Essential oils are kind of amazing in that you often don’t realize how powerful they are until you really need them. And they really deliver. When everything is great, and you feel healthy, it’s challenging to notice a big shift from the oils.
The physical symptoms we suffer is the body’s way of telling us that some systems inside us are imbalanced and need to be brought back into balance. Happiness and unhappiness – mood swings – are a reflection of our emotional balance, where unhappiness tells us that something is wrong. It can be anything, our work, company or our thoughts.
Since the 1920’s, scientists have believed that the human nose is capable of detecting about 10,000 odors, but a new study published in the journal Science, shows this estimate is way off the mark. In the first study of its kind, researchers at Rockefeller University discovered the human nose can discriminate more than one trillion different scents.
Once registered, scent travels faster to the brain than either sight or sound. In fact, when you first smell a new scent, your brain forges a link between the smell and a memory of an event, thing, person or a moment. When you encounter that smell again, the brain recalls the memory and emotion associated with the scent, which is why certain aromas remind us of past memories, influence our moods and can even affect our work performance.
When the scent reaches the brain, the olfactory bulb (part of the limbic system) triggers the hippocampus and the amygdala where our memories and emotions are stored. The olfactory bulb is often called the “emotional switchboard of the brain” because it’s responsible for receiving sensory input from the environment then sending it out to other parts of the body.
Essential oils can have a dramatic effect on limbic function, directly related to their strong aromatic fragrance. I have read that inhaling an oil through the nose, then forcefully exhaling through the mouth allows the body to best release emotions that no longer serve you.
Psychologist Robert Plutchik states that there are eight basic emotions: Joy, Trust, Fear, Surprise, Sadness, Anticipation, Anger, and Disgust. Within these emotions, of course, there are different levels. For instance, anger at its lowest level of intensity is annoyance; at its highest, anger becomes rage. While there are many different oils that support the emotions, here are a few of my favorites that help balance feelings and create a sense of well-being:
- Joy: Magnify Your Purpose™, Gratitude™
- Sadness: Joy™, Orange, Lavender*, Stress Away*
- Trust: Copaiba, Forgiveness™, Harmony™
- Disgust: Australian Blue™, Grounding™, Frankincense*
- Fear: Myrrh, Rutavala™, Valor™, Lemon*
- Anger: Purification™*, Trauma Life™, Peppermint*
- Anticipation: Surrender™, Inner Child™, Motivation™, Transformation™
- Surprise: Release™, Present Time™, Live Your Passion™
Most of these oils are also available in the Feelings™ Collection, designed with 6 essential oils that inspire feelings of emotional well-being when diffused.
No matter what emotion you are feeling, essential oils can help you maintain your balance in this rollercoaster world we live in. If you’re interested to find out more about how essential oils may help you, please contact me. I’d love to hear from you!
Disclaimer: The information contained herein is not to be construed as medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any medical condition. These statements made have not been approved by the FDA, nor should they be taken as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed physician.
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