I wrote in my last post about the way our body and senses remember. This post is a suggested exercise that can help us explore the way our senses remember.
Sometimes when we deal with a memory from our past, we are busy with the story itself and try to change our attitude toward what happened or to understand the way the events influenced us. When we remember through our senses, we can broaden our understanding of events that took place in our past and more importantly the way we perceived them then. By doing so, we can find a new self- compassion, and understanding that leads us to free ourselves from responding in similar situations in a pre-programed way.
Think of a memory you desire to deal with. It doesn’t have to involve emotional trauma or a childhood trauma. It can be a simple memory that happened recently – a challenge you dealt with, an argument with a friend, a misunderstanding, a sensation of longing etc. Let your senses go back to that situation – can you remember a sound, a smell, a taste that associate with that memory? Can you remember the sensation of your skin at that moment? Think of the physical place that is connected to the event – where have you been? What did you see? What did you feel?
Let your nose remember the smell, your mouth remember the taste, your ears remember the sound. Focus only on one of the senses; the one that is the easiest for you, and take your time bringing back the experience of it. When you feel that your body remembers it, let yourself connect to whatever emotion that comes with it. Let yourself experience it, without analyzing it – feel your senses and your emotions, breathe, relax, expand your perception and let the memory accompany you. It is as if you are in a film were you don’t only see the screen but can feel what happens.
After a few minutes take a few deep breathes, do some simple stretching physical exercises. Notice how you feel at the moment and how changing your senses can be a beginning to changing your life. Notice the way you perceive the past’s event and the change in your present existence.
You can do the same exercise with positive memories in order to bring that experience back. Think of a moment in your life when you were happy, loving, felt at home, and bring the memory back by connecting to your senses then- remember something your eyes enjoyed looking at, the smell you enjoyed having, a certain feeling on your skin. Let yourself become this experience and allow your senses to teach you how to create this feeling by choice.
