Orientation: 
Hi, class. Please grab a beverage and head to the Ship’s Blending Lab for your favourite seat. to get there, go to Deck 2 using the forward stairwell.
Take a left and walk straight until you see the sign for the Blending Lab on the right, adjacent to the Distillation Deck.
Once seated, relax and engage in self-study by reading about using essential oils to grow your inner magician. This introductory class on the mind has a few short videos on essential oils and the brain to enjoy.
There is also a link to a podcast where Catherine interviews Robert on ways to Rejuvenate the Brain.
How Essential Oils Affect the Mind
The psychological properties of each essential oil vary. Every single compound within each oil has a potential effect on mood and perception. Essential oils breathed in through the nose have a direct root to the brain, where they hit
the limbic system and the right and left hemispheres.
The effects of oils on the brain are significant. A single essential oil can contain many different compounds, although the complexity of each oil varies.
The limbic system deals with emotions, and many people have a feeling response when they smell something aromatic. This has partly to do with linking.
memory with a scent. The brain is very sophisticated, and we constantly learn more about it.
Some of the brain’s left hemisphere’s abilities involve writing, spelling, reading, and simple math.
The right hemisphere is more poetic and plays a part in higher mathematics and music. Being right or left-handed influences your brain setup. The brain is cross-lateral, meaning right-handed people are usually left-brain dominant and vice versa.
I noticed how this played out when I worked with a landscape group. I was the writer, planner, and event organizer. I was the only right-handed person out of a group of 12. All the other individuals, who were more spatially gifted than me, worked as landscapers and designers.
It was unusual to be the only right-handed person in a group; usually, right-handed people are in the majority. It also fits with the theory that many left-handed people find employment in design. Hopefully, we all quest to optimize the use of our whole brain despite tending one hemisphere to dominate.
How people respond to scent and aromatherapy is a science that has yet to be discovered; there is much subjectivity. Oils are complex, and people are even more so. So, recognize that the psychological aspect of aromatherapy deals with trends, not absolutes.
(Psychological aromatherapy is explored more deeply in the Advanced Aromatherapy Course, but we also touch on it sometimes in the introductory program.)
Recent studies concur that essential oils affect our emotions and minds.
Essential Oils Can Boost Your Brain and Mood
Essential oils are not just for making a room smell nice; they could be the key to feeling better and thinking clearer. Imagine a natural way to lift your mood, ease stress, and sharpen your focus, all by inhaling the scents of certain plants. Researchers like Cui and colleagues 2022 have discovered that when we breathe in these oils, they can travel directly to the brain, targeting areas that control our emotions and mood. This means essential oils like lavender or citrus might help us feel calmer or more alert.
Another team, Fung et al., 2021, found that essential oils work through our sense of smell and respiratory system. This double action could explain why essential oils make us feel emotionally and physically better. Whether helping us relax or giving us an emotional lift, these oils uniquely impact our brain and body.
For those working in high-stress jobs, like nurses, Kerr and his team in 2021 showed that diffusing citrus oils at work made a real difference in reducing stress and improving mood. It’s fascinating that diffusing essential oils could positively change a demanding environment.
And it’s not just about feeling good; essential oils might also help our brain work better. In 2023, research by Ueda et al. explored how inhaling lemon, sandalwood, and other oils could change brain activity, potentially improving memory and attention. This opens up exciting possibilities for using essential oils to boost our cognitive functions.
So, what does this all mean for us? These delightful scents could be a powerful tool for improving our mental health and cognitive abilities. Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, boost your mood, or sharpen your mind, it might be as simple as taking a deep breath of your favourite essential oil.
References
Inhalation Aromatherapy via Brain-Targeted Nasal Delivery: Natural Volatiles or Essential Oils on Mood Disorders – Jieqiong Cui et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022.
Therapeutic Effect and Mechanisms of Essential Oils in Mood Disorders: Interaction between the Nervous and Respiratory Systems – T. Fung et al., International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021.
Effects of diffused essential oils for reducing stress and improving mood for clinical nurses: An interventional time series study. – D. Kerr et al., Nursing Forum, 2021.
Effects of inhaling essential oils of Citrus limonum L., Santalum album, and Cinnamomum camphora on human brain activity – K. Ueda et al., Brain and Behavior, 2023.
Video on Scent and Mental Performance:
One study found perfumes and artificial scents confuse the brain’s right hemisphere. In contrast, natural scents, like essential oils, help the right hemisphere work more efficiently.
We all have unique limbic systems and feelings. Just because we like a scent does not mean others will. It is like an aesthetic style we all have different preferences.
Of course, there are trends in fashion and scents, but most people agree that plant scents smell better than rotting garbage or sewage. Yet, cultural preferences, age, gender, sophistication, and individual variation all play a role in determining what people like. The more they are exposed to different aromatic scents, the more their tolerance increases. It is comparable to wine drinkers developing a more sophisticated palate over time. This subjectivity is part of the pleasure of aromatherapy. In this course, we want you to explore your preferences and memories with scent.
Now that you know how essential oils affect mood, you may choose to become an aromatic magician and use the knowledge to enhance your environment.
Mood Creation: Become A Magi of Mood
Creating an Olfactory Scent Album is one way to become a Magi of Mood.
While you work with essential oils, you should use them to boost and enhance your moods. If you feel rose is a romantic scent, like many people do, you can use it to heighten romantic situations.
We did this years ago when we were married. The flower girls sprinkled rose petals on the staircase as I came down the stairs with my dad. Rose oil was diffused into the air to give the heavy rose aroma we both loved. On our anniversary, we use rose oil to reinforce that memory. It helps bring up some of the subconscious feelings of that particular day.
You, too, can put together scent kits to reuse for special days.
Here are some examples:
Birthdays- handmade, aromatic gifts and room scents custom-made according to the preferences of the person celebrating. An aromatic foot rub, shoulder rub, or bath might be very appreciated.
Wedding Anniversaries and, of course- Christmas
Cinnamon, fir, ginger, orange, clove, and spruce are used this way at Christmas. Scents help to create and evoke memories. You can make any occasion a little more special by using aromatherapy to develop and reinforce moods consciously. Be aware that not everyone will like the scents you choose and that some might even be sensitive or allergic, so please check preferences first to avoid disappointments.
You may also assemble fantastic Christmas and birthday gifts with the aromatic products you now know how to make.
Check your Practical Potions Journal by scrolling down the page to the Download section for more recipes and ideas on becoming a Magi of Mood!
Downloads
Audio Link to You, the Universe and the Holistic Mind-Catherine Potter Interviews Robert –
Rejuvenate Your Brain-
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/you-the-universe-the-holistic-mind/id1466890633?i=1000443979799