MAKING SENSE OF LIFE

Imagine life devoid of the sensory experience many of us take for granted. What would your life be like if, from birth, you could not hear a single sound or see what the world had to offer? What if you also had no sense of taste or could never experience the sensation of touch or even smell for that matter. There would simply be no reference for memory to form. Hang on a second…how would you know you even existed in the first place? A rather strange thing to contemplate, isn’t it?

Whilst undoubtedly being of influence throughout our life experiences, our senses go toward forming some of our most intense sources of reference (aka our memories). Flicking through the files up there in our head, we are regularly pulling one up in order to recall the sensational moments we’ve encountered somewhere in our past. The smell of a lavender filled garden may trigger the memory of Grandma’s favourite perfume, bringing an instant smile to our face. Almost as though she’s right beside us, we may forget for a moment her passing from this world not too long ago. We may go on to recall the box of chocolates on offer, always open on her kitchen table, ready to be devoured by excited grandchildren. The idea of such a memory may have us salivating whilst we relive the taste of peppermint cream. It is not too difficult to acknowledge how our senses influence our state of grief at times, such as in the case of Grandma for example.

Perhaps your grief relates to something altogether different. Perhaps it relates more so to the loss of your much-loved pet. After ten years of sharing your life with your best friend, what happens when your brain is deprived of such sensory stimulation? How does your brain relate to no longer seeing your pal run up to greet you the second you walk in the door? Do you miss the feel of their fur or the horrible smell of the cat or dog food you ritually laid out for them twice a day? What now, that the sound of the occasional meow or woof no longer fills the air? Your life with them was truly sensational wouldn’t you say?

Holding the potential when it comes to triggering happiness, fear, sadness or exhilaration, the way our brain interacts with our senses is rather amazing. With the perfect storm of sensory stimulation whipping up powerful emotion, the sound of a clinking beer bottle being removed from the fridge may put the fear of god into the mind of someone who endures domestic abuse daily (at the hands of a drunk). The sound of a crying baby, experienced by a woman who longs to give birth to her own child, can be torture whilst she struggles to come to terms with her infertility. On a much happier note, the vague yet promising smell of rain in the air at the end of an unbearably hot summer’s week can instantly re-energise mind, body and spirit. The feel of a brand-new book, along with the smell of fresh and promising pages, can draw a reader into the beginning of an adventure set to fuel the imagination.

So, how do your senses influence your life? Do you consciously use them in paving a path toward a brighter and more stimulating future or do you sub-consciously allow them to keep you imprisoned within your memories? Are you reliving traumatic experiences via your five physical senses (your vision and/or sense of touch, smell, sound or even taste)?

I shall leave you with something seriously worth contemplating; how have you formed your identity through your actual senses? How have you been describing yourself when you look in the mirror? Do you believe what you hear, regarding how others define you? Do you allow the fierce and stinging sense of touch from another who brutalises you to dictate how unworthy you are of self-love? I want you to have a good think when it comes to how you may be allowing your senses to deceive you at times, how you are permitting your brain to trick you into believing some of the lies you may be telling yourself. Imagine the possibility of consciously reinventing yourself partly through your senses, now that you are a little more aware of how powerful they can be.

Whether it involves deprivation or stimulation, you my friend are an undeniably sensational creature, something worth remembering!