Are You Sensitive To Smells?

[bonnecanyon]

I've discovered over the past few years that I've become more and more sensitive around strong smells/odors. I usually start to sneeze and have to leave the area. Does anyone else suffer from this?

Some of the things that bother me are:

- perfume
- cleaning products
- smoke
- air fresheners
- chemicals
- unidentified smells in buildings
- body odor

 

[bonnecanyon]

I remembered another one. This one is especially true when going home at night in the parking lot:

- car exhaust

 

[onebravegirl]

This is quite common. When we experience a traumatic even it is our whole body-all the senses-that record it. Sounds, phrases,smells,tastes you name it are all connected to our memories of the event. A smell can bring you right back to a memory, even one you have forgotten. This is partly why it can be mystifying when we are triggered sometimes because sometime the smell connects to the memory before a thought does!
The nose knows!
A friend of mine used to carry lemon oil extract in his pocket. He would rub it on his hands and then cup his hands to his face and breathe it in deeply. The strong, fresh, clean smell of the lemons helped him take his mind off the other unpleasant scents around him that triggered him. If he had to go somewhere like underground parking or be around someone that wore a certain type of perfume, it would help him cope!
O