OLFACTORY IMPRINT

Scent is a doorway. A tool of lucid recall. A portal to memory. Déjà vu. A nexus of associative learning. A muse of mystery and attraction. 

Olfactory imprinting refers to the profound and direct connection between scent and memory, illustrating how specific scents can evoke vivid recollections and emotions. This phenomenon is rooted in the anatomy and function of the olfactory system, which includes the olfactory nerve that transmits information about aromas directly to the brain's limbic system—home to emotions and memory processing.

A Sense of Mystery

Our sense of smell is perhaps the most evasive and alluring of all. It is the only sense that connects us to a direct, evocative relationship to that which is unseen, silent and beyond touch. Extraordinary scents are very difficult to describe. They transport, illicit emotion, memory, and access to the realms of dreams and déjà vu that linger on the tip of your tongue, just outside the peripheral view, yet summon a deep knowing, primal merging and unmistakable association.

Scent and Memory

Scent is remarkably powerful in accessing and forming memories. Scent-based memories are by far more vivid, distinct and emotionally evocative than image-based memories alone. If you have ever experienced a distinct scent like freshly cut grass and felt completely transported to a time or place in your life, then you have experienced this powerful connection. Imagine the smell of cut grass. Smell it. Feel it. Now, conjure the image of cut grass. Need we say more?

...to be continued...