The Role of Olfaction in Memory and Emotional Processing: Implications for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Objective: Emotion and memory are central to experiential dynamic psychotherapies that value accessing unintegrated emotional experiences. Despite distinctive olfactory connections to emotion and memory circuits, olfaction remains underexplored in experiential dynamic psychotherapy. This narrative review examines olfaction, memory, and emotional processing and proposes a conceptual framework for using targeted olfactory stimulation as an evocative sensory cue in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP). Methods: This narrative review synthesized English- and Persian-language literature published between ۱۹۷۹ and ۲۰۲۶. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect between June and September ۲۰۲۶ using terms including olfaction, odor, smell, autobiographical memory, emotional processing, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and ISTDP. The search was targeted rather than exhaustive, and sources meeting explicit eligibility criteria were included. A thematic synthesis integrated findings across cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and psychotherapy and distinguished established evidence from emerging findings. Results: Olfactory cues can evoke emotionally salient autobiographical memories and engage affective and mnemonic circuits, although specificity, vividness, and intensity vary across individuals and conditions. Olfactory stimulation may influence emotional responses and mood. Preliminary research combining olfactory training with Davanloo-based interventions offers an initial basis for multimodal approaches, yet direct evidence for targeted olfactory stimulation within ISTDP remains limited.  Conclusion: Established evidence links olfaction to emotional and memory processing. However, preliminary studies suggest that combining olfactory training with psychodynamic therapy and targeted olfactory stimulation in ISTDP may be feasible, but this remains an untested hypothesis. Controlled research is needed to distinguish olfactory training from targeted olfactory stimulation and to evaluate their contributions to therapeutic outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Olfaction ، Memory ، Emotion ، Intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) ، Experiential dynamic therapy (EDT)