Uncovering the Therapeutic Potential of Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Mental Wellness

Introduction

Aromatherapy is among the alternative medicines that have taken a more prominent role. Our focus for this article is the therapeutic use of essential oils through the sense of smell. We are exploring possible benefits and risks of the use of smelling essential oils and providing tips regarding safely utilizing this therapeutic modality.

Essential oils have gained in popularity in recent years as a result of their potential therapeutic advantages. These natural extracts have piqued the interest of many people seeking alternative wellness practices, ranging from enhancing relaxation to alleviating common medical ailments. However, it is vital to approach the use of essential oils with caution and adhere to specific safety instructions to ensure their effectiveness and prevent potential risks.

Personal experience with clients

Olfactory experiences can elicit memories. Certain scents can induce relaxation, or can be energizing. Scents that can be pleasurable for some people can have a neutral effect, being disliked or even trigger an adverse reaction in others. As a top-down experience, aromatherapy can be combined in psychotherapy sessions in different settings. Inpatient hospitals are settings where essential oils can be used successfully, ensuring some safeguards, which we will go about in more detail when we discuss safe use of essential oils below. Essential oils have been used as PRN’s in psychiatric hospitals, where patients have already identified the scents that help them feel better. Upon request by a patient, the nurses would call the psychology and therapy department requesting a mint oil, lavender oil, or orange oil, depending on the patient requesting the scent. The practice was so successful that cups were prepared with the oils that clients would request and were left at the nursing stations of different units for the weekend, when the therapist would not be working. Soon after, nurses and staff that worked at the units would request their favorite scent. It was exciting to see how a cotton ball slightly soaked in diluted scented oil inside a cup would be the PRN on an evening for a patient, as well as providing wellness for patients and staff.

Essential oils scents as a complementary therapy have been used in inpatient and outpatient sites. Even though there are specific aromas that are traditionally considered relaxing, like lavender, or energizing, like scents from citruses, as stated earlier in this section, it is important to consider that different people can have different reactions to the same scent. Some reasons for this are the associations that someone may have with a specific smell. A scent can trigger traumatic memories. It is recommended that therapeutic rapport would have been established before engaging in a deep exploration with scents, since the experience bypasses the defenses.

Neuropsychology of olfactory sense

It is said that the sense of smell has a direct pathway to the brain. There is a lot of unknown in the brain, however, the olfactory stimuli seem to directly reach the olfactory areas in the cortex, bypassing the thalamus, which acts as a sensory filter. Olfactory inputs travel as well to other olfactory areas of the brain like the amygdala in the limbic area of the brain. These are reasons why smells can have a strong effect on our emotions and eliciting memories.

Benefits versus risks

Aromatherapy has received some attention from researchers to be used as a collaborative treatment for many common mental health symptoms and diagnosis. A study by Lin et al. (2021), demonstrated that aromatherapy with essential oils can assist young adults regulate their bodies’ stress response or Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). However, this study also stated that aromatherapy was not effective with youths experiencing high levels of stress, or specifically individuals using blended essential oils as compared to pure essential oil treatment. Aromatherapy has also been proved effective collaborative or complementary therapy treatment for depression and anxiety in postpartum women (Conrad & Adams, 2012). Aromatherapy can be utilized with women in labor to control pain without side effects. (Tanvisut et al., 2018)

While the use of essential oils can be beneficial, certain measures must be followed to avoid negative consequences. Ingesting essential oils, whether pure or diluted, is contraindicated, as well as applying essential oils to the skin. (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2022) In addition to this, prolonged exposure to concentrated essential oils may be harmful to youngsters, sensitive people, and even pets. (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2022). The use of aromatherapy is not recommended with people with neurological conditions that impaired olfaction, like in some cases of dementia and Alzheimer, epilepsy and when experiencing olfactory hallucinations

While essential oils have numerous potential benefits, they should rather be viewed as complementary therapy rather than a replacement for traditional or conventional methods. While essential oils can help with well-being, they should not be used in place of evidence-based medical and psychological treatments. When considering the incorporation of essential oils into a holistic wellness program, it is critical to speak with a skilled practitioner or aromatherapist, especially for individuals with specific health conditions or concerns.

Recommendations for safe use

• Use with precaution.
• Talk to clients before incorporating aromatherapy or any essential oils.
• The memory of a smell can be used in session to elicit a response to work with.
• Refraining from undiluted essential oils and trying is in small amounts at first. (Houk, n.d.)
• Avoiding to use the oil on the full body as it may lead to over-stimulation (Houk, n.d.)
• Avoid using the oil for longer than 20 minutes, since we develop tolerance to that smell,
so it loses effectiveness. (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 2022).

References

Blumenfeld, H. Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases, 2nd edition. (Snauer, 2010)
Conrad, P., & Adams, C. (2012). The effects of clinical aromatherapy for anxiety and depression in the high risk postpartum woman – a pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 18(3), 164–168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.05.002

Houk, D. (n.d.). Aromatherapy for posttraumatic stress sufferers and their caretakers … https://www.rrcc.edu/sites/default/files/claro-deborahhoukPTSDFINAL.pdf

Lin, P.-H., Lin, Y.-P., Chen, K.-L., Yang, S.-Y., Shih, Y.-H., & Wang, P.-Y. (2021). Effect of aromatherapy on autonomic nervous system regulation with treadmill exercise-induced stress among adolescents. PLOS ONE, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249795

Tanvisut, R., Traisrisilp, K., & Tongsong, T. (2018). Efficacy of aromatherapy for reducing pain during labor: A randomized controlled trial. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 297(5), 1145–1150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-018-4700-1

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (2022, March 4). Aromatherapy for children: What’s safe and what’s not. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/aromatherapy-children-whats-safe-and-whats-not