I'd like you to think about this for a minute. As you sit there right now reading this expose, a stream of information is entering your brain through your eyes. But you are also absorbing sounds, sensing bodily feelings like the force of your chair touching your buttocks and back, the feeling of the clothing on your body, and the air temperature and movement on your skin. You are also receiving data by way of your nose in the form of smells. And of course, you're in receipt of information in the form of the various tastes on your lips and in your mouth.

And think about the emotional sensations that you are at the moment feeling? That is also information that you're presently processing. We reside in an information intensive world. Thanks to the Internet, almost no matter what a person might want to know is only a few mouse clicks away.

Recently I read an item that said that even in a calm and peaceful atmosphere, we are bombarded by sixty thousand stimuli per second. And that is happening sixty seconds out of each minute, and sixty minutes out of each hour. And it goes on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, week in and week out for the length of our entire life.

And happens to be a big part of the problem. We are all being subjected to "information overload." And that makes it very tricky to memorize all of the information that we want to remember or need to be able to recall. Very often, when we are reading, we realize that our eyes have been traversing the words on the page, while our conscious mind has been off somewhere else on a tangent. When we get to the bottom of the page, we realize that our eyes have seen the words, but we have no conscious recollection of what we've just read. That is because our mind has been somewhere else worrying about a problem, or working out an assignment.

Today it is widespread to hear even young people utter things like, "I'm having a senior moment." No matter what your age, and whether you are a student, part of the labor, or a retired senior, I'm sure that you understand what I'm talking about. In our hectic world it is all too often very difficult to focus your attention.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS IS YOUR PROBLEM?

A. Your mind starts to roam as you study, and then gradually you grasp that you have no idea what you've read.

B. When you are in a social environment and you are introduced to new acquaintances, you find that you forget their names almost as rapidly as you hear them.

C. You recall that you have an errand to do in another room; but as soon as you start to go to the other room you totally forget what that task is.

D. You can stay focused and absorb new information. But when you take an exam, "Test Anxiety" overcomes you and causes a mental block, and you are not able to bring to mind the answers to the questions on the examination that you in reality know.

The leading cause of a person's lack of ability to focus their attention is that people are suffering from too much anxiety. And the leading cause of a mental block to recall is also anxiety. So it stands to reason that the more relaxed a person is, the better they will be able to focus their concentration, absorb information, and then be able to recall it at a later date.

Today, memory enhancement through hypnosis has become a popular topic. That is partly because hypnosis is an exceptional tool for triggering relaxation. In fact, the very essence of the hypnotic state is relaxation. And as the mind becomes tranquil, the ability to stay focused increases. Similarly, a peaceful mind increases the aptitude to retain information, and recall it when it is needed.

Hypnotic memory enhancement is a powerful modality for getting rid of test anxiety. There are several hypnotic methods that can be used to program a person with a positive expectation of relaxation, self-assurance, and success while taking examinations.

Students can take a course on how to apply hypnosis easily and economically in the privacy of their own home by purchasing hypnosis CD's. You can find more information on hypnosis to enhance memory and recall in the Hypnosis Research Library located on my website. articlezap