ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 raises the senses of smell, taste, touch and sound above that of sight. As the final chapter in this book, a concerted effort is made to dwell in the body and heal any residual mind-body splitting. Dreaming in this chapter resides more in the realm of reverie and imagining; images are drawn from daydreaming and memory rather than nocturnal dreams. Section A, the theoretical section, deals with each of the senses separately, emphasising their power in our bodies and in relationship with other bodies. Maurice Merleau-Ponty is a key thinker for Chapter 6 because of his dedicated focus on the perceptions of the human body as a phenomenon that is not necessarily bounded by its skin but which communicates across space in a sensory manner. Marcel Proust’s evocative writing on memories of taste, smell and sound recall a past of protected and idyllic childhood; this is balanced by the poetry of Christina Rossetti that conjures up forbidden touch and taste in the heightened sexuality of youth. Section B focuses on memories called back to reality amongst a group of people in dementia care. A case study is presented where the tactile immersion in sensory collage making, which includes music, food and textures, ignites a joy of love and laughter in the sometimes isolated existence of memory loss. The exercises of Section B are thoroughly self-indulgent, providing examples to meditate with sound; go for sense harvesting walks; garden; cook and share a meal; all with mindful attention to touch, taste, smell and sound. The eyes, which are turned inward in this chapter, become embodied servants of the more primeval senses of survival and pleasure. The busyness of the mind is put to rest in an effort to rejuvenate the body and be at one with nature.
