Memory – into the rose garden

This chapter explores the neuroscience of memory and its implications in coaching. The distinction is made between the experiencing self in the present moment and the remembered self that looks over the past and judges the present. The chapter discusses the case of Henry Molaison and examines sensory memory, short-term memory, working memory and long-term memory and the role of the hippocampus in each. Memory coding, consolidation, storage and retrieval are reviewed. The separate coding pathway through the amygdala is mentioned and the role of stress and the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in consolidation and storage is explained. The role and importance of sleep to all stages of memory is fully explored. Retrieval is shown to be a memory reconstruction, and the implications for coaching are explored. Appropriate cues, anchors and structures for reconstructing memories are discussed. The four different types of memory are examined: semantic memory, episodic memory, script memory and implicit memory. The importance of separating episodic from script memory is explained. The importance of priming in influencing memory is explored, together with the implications for questions. Forgetting together with Elizabeth Loftus’ work on memory distortion are also discussed. The coaching applications for improving memory such as chunking, repetition, attention and helpful priming are explained. The experiencing self knows the present moment; it is in the ‘now’. The remembered self knows a person's history and plans their future. The remembered self is the raconteur who recalls experiences and weaves them into the story of their life. We often confuse these two selves, when we think about happiness. Memory is far more than a store of the past. It is one of our most precious faculties. Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory in Roman mythology, was the daughter of Heaven and the goddess of time. The study of Henry Molaison revealed some of the mysteries of human memory. Memory is a distinct brain process and not directly connected to other abilities. The brain stores and processes our experience in different ways; the result is different types of memory. Surprising events tend to be more strongly coded. Surprise is an emotion that orients our attention and marks the event as significant.