Kevin Trudeau's Mega Memory

1. Unleash Your Superpower Memory: It's Already There

You already have a perfect, instant-recall, better-than-photographic memory just waiting to be released.

Untapped Potential. The book emphasizes that everyone possesses an incredible memory capacity, often compared to a high-powered computer. The challenge isn't about acquiring a new memory, but rather learning how to access and utilize the one you already have. This perspective shifts the focus from perceived limitations to the potential for growth.

Training, Not Talent. The author argues that memory isn't a fixed trait but a skill that can be developed through training. Just as an athlete trains their body, you can train your mind to organize and process information more effectively. This approach empowers readers to take control of their memory and improve it through practice.

Mega Memory is a Technique. The book introduces "Mega Memory" as a specific technique, not a magical ability. It's a system of organizing and processing information that allows you to store and retrieve data more efficiently. This technique is accessible to anyone willing to learn and apply its principles.

2. The Mind Thinks in Pictures: Visualizing is Key

Your mind thinks in pictures. Pictures are its vocabulary, what it understands best.

Visual Thinking. The core principle of Mega Memory is that the mind primarily thinks in pictures, not words. This means that to improve memory, you must learn to translate information into vivid, detailed mental images. This is the foundation of all the techniques in the book.

Pictures are Powerful. The book uses the example of a lemon to illustrate the power of vivid images. By creating a detailed mental picture of a lemon, you can evoke a physical response, such as salivation. This demonstrates that the mind reacts to imagined pictures as if they were real, making visualization a powerful tool for memory.

Icons and User-Friendliness. The author uses the example of computer icons to further illustrate the power of pictures. Icons are user-friendly because people understand pictures. This is why Apple Computer was so successful with the Macintosh, and why IBM has adopted the same approach.

3. Chaining and Pegging: Order and Association

The key word is “order”—the cornerstone of the Mega Memory program.

Chaining for New Information. Chaining involves creating a series of vivid, often illogical, mental images to link together new pieces of information. This technique helps you remember a sequence of items by creating a memorable story in your mind. The more ludicrous the story, the better.

Pegging for Recall. Pegging involves associating new information with pre-established pegs, which are items already committed to memory. This technique helps you organize and retrieve information by linking it to something you already know. Pegs are like mental file folders, allowing you to store and retrieve information in an organized way.

Beyond Basic Association. While basic association (like HOMES for the Great Lakes) has its place, Mega Memory goes beyond it by emphasizing vivid images, illogical connections, and active action. This approach makes memory techniques more engaging and effective.

4. Body and House Lists: Your Mental Filing System

Your brain operates just like a file cabinet.

Body List as a Foundation. The Body List consists of ten parts of your body, from toes to ceiling, which serve as your first set of pegs. These pegs are always available and cannot be forgotten, making them a reliable foundation for memory techniques. The Body List is a sequence, not an association.

House List for Organization. The House List involves choosing four rooms in your house and five items in each room, creating a sequence of twenty pegs. This list is personal and familiar, making it a powerful tool for organizing and retrieving information. The House List is also a sequence, not an association.

Pegs as Reference Points. Both the Body and House Lists serve as reference points, or mental file folders, on which you can store new information. These pegs are already in your long-term memory, making them ideal for linking to new information you want to remember.

5. The Power of Action: Mental Glue for Memory

The key to vivid pictures is color and detail.

Active vs. Passive Action. The book emphasizes the importance of active action in creating memorable mental images. Passive action, such as walking or holding, is less effective than dynamic action, such as running, jumping, or smashing. The more movement, the better.

VIA: Vivid Visualization, Imagination, Action. The acronym VIA summarizes the key elements of effective pegging. You must create vivid pictures, use your imagination to make them unique, and incorporate active action to make them memorable.

More is Better. When pegging, more action is always better than less. Keep the scene going, keep the action happening. The more dynamic and exaggerated the action, the more likely you are to remember it.

6. Concentration and Focus: Mental Gymnastics

The ability to focus on something is another important part not only of chaining but of all memory work.

