What's this weird reversed memory-olfactory stimulation thing that's going on?

In all seriousness, I’ve had some random seeming weird things like that happen to me. Just trace pieces of a memory that in turn excite a sensation of some kind, or a recollection of a smell or even in some cases, a noise. They all seem to have visual triggers. I’ve always thought it was due to either the facts that I’m weird and don’t fit in with the population in general, and that I went to high school in the seventies and dropped a lot of acid.

lol… I’ve never dropped acid… hee hee… but it is weird don’t you think! can you tell me of the other weird stuff that’s happened to you? I’ve always thought that I didn’t fit in…specifically because I thought no-one else thought like I did at the age of 11 and that I thought I was going to die by 21, thought my brain was going to explode I had that many deep and prolific thoughts…...and other stuff… Indeed you might not be alone!

@lynneblundell, that’s good to know. I had a full blown flash back once while I was safely home in bed. I actually heard a slide projector, you know how the fan whirrs? Then I heard the click/slide of a slide going into the slot and saw on the inside of my eyelids the most breathtaking panoramic view. It was from a mountain, I suppose. I could see such detail of a beautiful vista, of another mountain, trees, a lake. It was… a beautiful place. Maybe Colorado. I don’t know. I looked at it for I don’t know how long. Then I heard the slide/click of another slide going into the slot and saw the picture slide to one side and another take its place. It was another beautiful view of somewhere. I saw a show of maybe five or six incredibly beautiful scenes, and then it was over.
That’s probably the strangest and most specific. Other times as I said, I just get a whiff of memory that slips through my fingers like smoke.

I did like acid as well, made myself quit after a half dozen times because I reckoned I’d get lost in it. I see things all the time in movies or tv shows that tug at me but never any smells. Pretty neat effect. I wonder if it would happen again with the same film?

Yupp, Happens to me at times. I remember a smell but i dont smell it physically…I just know the smell. Its weird but its cool lol.

@lynneblundell: Is there any pattern to the experiences? I.e. smells associated with particular colour organisations or shapes?

What you describe reminds me of synaesthesia.

It’s quite possible that you have synæsthesia.

Also, it’s possible that your brain is really really cool. Take it out for drinks.

That is really cool. I don’t have those experiences, but I wish I did! You might be the future of human evolution. keep working at it!

@the100thmonkey no, no pattern as such…yet..but will keep a track on it and let you know! if anything there is always something a bit dark about the memory… something I can’t quite put my finger on… something not particularly nice… but not sure yet as I say…

I’ve heard of synaethesia before but never really read up on it… I do seem to experience a lot of what they describe in that article… very interesting!

@RAWRxRandy yes, that’s exactly it!

The limbic system in the modern human brain is deeply involved in the processing of emotion and linking emotion to memory.
In the early humanoid brain, that is, in the brain of primitive humans, the limbic system was more involved in processing smell.

Thus the same brain structure that used to be our “smell brain” now connects emotion to memory.

See a connection here?

On a separate note, two years ago while visiting in Montreal, the city where I grew up, I passed a location that had all modern commercial and wholesale properties. Oddly enough I smelled potato chips. The smell was very strong!

The location once held a factory. The Humpty Dumpty potato chip plant operated there when I was a child!

so… I’m experience some kind of deep emotional trauma that my smell brain is alerting me to…. when I see these images… :-/?

@lynneblundell I read something about engrams a long time ago. I can’t remember all that it said, but something like; when an event happened at whatever age, other things were also happening at the same time. You consciously remember the event, but the other things are still there at a subconscious level. A smell, or more than one smell, noises, background atmosphere. All this information is attached to the memory. When a trigger happens later, the memory is partially brought to the surface alnog with the accompanying associations. The smells, sounds, etc. Or one of the smells or sounds can actually be the trigger, and bring up all or part of the memory and associated emotions. You, in a sense, relive or partially relive the experience. The emotions are unrelated to whatever you are doing at the time and seem therefor out of place and sinister. Not necessarily that the memory is bad, although it can be, but that it is completely out of your current context.
I don’t know how valid this is. I think the author of the book was L. Ron Hubbard, so….
It made sense to me though.

@lynneblundell No trauma need be involved. Just some memory that is important to you in some way.

I just saw the movie SHUTTER ISLAND.
In the scene where the chief doctor lights up his pipe and smokes it. I smelled a pleasing sweet pipe tobacco. As soon as I noticed myself smelling this scent was when it stopped.

Also, I think that as soon as this kind of thing happens in my life, then I read this topic here is another mystical mystery phenomenin happenin! Synchronicity.

I get this all the time whenever I smell surfboard wax or zinc cream, there I am back at the first beach I ever surfed at as a kid.

Is this called reliving? To re-live not just remember but actually experience most of the sensations that were around on the day that left the impact.

Pretty cool eh?