I was 19 and had just finished hitchhiking across the country to California when the intervention happened.
“You smell things… a lot, Devon.” That’s how it began. The request was obvious. STOP smelling everything. However, after some serious consideration I decided that having a heightened sense of smell was worth any odd glance I might garner. And the truth is — I never looked back. I relish my senses of smell and my taste. They are a defining part of the world that have been gifted me by my human lineage. We all have.
Today’s post takes on the final two of our five senses. It explores how to recognize olfactory (smell) and gustatory (taste) responses in others, how to notice trauma in those same systems, and one of the secrets to how I get profound results with my clients using my sense of smell.
Also, here’s an exercise for you: Delight in your senses of smell and taste. Do it all day. If you like it, do it again tomorrow. If you like that, keep going.
If you need instructions, here they are: Smell everything. Don’t judge. It’s not about good or bad, it’s about enjoying your sense of smell.
For taste: Chew slowly. Get your tongue involved. Eat sushi and squish it around with your tongue. Close your eyes as you chew and lose yourself in the experience of taste. If your body responds — let it. Enjoy the sensations.
And now — to the video.
