญstiยญtute a posยญiยญtionยญing system:

โ€œโ€ฆ cerยญtain neurยญons in the hipยญpoยญcamยญpus fired whenevยญer a rat was in a cerยญtain place in the locยญal envirยญonยญment, with neighยญbourยญing neurยญons firยญing at difยญferยญent locยญaยญtions, such that the entire envirยญonยญment was repยญresยญenยญted by the activยญity of these cells throughยญout the hipยญpoยญcamยญpus.โ€
Source: Brainbloggerโ€‹.com 5Adaes, S. (2014, November 19). The Coordinates Of A Nobel Prize. Brainbloggerโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹brainโ€‹blogโ€‹gerโ€‹.com/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹4โ€‹/โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹/โ€‹1โ€‹9โ€‹/โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹oโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹oโ€‹fโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹nโ€‹oโ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹ze/

Assigning memory neurยญons to fire at speยญcifยญic locยญaยญtions is a clevยญer way to conยญserve menยญtal energy. 

The mind palace techยญnique makes good use of this brain feaยญture; by assignยญing an imaยญginยญary (enhanced with othยญer sensยญory informยญaยญtion like the smell, sounds, temยญperยญatยญure, lightยญing conยญdiยญtions, etc.) to a speยญcifยญic memory, recall becomes more accessible.

Mind Palaces in the Media

Here are a few examples of the memory palace or simยญilยญar conยญcepts being refยญerยญenced in variยญous forms of media:

  • Sherlock (TV Series, 2010โ€‰โ€“โ€‰2017). The charยญacยญter Sherlock Holmes, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, freยญquently uses his mind palace to recall details and solve cases. This modยญern adaptยญaยญtion of Arthur Conan Doyleโ€™s storยญies popยญularยญised the term โ€œmind palace.โ€
  • Hannibal (TV Series, 2013โ€‰โ€“โ€‰2015). The charยญacยญter Dr Hannibal Lecter, played by Mads Mikkelsen, employs a memory palace to store and organยญise his experยญiยญences and memories.
  • Dreamcatcher (Film, 2003). Based on Stephen Kingโ€™s novยญel of the same name, this film feaยญtures a charยญacยญter named Jonesy who uses a memory wareยญhouse to organยญise his memories.
  • The Mentalist (TV Series, 2008โ€‰โ€“โ€‰2015). The charยญacยญter Patrick Jane, played by Simon Baker, someยญtimes uses the memory palace techยญnique to recall information.
  • Doctor Who (TV Series, 1963-Present). In the episยญode โ€œHeaven Sentโ€ (Season 9, Episode 11), the charยญacยญter of the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, uses a menยญtal conยญstruct simยญilยญar to a memory palace to work through a comยญplex and danยญgerยญous situation.
  • Silence of the Lambs (Film, 1991). Dr Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, employs a memory palace in the movie, although it is not expliยญcitly called a โ€œmind palaceโ€ as in the later TV series โ€œHannibal.โ€
  • Inception (Film, 2010). While not expliยญcitly called a memory palace, creยญatยญing and navยญigยญatยญing comยญplex menยญtal archiยญtecยญtures to store and retrieve memorยญies plays a centยญral role in the filmโ€™s plot.

Mind Places in Literature

Several examples of the memory palace concept or simยญilยญar ideas appear in the litยญerยญatยญure. Some notยญable examples include:

  • The Mindโ€™s Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers (Book, 1985). This colยญlecยญtion of essays by Henri Cartier-Bresson feaยญtures a piece called โ€œThe Mindโ€™s Eye,โ€ in which he disยญcusses the idea of a menยญtal storยญage place for memorยญies, akin to a memory palace.
  • The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play (Book, 1974). This self-help book, by Harry Lorayne and Jerry Lucas, introยญduces readยญers to memory techยญniques, includยญing the memory palace, and provides examples and exerยญcises to help improve memory skills.
  • Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything (Book, 2011). Written by Joshua Foer, this non-ficยญtion book delves into the world of memory chamยญpiยญonยญships and introยญduces readยญers to the concept of the memory palace, detailยญing how the techยญnique can be employed to rememยญber vast amounts of information
  • The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci (Book, 1984). Written by Jonathan D. Spence, this hisยญtorยญicยญal account folยญlows the life of the 16th-cenยญtury Jesuit misยญsionยญary Matteo Ricci, who taught the memory palace techยญnique to Chinese scholars.
  • Funes the Memorious (Short story, 1942). Written by Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, this short story feaยญtures a charยญacยญter named Ireneo Funes with an extraordinยญary memory. While not expliยญcitly referred to as a memory palace, the characterโ€™s abilยญity to recall informยญaยญtion in great detail can be seen as related to the concept.
  • The Art of Memory (Book, 1966). Written by Frances A. Yates, this hisยญtorยญicยญal study delves into the hisยญtory of memory techยญniques, includยญing the memory palace, and their influยญence on the intelยญlecยญtuยญal culยญture of the Renaissance.
  • The Glass Bead Game (Novel, 1943). Hermann Hesseโ€™s novยญel feaยญtures a game involving menยญtal conยญnecยญtions between variยญous fields of knowยญledge. Although not expliยญcitly called a memory palace, the game shares simยญilยญarยญitยญies with organยญising informยญaยญtion in oneโ€™s mind.
  • Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition (Book, 1964). This hisยญtorยญicยญal study by Frances A. Yates explores the life and works of Giordano Bruno, a 16th-cenยญtury philoยญsophยญer proยญponent of the memory palace technique.

