Essential oils are powerful aromatic compounds found in seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers and other parts of plants, each extracted and distilled for a variety of health benefits. In short, essential oils help to support healthy cell function, anchor healthy biochemistry and support our overall wellness. However I believe they have an even more powerful role to play, one that can support a coach and client to take their enquiry to a deeper level and access the wisdom of the body through the power of the unconscious.
When we inhale an aroma through our nose it travels directly to the olfactory system which is responsible for controlling our sense of smell. The olfactory system is connected to the limbic system which produces a response that invokes our memories and emotion. I have no doubt that you will have many examples in your life where you have smelt something and it has taken you back to recent or distant memories; some good I am sure, and some less so too. This process is incredibly powerful and used alongside our CLEARER Coaching and Body Wisdom Coaching Models to elevate the coaching enquiry and conversation. Smell is highly emotive and by accessing our emotions at a deeper and unconscious level, we can begin a potent process of change and transformation.
Nature mirrors our state of being. Where someone might feel a lack of self-worth or self-esteem, it is likely that Bergamot (the Oil of Self-Acceptance) isn’t their friend; they may dislike the smell and disregard it as a source of support and help. But when a client dislikes a smell, this is giving us vital information to support a breakthrough in their limiting beliefs and change their reality in respect of their feelings of worthiness.
We can use our olfactory sense and essential oils together to radically transform our perspective and cut the chords of limiting stories and narratives. Each essential oil has its own unique chemical makeup and mirrors how it is used naturally to how we can use it to support us emotionally. An essential oil that is extracted from the bark of a plant such as Cinnamon, holds energetic properties that can support us to create healthy boundaries and protect our inner self from the influences of the external world.
When we ‘like’ a smell, it is often because we have had a positive experience associated with the aroma – an aftershave or perfume that reminds us of our partner, the aroma of a flower that reminds us of an event or pastime. And in contrast, when we ‘dislike’ a smell it is often due to a negative experience associated with it; a perfume an aunt was wearing when an incident occurred at a family party.
When we like something our body moves us towards more of the same. We feel joy, happiness and wonder. When we dislike something it is our body putting its hand up and saying “I am fearful, I don’t want to deal with this”, and moves to take us away from it. We can use this to our advantage when working with our limiting beliefs and associated fears. By understanding the aromas that we dislike and exploring how we feel about them we can extract and elicit this information to let go and release the associated memories and stories.
During a coaching session a few years ago, my client became aware that her relationship with her partner was not all that it seemed to be, but she could not put her finger on why. We discussed how she felt about this, “Well I feel like I have to be perky all the time otherwise he has an issue with me but I don’t understand why and I can’t voice how I really feel, you know, sometimes I don’t want to be perky, I just want to be me”.
To support her in exploring this and connecting with a possible story that sat underneath, I intuitively selected six essential oils; Frankincense, Spearmint, Cilantro, Clary Sage, Helichrysum and Vetiver. I asked my client to close her eyes and deeply inhale each one from the bottle. I asked her to notice which aromas she liked and which ones she disliked. My client’s feedback? She disliked Spearmint and Cilantro. I asked her to re-engage with both oils again by inhaling them one by one from the bottle. This time I asked her to be aware of how her body reacted as she smelt them. She fed back that she felt like her head was going to explode when she smelt Cilantro and the whole of the right side of her body vibrated when she smelt Spearmint. I asked if she had experienced these physical experiences before. “Yes”, she replied. “My dad was very controlling, and when he told me off my head would pound and pound. He wouldn’t let me talk. He wouldn’t let me respond to his telling off. Instead I would run to my room and hold my head until the pain went away.”
For my client the aroma of the essential oils had triggered historical memories. Cilantro is the Oil of Releasing Control and helps to support feelings of being controlled, constricted, compulsive, worried and trapped. Spearmint is the Oil of Confident Speech and supports emotions such as holding back opinions, being timid and a fear of public speaking. You may have also noticed that my client had a strong physical reaction down the right side of her body. The right side of our body can relate to male relations in our life. Simply by using essential oils as a tool and having an awareness of the language of her body, my client was able to powerfully connect with a story that had led her to shut down her expression and her voice.
To diffuse or not to diffuse? That is the question!
We can access oils to support us in a number of different ways. I have spoken here about using them aromatically and for the purposes of any programme, course or immersive experience you are accessing with us, you can add your chosen oil to a diffuser or simply inhale it directly from the bottle to achieve this.
You can also use oils topically by placing them directly on the skin and this is not only soothing to our skin but also to every cell in our body. To use an oil topically we would always recommend you dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil such as Fractionated Coconut Oil and also do a patch test to check the oil won’t irritate your skin. Diluting oils is particularly important for citrus oils such as Bergamot and Lemon which can make your skin photosensitive and hot oils such as Oregano or Clove.
Some essential oils can be taken internally. 80% of our immune system is connected with the gut, so it makes sense to ingest them directly in our gut. However we would only recommend the use of oils internally if you were using doTERRA oils, which are certified as pure and have also sought further support from an aromatherapist on which oils can be ingested safely.
If you have any questions relating to essential oils and how you can use them to support your wellbeing and self-awareness, please do be in touch. If using essential oils to access your unconscious has piqued your interest you may like to read more about our Transformational Coaching with Body Wisdom Course where you can train in as a coach and receive a professional accreditation in this modality from the Association for Coaching. Or perhaps you’d like to go on a journey to explore and let go of what is holding you back and no longer serving you? If so our Journey Back To Self: A Six Month Adventure Programme would be a wonderful opportunity for you. If you have a sense (excuse the pun!) that you’d like to find out more about our work, we’d love to hear from you!
Much love,
Rebecca x