Focus Through Illogicality. Chaining and pegging techniques often involve creating illogical or nonsensical scenarios. This forces you to focus more intently on the images, strengthening your ability to concentrate. The more illogical, the better.

Mental Calisthenics. The exercises in Mega Memory are designed to be mental calisthenics, expanding and focusing your mind. Just as a baseball player does push-ups and sit-ups before taking the field, you must do mental exercises to prepare your mind for more complex tasks.

Focusing on the Present. The book emphasizes the importance of focusing on the present moment. When you are creating a picture, you must be fully present in that moment, not thinking about the past or the future. This ability to focus is a key component of a Mega Memory.

7. Nutrition and Stress: Fueling Your Memory

We are not given the world: we make our world through incessant experience, categorization, memory, reconnection.

Mind-Body Connection. The book highlights the strong connection between your physical health and your memory. What you eat and how you manage stress can significantly impact your ability to think clearly and recall information.

Foods to Avoid. The book recommends avoiding certain foods, such as turkey, sugar, and white flour, before engaging in memory work. These foods can dull the senses and make it harder to concentrate. Alcohol and caffeine should also be avoided.

Foods to Embrace. The book recommends eating foods rich in lecithin, such as soybeans, organ meats, eggs, and wheat germ. Lecithin is a phospholipid that contains choline, a building block of neurotransmitters in the brain that form the basis of thought and memory.

Stress Management. The book discusses the negative impact of stress on memory and recommends techniques for reducing stress, such as fasting and looking up to the right or left. These techniques help you get out of the "think" stage and into the "look/search" stage of your unconscious.

8. Real-World Applications: From Names to Numbers

To remember virtually anything, you will only need three things: a place to put the information (peg), a vivid picture of the information you are pegging, and mental glue to hold the picture on the peg.

Remembering Names. The book provides a step-by-step approach to remembering names, including picking a see peg, creating a picture for the name, and linking the two with action. This technique allows you to remember names more easily and confidently.

Daily Schedules and To-Do Lists. The book teaches you how to use your Body List to create a mental to-do list, allowing you to remember tasks without relying on pen and paper. This technique helps you organize your day and stay on track.

Remembering Numbers. The book introduces the concept of picture words, which are words that represent numbers based on their phonetic sounds. This technique allows you to convert numbers into memorable images, making it easier to recall phone numbers, addresses, and other numerical data.

9. Advanced Techniques: Beyond the Basics

You can think faster than you speak. You can think faster than you write.

Body List Phonetics. The book introduces a phonetic alphabet based on the Body List, assigning a specific sound to each peg. This phonetic alphabet serves as a foundation for creating picture words for numbers.

Picture Word Vocabulary. The book provides a list of picture words for numbers 1 through 100, which you can use as a vocabulary for remembering numbers. These picture words are based on the phonetic sounds associated with each number.

Speed and Efficiency. The advanced techniques in the book are designed to increase the speed and efficiency of your memory. By practicing these techniques, you can learn to process and recall information more quickly and effortlessly.

10. Breaking Bad Habits and Retrieving Lost Memories: The Power of Your Unconscious

We are the same way. We go into business. We go into life. We put limitations on ourselves, and many times we don’t know the difference between real limitations and those that we have artificially imposed upon ourselves.

Re-Linking Memories. The book introduces a technique for breaking bad habits by re-linking the memories associated with those habits. This technique involves creating vivid mental pictures that associate the bad habit with pain and discomfort, while associating positive behaviors with pleasure and reward.

Retrieving Lost Memories. The book provides two techniques for retrieving lost memories. The first involves asking yourself "backdrop" and "feeling" questions to try to relive the moment when you first realized something was missing. The second involves a visualization/relaxation technique to harmonize the functioning of the left and right hemispheres of your brain.

Unconscious Power. The book emphasizes the power of the unconscious mind in both habit formation and memory recall. By learning to tap into the power of your unconscious, you can achieve greater control over your behavior and your memory.

Last updated: January 20, 2025