These examples from litยญerยญatยญure illusยญtrate how the memory palace concept has been explored in variยญous ways, both as a hisยญtorยญicยญal pracยญtice and as a narยญratยญive device to explore the power and limยญits of human memory.

Altering Your Emotional States

In an online memory forยญum, I found ongoยญing disยญcusยญsions of what othยญer uses there could be for havยญing a mind palace:

One forยญum memยญber used a mind palace to lower the heart rate before a nerve-wrackยญing speech.

One forยญum memยญber used a mind palace to sleep instead of countยญing sheep.

One forยญum memยญber used a mind palace to preยญpare for meditation.

One forยญum memยญber used a mind palace to increase focus in disยญtractยญing environments.

One forยญum memยญber used a mind palace to reinยญforce posยญitยญive memorยญies to comยญbat depresยญsion and increase confidence.

Ergo: Some people have been using their mind palaces to alter or conยญtrol their emoยญtionยญal statesโ€‰โ€”โ€‰with posยญitยญive results. 

To me, this sounds interยญestยญing and potenยญtially useful. 

Would it be posยญsible to use a mind palace to improve cogยญnitยญive conยญtrol instead of pracยญtising raw memยญorยญisaยญtion techniques?

Techniques To Enhance Cognitive Abilities

A few years ago, I came across the creยญativยญity researchยญer Win Wenger. Wengerโ€™s primary hypoยญthesยญis was outยญlandยญish yet freakยญishly fantastic: 

Since our subยญconยญscious speaks to us visuยญally and not verbally, we can enhance our cogยญnitยญive perยญformยญance by reinยญforยญcing our inner image stream.

Hereโ€™s an interยญestยญing use case:

Imagine yourยญself sitยญting in a room with people that you look up to. It could be Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Stephen King. Discuss with them, and ask them quesยญtions. Visualise them as they speak.

Soon, your โ€œavatar friendsโ€ might start to surยญprise you, conยญtraยญdict you, or even chalยญlenge you. Despite that, their words come from someยญwhere withยญin yourยญself, of course.

From this example, we could imaยญgine buildยญing a mind palace with sevยญerยญal rooms filled with difยญferยญent types of valuยญable experts with one sinยญguยญlar trait in comยญmonโ€‰โ€”โ€‰theyโ€™re not you, even though they are.

The pracยญtice could bring the power of visuยญalยญisaยญtion and locยญaยญtion togethยญer, sugยญgestยญing a powerยญful combination. 

We could start seeยญing a โ€œroomโ€ in a mind palace as a sepยญarยญate cogยญnitยญive tool for purยญposes othยญer than just comยญmitยญting informยญaยญtion strings to memory.

A boardroom with Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Richard Feynman, Carl Sagan, Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius - Mind Palace
AI art. Prompt: โ€œA boardยญroom with Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Richard Feynman, Carl Sagan, Aristotle, and Marcus Aurelius.โ€

Genius boardยญrooms. You could experยญiยญment with havยญing imaยญgined boardยญrooms inhabยญited by geniยญuses on standby for disยญcussยญing decisions and solutions.

Mind Palace โ€œRoomโ€ Examples

Of course, you can have rooms you like in your mind palace. Here are a few examples of rooms that I freยญquently use:

A magical meditation room - Mind Palace
AI art. Prompt: โ€œA magicยญal medยญitยญaยญtion room.โ€

Meditation spots. Your mind palace could have rooms designed to strengthen the effects of your medยญitยญaยญtion practice.

A relaxing room onboard a futuristic space station - Mind Palace
AI art. Prompt: โ€œA relaxยญing room onboard a futurยญistยญic space station.โ€

Rehearsal rooms. Before givยญing a keyยญnote or speech, I like to rehearse them menยญtally. I find that it helps me to rehearse my talks in a familยญiยญar space without distractions.

