Aroma Therapy: Stimulating the Brain to Alter the Mood

Psychotherapists have recommended Aroma Therapy for quite some time to clients who are looking for more things to add to their list of relaxation tools and exercises.  It is a way to intentionally alter mood by allowing various forms of scent to reach receptors in the nose where they then travel to an area of the brain that controls emotions.  That means that any aroma can trigger a mood, both positively and negatively.  So experimenting with aromas can help you learn which ones are most relaxing and positively stimulating for you, and which ones you should avoid.

Some specific aromas have been found to be very helpful for stress, including lavender, cedar, frankincense, and jasmine.  It's also known that certain smells will activate memory, such as thinking of the holiday season when smelling evergreen, or being reminded of Thanksgiving or Halloween when smelling pumpkin.  But not all aromas are interpreted the same by everyone, so developing your own preference is important and will take time, as well as trial and error.

When it comes to using Aroma Therapy to facilitate relaxation, there are also many safety factors to take into account, such as the method used to disperse the aroma into one's environment, as some methods are safer than others.  For instance, burning incense is a great way to deliver aroma into any given environment, both indoors and outdoors, but it's wisest to use plant-based incense and even better if you burn them outdoors to prevent poor ventilation and to reduce inhalation of any unhealthy particles.  In addition, stay alert when burning oils, incense, or potpourri, especially if you have any risk of falling asleep while relaxing to the enjoyment of these types of aromas.

The methods for Aroma Therapy are many, and include diffusers, incense, perfumes, bath oils, essential oils, and body lotions to name a few.  For some the simple smell of an open fire is relaxing, and for others it's the natural smells of things like the ocean, mountain pine trees, or the smell of rain.

You can find additional information about Aroma Therapy on my earlier blog entry from 2015 here 

"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived"       ~Helen Keller

Thanks to jessicahtam for the great photo, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Peace of Mind

What does it really mean to "find peace"?  By definition, peace means a state of quiet tranquility where there are no disturbances, no war, no aggression, and no conflict or hostility.  It's a place of harmony or perhaps a time of calm contentment.

When we are seeking peace we might be looking for a quiet place or gentle environment.  Maybe a break from noise and human congestion.  Peace can be that small coffee shop where not a lot of people go, or it can be your own home library or patio get away where water fountains gently trickle and birds click away in the trees.

Finding peace within the mind, however, is a little tougher and requires training ourselves to stay in the present rather than allowing the mind to wandering off into worry, rumination, or dwelling on regrets about the past.  By the same definition, peace of mind also seeks to find a place of quiet mental tranquility where we are not disturbed by our noisy or aggressive thoughts.  Finding a cognitive place of harmony and calm contentment means staying mindful of what is happening right at this moment.

One method for finding a mindful place of peace is to focus on the senses.  Noticing in this present moment what it is you feel, smell, hear, taste, and see can help to keep your mind from wandering off into the noise and disturbance of thoughts about the past and worries about the future that take you away from this very moment.

Focusing on the senses in the present moment can bring you to full awareness of the meal you are eating, the music you are listening to, the feel of the temperature in the room, the beauty of your surroundings, or the aroma of everything in front of you, be it a cup of coffee or a beautiful flower.

When the mind is trained to stay present it is at a higher state of peace than when it is untrained and living in the past or the future.  A mind that is dwelling on the past, where it lives out the hour or day ruminating about how things "should" have been, or "could" have been, is a mind at war with itself.  And a mind living in the future, where it dwells on the "what ifs" and contemplates the catastrophes that may come, is a mind that can never rest due to that jackhammer noise called "worry".

Peace, and better yet... Peace of Mind, is a quiet and tranquil place, free of unwanted and disturbing thoughts.  It's a place of harmony and calm contentment, in the mind.  You have no greater task in this lifetime than to bring your mind to a place of peace, and there is no greater peace than being fully present in this very moment.

Thanks to Ray MacLean for the great photo
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Aroma Therapy: Enhancing Your Relaxation With the Use of Aromas

In the Native American traditions, there is a ritual called smudging in which the smoke from burning herbs (frequently sage) is waved over and around an area to remove negatively.  Those who are familiar with the ritual find they are more relaxed when the smell of the burning sage reaches them due to the memory association with the ritual and their belief that it is attaching to the negativity in the area and carrying it away with the smoke.

These kinds of associations related to aroma are emphasized in a form of therapy called aroma therapy, which is a natural way to alter mood, consciousness, and thinking patterns, while stimulating the brain and body (including memory).  For instance, perhaps each time you smell the distinct aroma of pine, you think of pine trees, which leads you to think of a forest where you once walked and all the related memories and senses attached to being there, such as the feel of the air in the forest and the sounds of the birds and streams flowing through your special place.

Other means to enhance forms of aroma therapy include the use of incense or candles, boiling potpourri, wearing perfume, using an aroma diffuser, or wearing a bracelet made of sandalwood or cedar.

It's true that some aromas can also remind us of negative things and even trigger unpleasant memories and trauma, but most people will refrain from aromas they know have a negative effect on them, and will instead be drawn to those that appeal to them.  In addition, always be sure to check the ingredients in any product you use for aroma therapy to make sure it is not toxic (or has the least toxicity as possible) and isn’t going to be more harmful to you than good.  Do your homework and find a preferred means for aroma disbursement that you can enjoy and that allows you to safely enhance your efforts to relax and reduce your stress level.

Photo credit: andrew@andrewyoungphoto.net