Essential Oils for your soul: Uses and Effects

Do you get this too? You walk past a bakery and a hint of cinnamon pours out through the doors. Immediately a comfortably warm feeling arises in your stomach. It could be a memory of your childhood, Christmas and mum's freshly baked goods that will awaken and wrap you like a warm, protective coat. This pleasant feeling might be with you for a long time; until it fades again and gives way to a new sensory impression in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could capture such moments or even let them arise? The good news is: yes, you can!

With scents - e.g. B. in the form of essential oils - we can consciously influence our mood and emotional state and improve them in a targeted manner.

HOW FRAGRANCES AND ESSENTIAL OILS EFFECT OUR PSYCHE

Smelling

Smell is one of our oldest senses - much older than sight or hearing! The first living beings - ancient animals in the primordial seas - had neither eyes, ears nor noses. Only with the help of chemoreceptors they could z. B. Identify potential food sources.

“A person cannot smell what is smell without having a feeling of unpleasantness or pleasure.” Aristotle (384 - 324 BC)

And it is no coincidence that our olfactory organ is located at the entrance to our airways. Because we can “scan” our surroundings for smells and smells with every breath.

A sweet scent promised edible fruit, but the smell of smoke could mean danger from a bush fire; and even the choice of sexual partner was largely determined by the smell. The sense of smell was vital for our ancestors. To this day, the importance of smelling has certainly declined in favour of seeing and hearing.

But still - even if mostly unconsciously - smells influence our mood and our well-being.

Scent preferences can be stored in our DNA, that is, innate, or they can also be “learned”. That we e.g. like sweet and fruity fragrances is something we were born with. Because the ability to recognise edible fruits was vital for a long time.

Likewise, the aversion to “bad” smells is innate, because it warns us about spoiled food or poisonous plants. But fragrance preferences can also be acquired through personal experience or be culturally shaped. Either way: Smells that we perceive as pleasant create well-being, while bad smells create discomfort.

Scents and memories

Because scent and smell impressions are processed together with feelings in the limbic system, scents are often strongly associated with shared memories and feelings. An example of this is the cinnamon scent mentioned at the beginning, which many people generally associate with Christmas.

In the same way, scents can also be linked to unpleasant memories. For some, the usually very popular scent of lavender could also conjure up bad memories - the boring visits to grandma, or the smell coming out of an old closet which had lavender bags to prevent moths to settle. So you see that the sense of smell can be very individual and personal through such learned connections.

Fragrances and happiness hormones

Fragrances can not only influence our feelings and emotions, but - via these - indirectly also our physical well-being - such as blood pressure, heart rate, blood circulation and digestion.

Most studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have shown that various essential oils such as lavender, lemon, and bergamot can help relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. In particular, inhaling essential oils can transmit signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to use neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine), which further regulate mood. The molecular mechanisms on which these effects are based, however, have been little researched, so their mechanism of action remains unclear. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23531112

Fragrances not only influence our feelings and emotions, but - through these - indirectly also our physical well-being.

Essential oils in everyday clinical practices

While the wellness industry has long since discovered the feel-good factor through essential oils, aromatherapy and essential oils are now increasingly becoming part of everyday clinical practice, thanks to the countless studies that have now proven the effects of essential oils. And the success in practice proves the committed nursing staff to be right!

Essential oils have been used successfully in the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) in Basel since 1996 to support standard treatments: in child and adolescent psychiatry, in the elderly, in addiction therapy, in the depression wards, in psychotherapy wards and in the outpatient sector.

In addition to standard care applications, patients should above all receive suggestions and instructions on how they can actively practice being careful with themselves. This can be made with the help of small everyday applications like foot massages, baths, pure-fumes, and more.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS

In aromatherapy and psycho-aromatherapy, fragrances are used in the form of naturally pure essential oils and extracts. Essential oils are fragrant and volatile plant essences that are obtained from flowers, leaves, twigs or woods of aromatic plants. Usually obtained by steam distillation or, in the case of citrus fruits, pressed out of the peel.

When buying your essences, make sure they are of the best quality. They should not only be declared as 100% natural essential oil. Make sure they are labelled correctly, read more here .

The best essential oils for the soul

I could list various studies here, which oils have proven themselves for which mental ailments, but when it comes to the nose and your well-being use what makes you feel good as the perception of fragrances is very individual and personal! Of course you might want to lean on the description of your oil, eg. you might not like vetiver before you go to the gym.

If you are looking for your soul scent, then trust primarily in your nose and less in what someone tells you. Some scents - such as citrus fragrances - are generally very popular; while fragrances like ylang ylang, rose, or patchouli are liked by some and not by others. Even the most popular and best known oil of aromatherapy - lavender - not everyone likes. Sometimes it takes a while to accept a scent, simply because it is not familiar and is initially rejected as “foreign”.

So it was for me that I cringed a bit when I smelled on frankincense and geranium, which are now one of my favourites. When choosing your soul scent, ask yourself what the scent should help you with and invite the scent to find you! Feel welcome to reach out and ask all the questions you have in mind.

Apply essential oils to your soul

One of the most popular uses of essential oils is in an aroma lamp or an electric diffuser. However, consciously enjoying a selected fragrance has proven to be even better! Here I have some proven uses for you:

• Hand cupping method

• Therapeutic perfume (pure-fume)

• Aromabath

• Footmassage

Do you feel like trying this out for yourself now? Then choose ONE favourite fragrance for your soul. Just try it out!

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