A gothic library study hall - Mind Palace
AI art. Prompt: โ€œA gothยญic libยญrary study hall.โ€

Memory libยญrary. I imaยญgine a libยญrary where everything I ever learnt resides. Searching for the right book helps me retrieve lost memorยญies. To comยญmit someยญthing to memory, I think of going to the study hall and writยญing the informยญaยญtion down in a book, then plaยญcing it someยญwhere speยญcifยญic in the library.

A relaxing Japanese garden under a dome on Mars - Mind Palace
AI art. Prompt: โ€œA relaxยญing Japanese garden under a dome on Mars.โ€

Gardens for walkยญing and thinkยญing. I think betยญter when Iโ€™m walkยญing. But if I canโ€™t go for a walk, I can always go for a menยญtal walk through one of many mind palace gardens.

Building a Mind Palace in Minecraft

For me, conยญstructยญing the mind palace has been someยญwhat chalยญlenยญging. It requires focus and conยญcenยญtraยญtion for long periยญods. And life tends to get in the way.

Building a repยญlica of my mind palace in Minecraft is helpยญing reinยญforce my memorยญies of its layยญout. As with Lego, I nevยญer forยญget a build. By buildยญing my mind palace in Minecraft, Iโ€™ve reinยญforced the metaยญstrucยญture in my mind.

This Minecraft trick has givยญen my menยญtal strucยญture a form of staยญbilยญity. 6 Iโ€™m lookยญing forยญward to VR and AR softยญware dedยญicยญated to the use cases.


Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin - Spin Factory - Public Relations

THANKS FOR READING.
Need PR help? Hire me here.

Signature - Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin

PR Resource: More Projects

Spin Academy | Online PR Courses
Free Introduction PR Course - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog
Renaissance proยญjects.

Improvement: Renaissance Projects

The Renaissance lasยญted from the 14th to the 17th cenยญtury and was a periยญod of sigยญniยญficยญant culยญturยญal, artistยญic, politยญicยญal, and sciยญentifยญic rebirth in Europe. It was marked by a renewed interest in clasยญsicยญal art and ideas from ancient Greece and Rome.

Inspired by the Renaissance mindยญset, I strive to develยญop my creยญatยญive intelยญliยญgence, physยญicยญal strengths, and menยญtal well-being.

Better Identity
Better Thinking
Better Skills
Better Habits

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR.

Logo - Spin Academy - Online PR Courses

PR Resource: More Better Thinking

Annotations
Annotations
1 The teleยญviยญsion series Hannibal, starยญring Mads Mikkelsen as the geniยญus psyยญchoยญpath with a pecuยญliยญar taste for human flesh, also menยญtioned a mind palace. Weird eatยญing habits and, more importยญantly, fantยญastยญic memory techniques.
2 Method of loci. (2023, December 3). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Mโ€‹eโ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹oโ€‹dโ€‹_โ€‹oโ€‹fโ€‹_โ€‹lโ€‹oci
3 Huttner, J. (2021). Virtual Memory Palaces: The Impact of Design on the Memorization Performance. Technische Universitรคt Braunschweig. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹2โ€‹4โ€‹3โ€‹5โ€‹5โ€‹/โ€‹Dโ€‹Bโ€‹Bโ€‹Sโ€‹.โ€‹084โ€‰โ€“โ€‰202102161019โ€‘0
4 The Nobel Assembly. (2014, October 6). The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2014. NobelPrizeโ€‹.org. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.nobelโ€‹prizeโ€‹.org/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹zโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹/โ€‹mโ€‹eโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹cโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹eโ€‹/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹4โ€‹/โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹rโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹eโ€‹aโ€‹se/
5 Adaes, S. (2014, November 19). The Coordinates Of A Nobel Prize. Brainbloggerโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹brainโ€‹blogโ€‹gerโ€‹.com/โ€‹2โ€‹0โ€‹1โ€‹4โ€‹/โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹/โ€‹1โ€‹9โ€‹/โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹eโ€‹-โ€‹cโ€‹oโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹nโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹eโ€‹sโ€‹-โ€‹oโ€‹fโ€‹-โ€‹aโ€‹-โ€‹nโ€‹oโ€‹bโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹-โ€‹pโ€‹rโ€‹iโ€‹ze/
6 Iโ€™m lookยญing forยญward to VR and AR softยญware dedยญicยญated to the use cases.
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

.

Subscribe to SpinCTRLโ€”itโ€™s 100% free!

Join 2,550+ fellow PR lovers and subscribe to Jerryโ€™s free newsletter on communication and psychology.
What will you get?

> PR commentary on current events.
> Subscriber-only VIP content.
> My personal PR slides for .key and .ppt.
> Discounts on upcoming PR courses.
> Ebook on getting better PR ideas.
Subscribe to SpinCTRL today by clicking SUBSCRIBE and get your first free send-out instantly.

Latest Posts
Similar Posts
Most Popular