Sensory memory triggers
 

Do you ever taste something, smell something, touch something, see something or hear something and find yourself back somewhere else in your mind?

I ate a Rich Tea biscuit this morning and the taste took me back to my grandparents' house, and the feelings vaguely came back to me of being there long ago, not just the memory but the feelings that go with the memory - a sort of memory of being shy and vulnerable how I must have felt as a child.

I'm sure it was the taste of the biscuit that triggered these feelings. I remember my granny used to give me Nice biscuits but she pronounced them Niece biscuits. (That last bit was irrelevant - I must have had Rich Tea biscuits there as well).

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

Absolutely. This happens to me a lot.

This is also why many people get anxious when something reminds them of a nasty experience when they were a child. A simple trigger like this can transport a person right back to being that vulnerable child all over again, and all the gut feelings, the smell, the whole atmosphere of that experience feels so real again in the present.

Blue Ribband biscuits remind me of primary school, as does cheese pie. Both bring back horrible feelings in me almost 40 years later. Steralized milk reminds me of my gran's house. I can even remember the smell and atmosphere of that house now, 36 years later, as I recall the taste of that milk. Cheshire cheese (especially the white variety) does the same.

Association plays a massive part in our lives, this is why it is crucial to attach positive and happy feelings to social events, rather than negative and unhappy feelings to social events, if we are SA. If we had disasterous social contact when young, we can replay that experience back for ever more in our heads when in social contact today, unless we replace it with other experiences to counter that negative one(s) we are fixated on. So, association means everything. If a simple taste, smell or sound can take us back in time after all these years, imagine how powerful the memory of a terrifying experience can be.

I know your post was not SA based, but it is very relevant to SA too.

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

I get this all the time, but it's not usually a clear memory.

I may smell something, and I know that smell, and I know I remember it from a very early age, but just can't quite put my finger on where.

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

Great answer Innervision!

And Mico, yes the trigger sometimes brings back the feelings without the memory or the memory can be fuzzy round the edges. In my Rich Tea biscuit example the association is with my grandparents' house but I don't actually remember eating a Rich Tea biscuit there but do remember eating Nice biscuits there but the association is definitely with Rich Tea biscuits and not Nice!

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

Actually I get this mostly from music - it's like my life has had an original soundtrack playing in the background the whole time & just listening to one song can bring back tons of memories.

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

i get this quite a bit. sometimes it makes me have hilarioulsy innappropriate thoughts, when the same smell is present in two completely different situations. i'll just leave it at that.;)

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

I can often recall the smell with a memory and feeling or am reminded by the smell of something. Same with taste to a lesser extent although they are probably linked.

Malt-extract, mint sauce, pine forest on a hot day, steam locos etc.

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

I get this at times... the smell of a piece of funiture that has been french polished reminds me of being a child.
wagon wheels, and cadbury creme eggs remind me also, my dad use to pick me up from school with a egg for me,but would make me guess whether he had one,then would reveal it from his pocket, that is prob one of my fave memorys.

Re: Sensory memory triggers
 

Music is a big one for me. Not necessarily my favourite songs but obscure, cheesy songs from when I was a kid that instantly trigger childhood memories.

And smell wise, I can easily chart my best nights out by my aftershave collection!