The Comforting Scent of the Past

Welcome Muse Callers to the Inspiration Holler!

Many of us tend to rely on past experience to guide our creative work, but how do you access those precious memories in crystal clear detail? The buried wealth of nostalgic magic that’s waiting to be sparked? At least when you aren’t being held hostage to trauma.

Scent is a huge driver of memory recall and, in turn, inspiration. If you’ve ever walked past a restaurant and suddenly been transported to childhood, telling whoever you’re with all about your grandmother’s homemade such and such, then you have experienced what is known as the Proust Phenomenon. 

The link between scent and auto-biographical memories is a wonder first noted by French Novelist and Literary critic Marcel Proust. He described an encounter with a cup of tea and a madeleine cookie in which he was wistfully transported back to time spent with his grandmother. This ability to stir and cause us to recall our past in a flashback-like reverie state and its effect on our connection to our art and the Muse may seem largely out of our control.

That isn’t entirely true; once we have identified our scent triggers, we may be able to elicit this reaction. A study done in 2016 named The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health suggests the benefits of making this exercise a part of your mental health and creative inspiration routine.

“A review of the literature leads to the conclusion that odors that evoke positive autobiographical memories have the potential to increase positive emotions, decrease negative mood states, disrupt cravings, and reduce physiological indices of stress, including systemic markers of inflammation.”— Abstract, The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health by Rachel Herz.

What does that mean? Well, it means that when we use scents, or “aromatherapy,” if you will, with a purpose specifically to induce Positive Autobiographical memory recall, it can help reduce stress and possibly even inflammation. This is one of the big reasons I alternate my writing and keep plenty of light in my life.

Even though there is no getting out of the trauma processing, capturing the glimmers and meditating on the precious moments I did have is so important to my healing and survival. Sometimes, as a trauma survivor, you can be ridden with feelings of guilt for remembering any good times, for thinking any positive thoughts about your abusers, but that isn’t a bad thing. Every single good moment in my life needs to be hung on to, treasured, and enshrined in the golden light it deserves.

Those good memories have healing power; they help lighten the load the painful, wracking storm clouds take on my soul. I have long used scents daily to improve my mood and avoided triggering scents that have a negative impact on my mood. I hadn’t considered incorporating it into my writing routine until I read the above article. It is but one in a complete toolbox for tempting the muse and opening the channels of creativity.

Unfortunately, there is no all-purpose aromatherapy kit for creativity. No first love’s lost diffuser recipe, no grandma’s house scratch, and sniff because every brain and scent combination is different. Different flavor and aroma combinations could remind my brother and me of summer amusement park trips or winters shoveling snow. For example, I hate the scent of vanilla. No, scratch that; it’s a trauma trigger, and I am willing to bet most people have fond memories attached in some way or another to that scent.

So, that is the first part of this exercise. Identify your positive memory scent triggers. Write them down, maybe even note how strong the reaction is. You can make a note if any variables yield more robust results. Does diffusing the essential oil into a room work if lavender reminds you of a particular place or event? Will obtaining a bouquet with lavender flowers do the trick, is it better or worse? What will visiting a field full of lavender do?

The Scent of Taste

It depends on the air
But just now
Wafting through my
Space and hair

Gooey cinnamon apples 
Even though it’s
The middle of May
Crisp, juicy,
Jealousy green

Slowly braised in the liquids 
They produced
Little by little
Healthy spoonfuls 
Of freshly grated cinnamon 
Brown sugar
Molasses notes mixing in
I smell others, too
A party
Mingling nutmeg 
Cardamom, and clove

A single whiff 
Is enough to 
Instantly produce
Copious amounts of
Dribbling spit
Sucking it back
Into my throat
Prior to it hitting my chin

Memories of apple pie
Hot cobbler
Mulling cider 
With sticks and berries
Floating round
Picking apples 
Right off the tree
A sweet, woody scent

But that’s all gone
Since there’s rarely 
A slice of pie
As tasty as the ones 
Of your memory

K.B. Silver

Herz, Rachel. “The Role of Odor-Evoked Memory in Psychological and Physiological Health.” Brain Sciences, vol. 6, no. 3, 19 July 2016, p. 22, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039451/, https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci6030022. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.