4 Ways to Improve Learning and Memory

The temporal lobes are involved with mood stability, understanding and processing language, memory, reading social cues (facial expression and voice intonation), rhythm, and music. The following tips will help you optimize this part of your brain; they are based on what we have learned about the temporal lobes as well as on clinical experience.  

Nutritional Intervention

Nutritional support can be very helpful in temporal lobe problems. Many people with aggressive behavior become much worse after a high sugar load. If aggressiveness is present without features of depression or obsessive thoughts (more similar to an explosive or short-fuse form of aggressiveness), then a higher protein, lower simple carbohydrate diet is likely to be very helpful. If the aggressiveness is associated with ruminations, moodiness, and depression, then a balanced diet of equal amounts of carbohydrates and protein is likely to be best. Ketogenic (very low carbohydrate) diets have been found to be particularly helpful for people with seizure disorders.

Rhythmic Movement

The temporal lobes are involved with processing and producing rhythms, chanting, dancing, and other forms of rhythmic movements can be healing. Many Americans never learn about the concept of rhythm and how important it can be to healing and health. 

Chanting is commonly used in Eastern religions and orthodox Western religions as a way to focus and open one’s mind. Chanting has a special rhythm that induces a trance-like state, bringing peace and tranquility and opening the mind to new experiences and learning. Dancing and body movement can be very therapeutic. Like song and music, they can change a person’s mood and provide positive experiences to treasure throughout the day, week-or even longer. Look for opportunities to move in rhythm.

Listen to Healing Music

Listen to a lot of great music. Music, from country to jazz, from rock to classical, is one of the true joys of life. Music has healing properties. Listening to it can activate and stimulate the temporal lobes and bring peace or excitement to your mind.

Music therapy has been a part of psychiatric treatment for decades. Fast-tempo, upbeat music can stimulate depressed patients in a positive way, while certain music has calming effect on patients. For example, music by composer Barry Goldstein is used for therapeutic purposes in hospitals, hospices, and other healing centers because it helps to facilitate relaxation and improve sleep, reduce stress and anxiety, and provide other supportive benefits for the brain.

Use Toning and Humming to Tune Up Your Brain

There are a lot of benefits to using your voice to enhance mood and memory. All forms of vocalization, including singing chanting, yodeling, humming, reciting poetry, and simply talking can be therapeutic. The word toning, goes back to the fourteenth century and means to make sounds with elongated vowels for extended periods of time. Try toning for five minutes a day for two weeks to see if it will help you. In a similar way, humming can also make a positive difference in mood and memory. Mozart hummed as he composed. Children hum when they are happy. Adults often hum tunes that go through their minds, lifting their spirits and tuning their mind. Consciously focus on humming during the day. As the sound activates your brain, you will feel more alive and your brain will feel more tuned in to the moment.

Amen Clinics has spent the last 27 years helping people with those challenges by improving their brain health, giving specialized treatments and removing the stigma surrounding mental health. If you or a loved one needs professional help with anxiety, depression, focus or memory, call Amen Clinics at 888-288-9834 or visit us online.