How does memory recall sensations that closely mimic live senses?

As I understand it the part of the brain that the olfactory senses are centered is located in the same region of the brain as memory.

This says it better.

Heaven sent this question, I’m certain. This is a perfect one for an actor. We are always working on sense-memory for roles. It’s not enough to feel an emotion, but we have to know where in our bodies it is placed.

If I must portray sadness, I first recall a time when I was sad, and then I transform that into a physical sensation in the present moment. I have to show sadness to the audience with my body, my movements, and my words. With all of me.

I remember reading a story about the writer John Le Carre. He was traveling in a war zone and pinned down by gunfire. His guide noticed that he was furiously taking notes on a little pad he pulled out of his pocket. When they finally got clear of the battle and were safe, the guide asked him what on earth he could have possibly been writing at that frightening time.

The author calmly explained that he was making clear notes of all his physical sensations during that terrible scene – heart racing, palms sweating, etc. – to use when writing about such an experience in a future book. He was writing down his sense-memories to make his prose more real.

We are often ruled by our senses, and their memories play an important role in what it means to be human.

Now, I’m going to take a break, put a piece of good chocolate in my mouth, and let it melt slowly around my tongue.

As it’s now part of your memory, it’s part of your reality. It’s a memory that you taste, not an actual candy bar. Just as you can smell freshly cut grass during a spring shower and sense the taste and smell watermelon, you do so because you once ate watermelon. It’s like a mind sent optical illusion.