Long-term memory… what a lovely thought! To have good long-term memory a great deal depends on what is called dominance. Dominance is perhaps one of the most important factors in having a truly wonderful life and yet few of us know what it actually is. 

Defining Dominance
All animals on Earth have two hemispheres in their brain. We humans also have two brain hemispheres (commonly known as left brain and right brain); however, we have the benefit of having a dominant hemisphere. In the dominant hemisphere, you have a magnificent “filing system” that systematically files language in your brain. This allows you to speak, reason, have common sense, have the ability to read, and all other aspects of life that encompass speech and language. The dominant hemisphere also houses our long-term memory. We also have a sub-dominant hemisphere in our brain. This is where our creative abilities are located as well as our emotions. 

Neurodevelopment Approach to Explaining Left Brain/Right Brain
Many have heard that the left brain is for reasoning and that the right brain is for creativity. Yet in neurodevelopment, we have learned that it is more accurate to say that a person’s dominant hemisphere is for reasoning and their sub-dominant hemisphere is for creativity. Therefore if a person is truly genetically right handed, then their left brain is the dominant hemisphere for reasoning and their right brain is the sub-dominant  hemisphere for creativity. If a person is truly genetically left handed, then their right brain is the dominant hemisphere for reasoning and their left brain is the sub-dominant hemisphere for creativity. So, in essence, the notion that the left brain is only for reasoning and the right brain is only for creativity is correct only if a person is genetically right handed.

Dominance Effects Long-Term Memory
Our bodies are “cross-wired,” meaning that the left side of our body communicates with the right brain hemisphere and the right side of the body communicates with the left brain hemisphere. Therefore all sensory-motor functions on the left side of the body are controlled in the right brain hemisphere and vice versa. For instance, the right ear communicates with the left brain hemisphere and the left ear communicates with the right brain hemisphere. Because of hemispheric dominance, a person should take in sensory-motor information from the dominant eye, dominant ear, dominant hand, and dominant foot for optimal, organized learning. Therefore, if you are genetically left-handed, you are right brain dominant and will best receive and organize information in your brain through your left eye, left ear, left hand, and left foot. Remember, a person’s dominant hemisphere is for logic, reasoning, and language. Therefore, in order to be able to remember what you learn, you need to make sure that the information you learn is properly “filed” in the dominant hemisphere.

Mixed or Cross Dominance Symptoms
Mixed or cross dominance means a person is not completely dominant on one side of the body and therefore information they take in is not all properly “filed” in the dominant hemisphere of their brain. The following are common symptoms experienced by or diagnoses given to individuals who are mixed or cross dominant:

• Able to learn something one day but unable to remember it the next day
• High emotionality 
• Bi-Polar
• Stuttering
• Ambidextrous
• Dyslexia
• If using the dominant ear and not the dominant eye, they remember what they hear but not what they see (typically called auditory learners)
• If using the dominant eye and not the dominant ear, they remember what they see but not what they hear (typically called visual learners)

There is Hope!

If you or your child are experiencing any of these symptoms or have received one of these diagnoses, A Brilliant Foundation has answers! To learn more about this fascinating topic and how we can help, please contact us for a Private Consultation.