“Natural fragrances have a moonlike quality, they can be unpredictable and are intimately connected with the subconscious mind. Like a reflection in a pool they put us in touch with the person we know is there but somehow cannot quite reach.”

The above quote by Jane Grayson is one of my favourites for explaining how essential oils work not only on the emotional and spiritual body but also the physical body. We are not simply physical or emotional beings but a combination and what affects us on an emotional level will show up in the body and vice versa.

It is for this reason that I use essential oils with all my clients, the exception being Indian head massage, but even then I have on occasions used essential oils when I thought they would benefit the client.

The results clients get from essential oils can sometimes seem miraculous. In my early days as an aromatherapist I used essential oils to help heal a gangrenous heel in a nursing home patient.

In the case of stress clients are dealing with both the physical and emotional effects of stress which can include tight neck and shoulders, lower back pain, insomnia, headaches, overwhelm, mood swings, low self-esteem and feeling down. Essential oils are perfect to help both the physical and emotional effects and can be used in combination with massage, added to a bath, worn as a perfume or inhaled either using a personal inhaler or room vaporiser.

Personal inhalers have been used in the UK to help patients with cancer deal with their pain. In this case the person inhales their favourite aroma, which may not necessarily be an essential oil, to help them with their pain levels. They control how often they inhale the aroma. The aroma takes them back to happier times.

I have used essential oils in blends that remind clients of their childhood, a parent or some happy event and it seems to help them relax more. There is nothing more pleasing than seeing a client’s eyes light up when they inhale an aroma which has such happy associations for them. For me it seems that their soul and the plant’s soul or spirit unite to commence a healing on both the physical and emotional levels.

For me this is how healing begins when we use essential oils. It may seem that I’m using the oil to help heal a physical condition or ease sore aching muscles but the oils are also working on a deeper level. My logo illustrates this. On one side is the tree or plant and on the other a person, both their spirits or souls intermingling to help the person heal. The essential oil is the carrier for this healing.

In order to choose the best combination of oils for the new client I have them fill out a form and ask questions. In later visits I also check how things are going. I then choose oils based on those answers and have clients smell each oil that will be going into the blend to get their reaction to the oils chosen. I may also make a blend based on an aromatherapy card reading and invariably they love the combination in part because this is what they have chosen and is needed at that moment in time.

I know many people think that essential oils are just a pretty smell and I titled my latest ebook “Not just a Pretty Smell” because that is what a passport control officer said to me when I visited England 2 years ago. “Aromatherapy that’s what makes soaps and candles smell nice.” I did explain they were so much more than that.

Although I use essential oils when I massage this is not the only way clients can benefit from essential oils. As stated above they can be used in personal inhalers and room vaporisers, in the bath and worn as a perfume. They can also be used as a meditation aid, to help in visualisation, with affirmations, for anointing the body, as part of a healing and with reiki.

If you would like to experience the relaxing effects of an aromatherapy massage give me a call on 0404 988 565, email me or sign up for my ebook “Not just a Pretty Smell – Exploring Subtle Ways of Using Essential Oils” for ways to use 10 oils for emotional healing.