PsychoAroma-Advanced
The Olfactory Process & The Aromatic Mind
Orientation-
Your animated companion will give you the course sequence and overview. Take a moment to listen.
Psyche’s Sanctuary is set up for emotional and psychological work. It is an excellent place to explore essential oils, the mind, and emotions. Grab your beverage and a notepad, and head over there.
From the main stairwell, proceed to Deck 5. Turn aft and proceed to the end of the corridor; Psyche’s Sanctuary is on the right, overlooking the stern. Take some time to read over the chapter.
Many new concepts are here. Get comfortable in one of the seats in the Sanctuary. Read the notes below. Get cozy as you watch many short but important videos. We have worked with our animated helpers to create these videos.
A Voki video features Moira the Mermaid under Aromatherapy and Emotional States. There is a short video on scent and the brain. Enjoy the voyage into the aromatic mind.
Aroma and The Brain Video- Animated
Introduction:
The human nose can detect up to 10,000 different odours in minute concentrations.
Fragrance enters our nose with our breath. The olfactory epithelium is at the top and on both sides of the upper nasal cavity. It is covered with a thin layer of mucus. The aromatic molecules migrate through the mucus to about 10 million olfactory nerves. Each nerve cell carries a bundle of tiny hairs or cilia equipped with different receptor cells to fit the shape of each aromatic molecule. The receptors then transmit odour along the nerve fibres through electric impulses to the olfactory bulb, passing the stimulus to other relevant brain parts.
The oils invade our brains and bloodstream. They are the only known medium besides drugs with molecules small enough to penetrate the blood/brain barrier. This trait gives them the ability to influence moods.
A COMPARISON OF SCENT-DETECTING OLFACTORY CELLS-
Kate and Peter Damian- 1995 Scent and Psyche say:
A) Humans 5- 10 million olfactory cells
B) Rabbits – 100 million olfactory cells
C) Blood Hounds – 3 million times more than humans
Some Interesting Facts About Scent-
Our autonomic Nervous System changes our heartbeat, depth of breathing and digestive processes.
Sub Conscious Level- Right brain. Stimulates imagination and evokes inspiration.
Neurotransmitter release is caused by scent.
Our Bodies Respond to Scent-
Women living together or even working together will often have synchronized menstrual periods.
This occurs when pheromones are released in sweat, signalling the cycle. Women ovulate more readily around males’ musky, acidic sweat.
Olfactory Communication:
In animals, smell provides the primary motivation for approach and avoidance behaviour. Olfaction may still be the foundation of this same response in humans. Clinical observations indicate that couples with odour incompatibility have unsuccessful relationships.
Unlike visual or oral stimuli, which the cerebral cortex processes, odour passes straight to the olfactory bulb, where it is given immediate feeling value. This accounts for why we can be affected by odours without being conscious of our reaction. The information bypasses the cerebral cortex and enters the limbic system’s innermost centers.
NEUROTRANSMITTER RELEASE CAUSED BY SCENT
A) ENCEPHALINE– Reduces pain, creates euphoria
B ) ENDORPHINS– Reduce pain, stimulate sexual
feelings
C) SERATONIN– Relaxes and calms
D) NOR-ADRENALINE- Stimulates awareness
These neurotransmitters influence the limbic system, which heavily influences sexuality, impulses of attraction, aversion, motivation, moods, memory and creativity. The perfumers of old have always known how scent works. Attraction and scent are highly related.
Psycho Aroma-
(The following information is adapted from Julia Lawless)
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE EFFECT OF OILS ON PEOPLE
1) Quantity of odour
2) How it is applied
3) Circumstances of application
4) Individual characteristics (age, sex, personality type)
5) Mood person started in
6) Previous associations with odour
7) Anosmia or inability to smell certain scents
8) Expectations or thoughts about the odour.
Psycho Aroma- Video
Serena, a therapist from the Ship, narrates.
Aromatherapy and the Emotional States
If any essential oils are used on the skin, as in a bath or massage, ensure they are at safe, non-irritating levels. With some essential oils, this is under 1%. Practice the usual cautions; do not use them if the woman is pregnant or breastfeeding. Be careful with allergies and avoid stimulating essential oils for epilepsy. Please do not use them with children under three years old.
Essential Oils and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder is an issue in northern climates, such as Canada. Robert Tisserand has an excellent article below. Press the link to access it.
Essential Oils and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Moira the Mermaid Video on the Emotional States- Video
ANGER
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
chamomile Roman, tangerine, ylang-ylang
ANXIETY
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
bergamot, cedarwood, fir, jasmine enfleurage, lemon, lime, neroli, petitgrain bigarade, pine, spruce- (rub onto adrenal glands, top of kidneys, in the morning).
ASTRAL BODY- Coming Back to Earth
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
cedar red, rose, rosemary, thyme, vetiver- apply to soles of feet.
CONFIDENCE (LACK OF)
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
fir, jasmine – Or your favourite essential oil that best expresses your essence.
Also, try larch as a flower essence.
