It is a fragrance connected directly to childhood. The moment you smell it there is an instant
recollection that the person wearing this unique smell has just come from the
barber shop. It is undeniable.
I know this to be true for one day, while going through the
check-out at the supermarket, the employee stopped what they were doing and
asked me, “Did you just come from the barber shop?” At that moment I knew my senses had not lied
to me all these years, my aftershave was exactly what the barber shops of
yesterday had been using.
There were, of course, many more comments over the years,
but that supermarket incident was too on the nose to ignore. There have been women who have hugged me,
simply in a friendly greeting after some absence who have lingered just a tad
longer than what is considered a normal duration. Some have just come out with, “Boy, you smell
good.”
The point to all this lies in the memory link back to childhood. The sense of smell is our strongest and most
accurate connection to our past. But
why? What is the point of this human
attribute? It doesn’t aid in our survival. It may restore a positive memory when it
comes to food. “Boy, that smells
good. My Mother used to make…”
Hypnosis tends to tap into that link, for subjects respond well
when it is activated.
“Relax. Close your
eyes. You are getting very sleepy, so
sleepy. All the pressures of the day are
falling away. You’re calm and relaxed. You’re back in grade school. Your little friends are around and happy to
see you.
What’s wrong?
Why are you getting so upset?
What’s that… your mother
is dragging you off to the barber shop, but you want to stay and play with your
friends.
Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it a stench. It’s just something the barber…
Okay, I can see you’re becoming too anxious.
You are beginning to wake up. When I snap my fingers, you will be wide
awake and feel refreshed. On the count
of three,
One…
two...”
