Unlike a regular memory, which may manifest almost like a moving image or story that you can pull up and “play back” in the brain, feeling memories exist in the body as abstract sensations. Usually, they have no narrative – at least not one you can follow or make sense of.

Why do we form this other type of memory? According to Wright, it’s all to do with how the brain creates memories. As she explains, there are three distinct parts of the brain where memories are made: the frontal lobes, the limbic system and the brainstem.

When we have “non-threatening” experiences, like a holiday in Italy, the frontal lobes kick in and store the memory like a story. There may be a feeling memory associated with your holiday, such as the smell of pizza or the taste of Aperol Spritz, but these sensations will also be linked to the story they were originally attached to.

What is a ‘feeling memory’? How trauma can live in the body just like a memory