Essential Oils & Emotions Series: Part 1

 Ah, Sweet Emotion. (Sorry, as an 80’s kid I just had to drop the Aerosmith reference.) 😂 Emotions can be sweet, but they can also drive a person a little nuts… right? 

I’m an INFJ personality type, so I feel the emotions of those around me too. Even if you don’t know what those letters mean, you can probably see why I needed some help with this. 😜

How about you? Do you ever…

• find yourself at the mercy of your emotions?
• have a hard time shifting out of a negative emotional state?
• get PULLED into the emotional vortex of those around you?
• respond in the same negative way to certain situations, over & over, despite intentions not to?

We’ve all been there in some way!

So why does it matter? (Besides that emotional turmoil is no fun.) 😛 Well, there is evidence is that our emotional health can have a major impact on our physical health. The idea that memories and traumas can be embedded in the brain is not new, but scientists are now saying that these brain imprints may extend throughout the body.

Personally, don’t we all know the sick feeling in the pit of our stomach when we are worried or get bad news? Emotions can certainly affect our whole body, for better or worse!

So how on earth can OILS help?!? Are you thinking “Some feel good woo-woo flower smells aren’t going to cut it for me.”? I get it, it sounds weird. But it’s science.

Psst… Disclaimer Here! I am not a doctor or medical professional. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease of mind or body. We aren’t talking mental illness here, just chatting about the emotions which we ALL have. 

This is Your Brain on Oils 🙂

So how exactly can OILS, of all things, help you deal with emotions? Let’s delve in!

The limbic system of the brain plays a vital role in interpreting and channeling intense experiences, particularly memories of fear or trauma. There are two parts of the limbic system that play a major role in emotional processing:

1) The amygdala- responsible for emotional experience and emotional memory.

2) The hippocampus- responsible for working and short term memory.

These parts of the brain are located within less than an inch of the olfactory nerve (our sense of smell)! The amygdala is actually affected ONLY by scent!!!

Think about your own experiences. Does the scent of a certain perfume immediately recall a memory of sitting on your grandma’s lap? Or the smell of zucchini bread baking bring you back to mom’s kitchen in the summer? Then you have experienced this first hand.

When the molecules in the oils cross the blood brain barrier, they stimulate the amygdala to release those buried feelings of past trauma, emotional upset, and unhappy memories. These feelings are then able to be brought to the surface of awareness. You may not be too sure if that sounds like a good thing, right? 😉 Don’t worry, those buried feelings are not going to stick around, although sometimes you may feel a rush of anger or weepiness. It is different for each individual.

Another way in which essential oils can help us move beyond emotional blocks is through their relaxing effect. The aldehydes and esters of certain essential oils such as lavender, ruta, lavender, frankincense, etc. are very calming to the nervous system. You may have already felt this if you have used Lavender on your pillow at bedtime or a blend like Stress Away before a big presentation. These substances allow us to relax instead of letting life’s little anxieties take over!

Are you ready to give it a try? Okay! So you’re probably wondering…

How Do I Use the OILS?!?

Sometimes you are just going to pull out your emotional oils to calm or relax you while the kids are driving you nuts, traffic is giving you road rage, or that difficult customer at work is making you want to scream.

By all means, slap those oils on wherever you are or turn on a diffuser! (You do have a car diffuser, right?) 😉 Remember, you want the oils somewhere you can smell them.

However, if you are trying to let go of some old emotional baggage, it’s important that you find a quiet place, preferably with no cell phones and no TV. Keep in mind that the process of emotional release should not be dramatic, but gentle, occurring step-by-step over a period of time. Application of the oils accompanied by mental focus and relaxation should ideally occur multiple times per day. Some emotional blocks will require only a day or two to begin releasing; others may require weeks.

This process should not be uncomfortable. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, there is no need to go further. It is better to back off a little and wait for a future application.

One more tip: it’s highly beneficial to use the oils right along with reprogramming your mental computer with new, positive emotions and images. We will talk more about that as our series continues! 😉

Are you ready to get started using oils for emotions? Young Living’s Feelings Kit is AMAZING. <3 If you need to know more about how to get these fabulous blends, click HERE.

Up next I am going to share with you more of my favorite oils for emotional support, and we will go a little more in depth on this topic. I hope these oils are as much of a blessing to you as they have been to me. <3

Find the next installments of this series here:

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4