There is an article in the NY Times this week by a person with "phantosma", a condition in which one has olfactory hallucinations. In this particular case, a real olfactory experience gives rise to the persistent re-experience of the odor. This raises the question of whether this is actually an olfactory hallucination or an intrusive memory comparable to the types of memories that people with PTSD report about their traumatic experience. The article doesn't make this connection but it does suggest how certain cognitive techniques might be useful in dealing with the condition (e.g., focusing attention on something else instead of the re-experienced odors). For more, see: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11cases.html?_r=1&ref=science
Didn't Proust in his "In Search of Lost Time" series (NOTE: the French title "A la Recherche du Temps Perdu" was previously translated as "Remembrance of Things Past") give odor memories a particular role in his narrative? I have a newly obtained set of "Lost Time" but have not had the time to read it yet. Any Proust scholars out there? Or are they all watching "Little Miss Sunshine"? ;-) -Mike Palij New York University m...@nyu.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
