Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of pure essential oils extracted from flowers, leaves or bark. These oils represent the protecting vital force of plants, and have been valued by many cultures for thousands of years; indeed they are still used in medicine, beauty treatments and spiritual practice around the world today.
An Ancient Therapy
Written records from Mesopotamia dating from 5,500 BC evidences the lineage of this therapy
In addition to their use in Mesopotamia, the Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, ancient Ayurvedic and Chinese Medicine traditions were all enthusiastic users of essential oils.
The most popular complementary therapy
In the West, the use of Aromatherapy has greatly increased over the past few decades, making it the most popular complementary therapy.
Personal growth
As well as physical and mental health issues, aromatherapy may help you in your personal growth, to cope with times of challenge or change, spiritual practice and general self-care by creating space for relaxation, focus or meditation.
How we experience aroma
The human response to aroma is processed in the oldest part of the brain, the rhinencephalon. We experience smell at a deep, subconscious level, making aromatherapy a powerful treatment.
Positive associations
Positive & relaxed feelings associated with particular aromas during your massage / reflexology session, may be replicated at home when you smell that same aroma. You may therefore choose to book a series of treatments that will include a bottle of your chosen essential oil blend for home use. In this way you may extend the effects of your treatment and use aromatherapy in your home relaxation practice.
What to expect during an aromatherapy session.
Following a consultation to discuss your needs, I will assist you in creating a personal blend of essential oils for use during your treatment session. This same blend may be used at home as part of an ongoing series of treatments.
Most aromatherapy treatments are given with massage, as this is an ideal method of transferring oils to the skin and is also a relaxing environment in which to enjoy the benefits of inhaling essential oils. Aromatherapy can also be combined with massage, reflexology and/or head massage together within one treatment for an enhanced experience and effect.
Some of the Benefits
Various essential oils are valued for their beneficial effects on the central nervous system and thus the emotions, including stress relief, improved memory function and sleep quality, whilst others are thought to have medicinal properties.
Contact me
Please feel free to contact me to discuss how aromatherapy may help you.
My training
I received my professional training in Clinical Aromatherapy with the International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA). For more information, please follow this link: https://ifparoma.org/about-ifpa/choose-ifpa-professional-aromatherapist/
Further Reading:
You may find this article interesting in explaining how aromatherapy acts to help reduce stress and anxiety: http://www.ifaroma.org/files/9114/3930/0258/Massage_World_Article_-_Stress_and_Aromatherapy.pdf