I
have always had Eidetic memory. This has been a blessing and a curse.
Let me first describe how my Eidetic memory works. I can remember
things in my past with incredible detail. I can remember smells,
tastes, feelings, faces, and surroundings. I have these memories as
far back as 1 or 2 years old. I can remember in incredible detail
what was in rooms or yards of every place I have lived and most
places that I have visited throughout my life.
The
strange thing is I don't remember normal conversations. I only
remember a conversation if it had some impact on my life. I can hear
a song one time and recall it years later within 3 or 4 notes. I can
walk into a room take one look around and I will remember that room
as I saw it for ever. If I return to that room multiple times my
memory is updated with any changes.
Some
things don't make sense to me. For instance I cant spell worth a
damn. I can look at a word a thousand times and still spell it wrong.
I cant ever use the correct words like. their or there,and which or witch. I have crippling dyslexia. And my short term memory is
extremely bad. Oh yea I have ADD.
The
advantages of an Eidetic memory are huge. Just Imagine being able to
look at a schematic for a piece of heating equipment one time and
then being able to troubleshoot it without ever looking at the
schematic again. I can drive somewhere one time and never forget how
to get there again.
Some
disadvantages are remembering the bad things. I saw a guy crash his
motorcycle threw a chain link fence This was one of those horrible
things that I don't want to remember. I can remember every detail.
From the sound of his bike scraping along the road at over 100 mph, to the look on his
face just as he hit the fence, the sound of his bones breaking, and the
smell of blood, grass, and gasoline all mixed together. I can play
this accident over in my head. The bad thing is that I get the video,
sound, and smell each time I replay it in my head. I cant go to open
casket viewings or funerals. The last time I see someone is the way I
see them when I think of them.
I
have used this ability to my advantage for years. I can troubleshoot
a car in most cases by just hearing the run. I can take apart
anything and put it back together. I can look at something one time
and describe it in detail years later. I can fix anything mechanical without
exception.
I
can remember many things that are pleasant. One of my favorite places
as a child was my grandmothers house on Chabot Road in Oakland, CA. I
remember that house in amazing detail. I can walk threw it in my head
and see each piece of furniture. I can see the things that were on
each piece of furniture. I can smell the heavy smell of cigarette
smoke as I walk threw the house. I can smell the instant coffee in
the cup by grandma's chair. I can smell the Old Spice as I enter
grandpa's bedroom as well as the lack of cigarette smoke.
You
are probably saying to yourself that is just a normal memory. Well it
is not. I can see every detail of every room just as it was the last
time I saw it. I can tell you exactly where each chotchkie was and
exactly how it was facing. I can tell you if a door was right hand
hinged or left, if the pocket doors were open an inch or closed
completely. How many glass slats were in the kitchen windows. I can
tell you who was on the cover of grandpa's TV Guide (Dean Martin).
I
can replay every time I have had sex including sounds and smells. I
can see each woman I have ever seen nude. I can also see every man I
have seen nude. The funny thing is that I cant remember weather I
have seen a movie a week after seeing it. Unless it was an amazing
movie.
If
I make a point of remembering something I will remember it. I don't
remember if I took my pills unless I do something to remember. "I
don't remember things. I remember places with things in them."
I
am loosing this ability little by little as I get older and need more
oxygen. I have a hard time remembering people from my past but I
remember their house.