CONFUSION
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
lemon, rosemary, petitgrain
DEPRESSION
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage
bergamot, clary sage, geranium, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lime, melissa, neroli, peppermint, petitgrain, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, spearmint, thyme lemon, ylang-ylang
DEPRESSION (POSTNATAL)
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage
bergamot, clary sage, jasmine
DREAMS
APPLICATION METHODS: diffuser, bath, on your pillow,
mugwort, clary, frankincense
EMOTIONAL SHOCK
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
melissa, neroli, rose-( five flower, as a flower essence- internally.)
FATIGUE, NERVOUS, INTELLECTUAL
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage
basil, clove bud, juniper, lemon, nutmeg, peppermint, rosemary,- or olive Flower Essence.
GRIEF
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
Melissa, neroli, and Rose- apply rose to the heart area.
MEMORY (POOR)
APPLICATION METHODS: diffuser, massage, –
basil, black pepper, clove bud, ginger root, lemon, juniper, petitgrain, rosemary, and peppermint. Tisserand says rosemary may increase one’s memory up to 70%.
Think about using an oil with which the person has a positive history, as this can evoke older happy memories.
Sniffing Rosemary Can Increase Memory By 75%
NERVOUS SYSTEM
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
bergamot, cedarwood, fir, lemon, lime, pepper, peppermint, petitgrain bigarade, pine, sage lavender, savoury, spearmint, spruce, lemon thyme
NERVOUS TENSION
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage, friction/unguent
geranium, lavender, marjoram, melissa, neroli, orange, rose, tangerine, ylang-ylang
NERVOUSNESS
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
chamomile roman, neroli, orange, tangerine, verbena lemon. Someone who is very outdoorsy may like a little fir essential oil.
PSYCHIC WORK
Application Methods: diffuser, bath, massage, during meditation, dabbed onto forehead or pillow.
Cedarwood, cistus, elemi, frankincense, mugwort, myrrh or niaouli. Only use myrrh in an air-type diffuser after thinning it out by blending it with thin oils, as it may ruin your diffuser.
SADNESS
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage,
jasmine, orange, rose,
STRESS
APPLICATION METHODS: bath, diffuser, massage
cedarwood, clary, fir, lavender, pine, spruce, ylang-ylang- placed on a moustache.
Psycho Aroma – Student Video Project by Tanya Wells
Psycho Aroma & Flower Essences
Student Project Leanne McKinnon
The psycho aromatherapy section caught my attention because it is how I use essential oils with my clients. I am, first and foremost, a flower essence practitioner, and that is my modality when working with people and the issues they would like to address and heal. However, when it is an emotional issue, pairing it with an aromatherapy mixture is particularly helpful in a beautiful marriage.
The flower essences may take time to show themselves fully to the person on the 28-day lunar journey. However, they start working as soon as they are administered to the body on the entire vibratory level, perhaps even when the mixture is formulated and given to them. It takes time to manifest and show the shift to us in real time so that we can feel the change in our minds and actions. Sometimes, a dream will show us the shift. Aromatherapy, on the other hand, can instantly change mood levels for people; it works much faster on an emotional level. People respond very well to that quick level of change. It makes them feel in charge of their emotions more powerfully.
So, on the one hand, you have the flower essences working their magic when they are transferred from the blood to the nervous system to the brain vibrationally and on the other hand, you have the aromatherapy essential oil vapours going straight from the olfactory system in the nose to the Limbic system of the brain on a physiological course. It can go in three pathways from this Limbic system of the brain. One is to the amygdala, in charge of memory, learning and emotional levels; one is to the cortex, where intellectual thoughts are processed, and the third is to the hypothalamus, the master gland, which then goes to where we control our aggression, our adrenals, our sexual response, our pituitary functions and sexual glands. The pathway to the amygdala and our memory learning and emotional levels are what I would like to explore a bit in this presentation.
The aromatherapy institute has a great chart on how essential oil scents can assist with different emotional issues we experience. There are sedation scents that can be administered for the nervous system, i.e. anxiety, tension, stress, hypertension, insomnia, and anger. There are scent regulators for mood swings, scent stimulants for lethargy and boredom, and even immune deficiency. Euphoric scents for depression or lack of confidence, mental stimulant scents for memory and mental fatigue. Finally, aphrodisiac scents for emotional coldness, impotence, and frigidity. Using this guide for the different essential oils that are proven helpers in these areas can help people with shifts in their mood and function very quickly when inhaled as vapours into the nose and lungs, with a few provisos.
The lungs will bring it to the bloodstream and then into the heart, liver, tissues, organs, etc. and then excrete it through the skin, kidneys – bladder, and lungs again. The nose pathway to the Limbic part of the brain, as discussed earlier, has an emotional and mental effect on people because it can bypass the cortex, the intellectual part of the brain, and goes first to the amygdala and hit our memories before going to the cortex seconds later where we intellectualize things and sometimes override our first instincts. People can be stopped in their tracks when a scent hits them, like apple pie baking in an oven, and it can take them to a memory of when they have smelled that scent before; whether it is good or bad is up to the association of the smell to the memory. If it is a good memory, it can bring happiness or feelings of security, for example, special occasions full of good times. If it is a bad memory or someone getting lousy news while smelling the apple pie, it can be a visceral gut punch to the person when they smell that scent. These things can be rerouted if recognized and worked with, of course, but until then, that pathway is ingrained with memory linked to emotion.
