GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Audio and the “Alzheimer’s triggers”

Post Subject: 'Lost memory' revival triggersPosted by Axel on: 8/13/2009

Romy,
you might have read more than 3 words only of my Bartók posting, and what you are now posting is EXACTLY what I was on about when I said:
"Bartók can stir emotional reactions, that can take one back to pictures and related feeling way back into childhood and then to other places during ones life also. If music 'connects' it can evoke such 'lost' feelings and notions, somehow re-connecting them into the present -- they are actually not lost, just temporarily forgotten."

Whether this is Alzheimer triggered by the 'right' sounds I would not know, since as you mentioned, I would have to have had Alzheimer then from 20 or 30 years back ~ ? Maybe not a good thing to think, - having seen an aunt of mine going that way. But yes, the old memory being well in tact and all the 'new' stuff (5 min. old) getting 'de-registered' that's Alzheimer the way I've seen it.

Now the question if it is music only, or mostly, that can provide the trigger.
In my own experience it is NOT. Very seldom as mentioned, I found some 'long lost smell memory' will make -lost memory- re-surface, and more often an 'unusual' colour or better, blend / mix of colours. Example: the twisted sugar candy sticks with vivid colours sort of twirled up in that candy stick. It is usually something that is not seen or heard anymore after the memory has been buried, and the unusual re-occurrence of the colour(s), smell, or tone event will re-surface the memory.
The question remains: why would the dissonant sound sequence of a Bartók Violin Sonata take you into a place along a some city street walking, age 5, from Kindergarten back home?
It is the MOOD I guess that is re-reflected that you held in your emotions that is evoked by the music, maybe a little lost, lonesome, ponderous, floating some where undefined. Maybe not too unusual for a child to feel, but this sort of detached 'floating' (Verinnerlichung... =~ Internalization) just 'being in the moment' is later in live not really much happening anymore, and I guess due to increased worries by demands of all sorts put on one .

Something like that I suspect can be the case. The good thing is, that these type of re-awakened memory-snippets are usually pleasant - even if of some sweet sadness, feeling of some vague loss, or such.

Axel

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