DOUBLE YOUR BRAIN POWER by Jean Marie Stine. Barnes & Noble, 1997
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author also wrote the book: It's All in Your Head --- Amazing Facts about the Human Mind
INTRODUCTION (p9-22)
[1] Tapping your body's own natural mind relaxers (p10-11)
[2] Doubling your brain power is a necessity (p11-12)
[3] Scientific techniques that boost mental ability (p12-13)
[4] Doubling your brain power takes no additional effort (p13)
[5] Anyone can double his or her brain power (p13-14)
[6] Why your brain is more powerful than a computer (p14-15)
[7] The other 90% of your brain (p15-16)
[8] Double your memory power right now (p16-17)
[9] The most powerful brain doubler of all (p17-19)
[10] Your brain's secret powerhouse (p19-21)
Visualization Exercise: Next time you are stuck for an idea or urgently need insight into a problem, this powerful visualization exercise can lead you to the answers. It uses "images" (the language of the unconscious) to help you access the powers of your own unconscious mind.
(1) Sit down quietly where you will not be interrupted.
(2) Close your eyes.
(3) Imagine that you are walking through a forest. Take the time to build up a vivid image of the forest around you. Try to see, smell, and feel it as completely as you can.
(4) Now imagine that you have come to a rustic house. Again, try to build up a detailed image of the house, windows, door, roof, the grounds that surround it.
(5) Mentally open the door and step inside.
(6) Visualize a wise old person standing in the middle of the room. Visualize her or him as fully as possible. Tell that wise old person your problem.
(7) Listen closely to what you imagine he or she would say.
[11] The key is in your hands --- and mind! (p21-22)
Applying the techniques in this book can transform your life. Ultimately, the choice is yours. In today's world, you have only two choices. Stay as you are and continue to be overwhelmed by the demand for ever newer skills, ever increased learning, ever mounting performance ratings. Or, take advantage of the unprecedented new discoveries about how your mind works and the learning technologies that you can use to put all the assets of your brain's "mind" work all of the time.
The key is in your hand to unlock your brain power. You have to turn the key and open the lock of your unconscious mind yourself.
Your unconscious is a mental genius! You can tap into your unconscious blindly by instinct. Or, you can learn to do it consciously, using the ideas in this book to greatly multiply your own brain power and freeing the genius hidden in the 90% of your unconscious brain.
PART 1 --- Doubling your "learning power" (p27-76)
1) Instant learning (p29-41)
[1] You are already a fabulous learner (p33-35)
[2] Overcoming the "four barriers" to instant learning (p35-39)
(1) LEARNING BARRIER ONE = "Learning is boring!" REMEDY = to reverse and rephrase your barrier statement into its opposite, such as "Learning is exciting, involving and interesting!"
(2)LEARNING BARRIER TWO = "I am NOT a good learner!" REMEDY = to reverse and rephrase your barrier statement into its opposite, such as "I am an excellent learner who has already learned a lot about a lot of subjects!"
(3) LEARNING BARRIER THREE = "I can NOT learn this subject!" REMEDY = to reverse and rephrase your barrier statement into its opposite, such as "I learned my job and many survival skills and many subjects in school --- and I can learn this subject, too!"
(4) LEARNING BARRIER FOUR = "I will NOT remember what I learned!" REMEDY = to reverse and rephrase your barrier statement into its opposite, such as "I have already learned to remember many important things, including names, facts and dates --- and I can and will remember the most important aspects of this subject, too!
[3] Reward "successful learning" experiences (p39-41)
2) Tapping your "optimum" learning state (p43-53)
[1] Activating your "optimum" learning state (p45-51)
[2] Accessing your "inner" optimum learner (p51-53)
3) Discovering your "personal" learning style (p55-76)
[1] Discovering your best learning approach (p58-60)
[2] Discovering your best learning senses (p60-63)
A Harvard University study proved that there are at least SEVEN "Learning Senses:"
(1) Verbal
(2) Logical
(3) Visual
(4) Musical
(5) Kinesthetic --- Body movement
(6) Intrapersonal --- Self knowledge
(7) Interpersonal --- Knowing others
Next time you are faced with a learning opportunity --- THINK about what is your own best learning sense or senses?
Is it verbal, logical, visual, musical, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, or interpersonal, or a combination thereof?
Then apply that knowledge to acquiring a new skill or mastering new data!
[3] Discovering your best learning resources (p63-65)
[4]Discovering your personal learning style (p66-67)
4) Mastering THREE STAGES of learning (p69-76)
[1] Before learning --- Preparation, planning, and action (p70-71)
[2] While learning "Propositions" and "revised propositions" (p72-73)
[3] After learning --- "Attaching" yourself to the knowledge (p74-76)
PART 2 --- Doubling your memory power (p77-103)
5) Instant memory (p79-85)
[1] Five steps to instant memory (p80-81)
(1) You can "tag" the information with a "mental charge," which lifts the information above other data and ensures your conscious mind will be able to locate it quickly and easily whenever you need to recall it!
(2) These FIVE simple words can help you consciously "tag" critical new information so it will be remembered longer!
They are BELIEVE --- INTEND ---
VISUALIZE --- COMMAND --- REVIEW!
The FIVE "FOOLPROOF" STEPS to "instant memory" are:
Step One = BELIEVE you will remember the material, which energizes your brain for remembering!
Step Two = INTEND to remember the material by putting your genuine willpower into an effort that doubles your chances for success!
Step Three = VISUALIZE or repeat the material once clearly in your mind!
Step Four = COMMAND by consciously telling yourself to remember the material!
Step Five = REVIEW your memory of the material the next day!