Essential oils are the only known medium besides drugs with molecules small enough to penetrate the blood/brain barrier; this trait allows them to influence moods. The neurotransmitters released by scent are encephalin, which reduces pain and creates euphoria; endorphins, which also reduce pain and stimulate sexual feelings; serotonin, which relaxes and calms; and nor-adrenaline, which promotes awareness. These four neurotransmitters influence the limbic system, which is responsible for or at least heavily influences our feelings of sexuality, impulses of attraction or aversion, motivation, moods, memory and creativity. What we smell like can repulse or attract partners; they are highly related to most living things.
While single odours are more pronounced, blends are thought to be more pleasant and gain better access to the central nervous system. The brain will reject foul odours, considering that when we smell things that are rank, we wrinkle our noses to show our disgust. We are repulsed and will try to avoid that scent, moving away if possible unless we are on a crowded elevator. It is important to work with people on scents that are agreeable to them, which is a proposal that I alluded to earlier.
Many factors will influence this decision for what works with people. Doing an aromatherapy interview with them will help with information so that you can base these decisions on what you want to put in their custom blend. The most critical information is allergies or scents that must be avoided due to dislike and the caution of using essential oils for pregnant and nursing mothers, children under three, and epileptic issues. Then, what mood do you need to change? If it is anger, then you need scents that are calming. Please let me know when you’re applying for it. If it is before bed, then you need some sedation as well. If it is while driving, something calming but uplifting would be more appropriate. Is it for depression? Massaging oils into the body is more effective than inhaling, so a combination of spray and oils should be used after the bath or shower. The effect of some essential oils changes with the amount used, which is also important to note. Gender and age can play a role. Women’s nervous systems are more sensitive and are more responsive to aromatherapy. However, when treating clients, I find that men like something more physical, like essential oils, rather than the notion of flower essences, which is not relatively as straightforward to people.
A note about odour receptors: they are found throughout the body, not just in the olfactory epithelium. They have been found in the liver, heart, skin, kidneys, spleen, colon, lungs, testes and the brain.
Case Studies–
I want to present two case studies I have done to show the psycho-aromatherapy effect on my clients, how they have worked for them, and how they pair beautifully with flower essences.
The following is a case study of a 40-year-old woman I interviewed for a flower essence remedy. She mentioned that I would also help her 12-year-old daughter, who had trouble sleeping at night. When asked leading questions, it was determined that the daughter was having self-esteem issues and anxiety. Anxiety is my lane, having dealt with it for myself and with my daughter for many years. I sent her daughter a flower essence remedy of larch and aspen and a spray bottle of lavender at 5% dilution. The flower essences could be taken in the morning and at night, and the spray was to be used when going to bed, as determined by the daughter. At our 28-day recap interview for the woman, I inquired about the daughter and how she was doing, as she hadn’t 
Come up at all, and she had taken quite a bit of the initial interview time. The mother was so concerned. She said bedtime is not an issue now; she is going to bed, sleeping with no problems, and feeling much better about life. She was very grateful and sent a thank you card signed by both. I was reminded of something Robert said to us in class. Once something is fixed, people don’t think about it anymore, and it is true. Once the issue was resolved, it was set aside, and I had to remind the client about the problem to bring it to the table this time. It is exciting and a good case for having good notes on initial interviews.
Another case study of mine involved a 45-year-old man who was having anger issues. I made up a flower essence remedy and a spray to help him when upset. The spray comprised fir needle at 3%, lemon at 1% and lavender at 1%. He had mentioned that when he goes camping, it resets him, and he feels better. When I gave him the spray and he tried it, he couldn’t believe how good it smelled; he just loved it. He said he 
He kept it while driving, and when someone made him mad, he would pull over, spray it, and start laughing. He said it helped. He called me when he was out of the spray but not out of the flower essences, which I thought was very interesting. He is an ongoing work in progress and may take more than this lifetime to sort out, but of course, it is not for me to say.
I could go on with several more examples, as I love pairing the modalities together for many of my clients, but the point is made. I love how the two work together. It is a beautiful marriage of vibrational and physiological healing. The aromatherapy is fast acting and works in real-time but can be fleeting, leaving the client back to where they started after it wears off, whereas the flower essences can take longer to work but shine light where it is dark, and that can’t be taken away. The aromatherapy might keep them in a state of belief, so they will continue to take the flower essences throughout the journey. I also can subscribe to herbs to help with physical ailments and regimes such as exercise, meditation, afformations, and other actions that all work together to put people in a natural healing place. To be able to turn on people’s inner healers is pure magic. I am grateful to my teachers for instilling this knowledge in me and sharing their practices and everything else they brought to the table during our time together. Everything cited in this paper is from what they have taught me both orally in class and our notes.
Go to Practical Potions 2 Journal Downloads Below for some interesting charts on how scent affects us Psychologically.