In addition, you can recall what you missed with "instant replay" and capture complex details forever with "mental review!"
Also, you can forget what you do NOT need to remember with "memory delete"
Your "power memory" can be improved by using "mnemonic techniques" and "memory maps," which personalize your efforts to improve your memory skills.
For truly successful and fulfilling quick and efficient learning, you need to think about planned repetition of the FIVE STEPS or techniques of "instant memory" by thinking about remembering in a new more complex way.
[2] Recall what you missed with "instant replay" (p81-82)
[3] Capture complex details forever with "mental review" (p83-84)
[4] Forget what you do NOT need with "memory delete" (p84-85)
6) Power memory --- using "mnemonic techniques" (p87-96)
7) Memory maps --- the power of "personalizing" (p97-103)
PART 3 --- Doubling your "reading power" (p105-139)
8) Instant reading (p107-116)
[1] Concentration --- the key to instant reading (p108-109)
[2] Overcoming the three bad habits of reading (p110-114)
(1) Subvocalization --- repeating the words as you read them (p110-111)
(2) From "word-at-a-time" reading to "phrase-at-a-time" reading (p111-113)
(3) Backtracking (p113-114)
[3] Retaining what you read with the "reading reinforcers" (p114-115)
(1) What was it about?
(2) What was the most important information in it?
(3) What opinions, if any, did the writer present?
(4) What's your own opinion of it?
(5) What one element makes it unique?
[4] Brain power doubler #29 (p116)
Never read anything important without engaging in this quick mental review afterward. This process is similar to the "memory-retention" systems in Part Two. When you need to remember something you read, ask yourself:
(1) What was it about?
(2) What was the most important information in it?
(3) What opinions were presented in it, if any?
(4) What is your own opinion of it?
(5) What one element makes it unique?
9) Reading smarter (p117-127)
10) Evaluating what you read (p129-139)
PART 4 --- Doubling your "listening power" (p141-172)
11) Instant listening (p143-152)
12) Listening "one-on-one" (p153-161)
13) Listening "between-the-lines" (p163-172)
PART 5 --- Doubling your "thinking power" (p173-204)
14) Instant thinking (p175-183)
15) Three steps to "power thinking" (p185-194)
[1] Thinking logically (p188-190)
[2] Thinking inductively (p190-192)
[3] Thinking deductively (p192-194)
16) Applying what you think (p195-204)
[1] Using the "six modes" of thinking --- using ALL SIX MODES of thinking --- You can sextuple your brain power by thinking about the situation from each of the following viewpoints: (p197-201)
(1) Thinking OBJECTIVELY --- this way of thinking logically scrutinezes ALL facts, figures, and other objective information available about your situation
(2) Thinking CRITICALLY --- this way of thinking examines a situation carefully, looking for every possible problem, downside, drawback, and negative consequence that could be associated with your situation
(3) Thinking POSITIVELY --- this way of thinking views a situation from a positive viewpoint and searches ONLY for possibilities, solutions, opportunities, pluses, and benefits
(4) Thinking CREATIVELY --- thinking creatively projects creative solutions, combinations, and ideas that might better your situation
(5) Thinking INTUITIVELY --- thinking intuitively tries to tune in with the DEEPER reactions to a situation such as your "gut feelings," the language of the heart, emotional nuances, hunches, and any other signals from your unsconscious
(6) Thinking about the MODES --- thinking about the "modes of thinking" monitors your own thinking and feeling about a situation and how they might color, distort, or affect your THINKING about that situation!
[2] Using the "nine maxims" of creative thinking to MAXIMIZE your THINKING POWER! (p201-204)
(1) Get all the data --- BEFORE you decide on an answer!
Before you can generate a "valid solution" or a new approach or a theory, drop all the preconceptions and first gather all the data you possibly can.
Without these data, you will NOT have the mental capacity to develop your thinking process, and your preconceptions can prevent you from seeing important facts and relationships.
(2) Classify --- and invent new classifications!
Creating your own categories and classifications helps you SEE connections! This leads you to make "generalizations" about the relevant things that you are concentrating on.
(3) Generalize --- generalize --- generalize!
Generalizations help you generate new insights, ideas, and solutions. There significance is that they set you thinking! At this stage it is NOTso important whether you are right or wrong.
(4) Explain --- explain --- explain!
You truly "know" something ONLY when you understand it!
And you understand it ONLY when you can explain it to yourself in your own words.
When you try to explain a situation or a dilemma, the process of thinking itself "hot-wires" your mind and gets your thinking process working.
(5) Pretend that you do NOT understand anything and question everything!
Look for things that don't make sense to you since the key to thinking is paying attention to what you do NOT understand, namely, the anomalies of life.
(6) Apply what you have learned before!
Often unrelated things you already know will help spark insights and inspirations!
(7) Reject the "standard" wisdom!
Question "current explanations" since they might be limiting your awareness.
(8) Let your thoughts wander!
Daydreaming and mind wandering can result in fresh insights and solutions! Flitting from thought to thought is still thinking.
(9) Give yourself permission to fail!
1. The path to success is littered with failure!
2. Expect to fail, embrace failure, welcome failure!
3. Consider each idea that does NOT work to be a step that carries you closer to the answer you are seeking.
This assumption will give you the FREEDOM TO TAKE A CHANCE since you will NOT hold back for FEAR OF FAILING!
RECOMMENDED READING --- 23 books about brainpower! (p205)
INDEX (p207-216)
Return to Skill-Set #1: Your Smart Self-Creation Thinking Skills
Return to Skill-Set #2: Your Smart Self-Actualization Memory Skills