Essential oils used in "Aromatherapy for Addictions" are a complimentary modality not a "cure-all" to allopathic and naturopathic health. There are many approaches on to how to work with an essential oil or an essential oil blend which is also called an aromatherapy blend in relation to addictions or addictive behaviors. It is common for a person to make a declaration ("I am done!" "I am ready to stop smoking." I am done drinking!" "I am done being unhappy about xyz." "I am done obsessing over...." ) but often difficult to follow through. Consulting a professional in the area of expertise specific to your addiction or behavior may be in order. I suggest getting a few essential oils or a blend that makes you feel better. You can buy essential oils at the health food, online, or you can choose one of the beautiful blends from Moss Botanicals. Affirmations are a simple way to begin. Breathe in the aromas and declare. "Today I begin a new chapter of my life." Spend time in nature. Listen to positive meditations and music. Eat healthy. Utilize your new found aromas as your allies for supporting the change you are seeking. Ask for support and build a team of trusted confidants that will be there when you feel weak or vulnerable. Take your essential oils or blend with you to your treatment center, your psychologist, your doctor, your support group or your sponsor. Share it with them and ask them for specific tools to integrate these aromas in your recovery routine.
The limbic system of the brain is directly related to smell, emotion, and memory. Smelling aromas immediately create a body, brain, mind, response. Often a person may recall a memory or remember something they had long forgotten. The chemistry and the drive of one person to have an addiction or a behavior over the other can be generalized and specific. I have created blends for non-profits that work directly with trauma and addiction to broaden and deepen each persons relationship to their triggers. Being attracted to a specific scent because of the way it makes a person feel is very important. Aromas can elicit a wide range of feelings. Some of those sensations may feel uncomfortable, familiar, or foreign. This can be helpful to uncover suppressed emotions, which may or may not reveal the center of the addiction. Essential oils have hundreds of naturally occurring chemical constituents that work on all parts of the body simultaneously depending on their profile. For instance do you want to work with a blend or an oil that helps with sleep because your addiction is making you lose sleep? Or perhaps you have anxiety because your cravings are making you crazy? Are you feeling sad, confused, lonely, depressed, anxious? Are those emotions making you constipated? Or maybe your heart is hurting? What came first the physical symptoms or the emotional/mental symptoms? Aromatic plants can reveal many things we have forgotten or parts of ourselves that are hiding. The shadow side. Essential oils meet you where you are in any moment of time. I feel the ease at which aromatherapy works takes away some of the heaviness or the depression. When I am suffering I feel like it takes so much effort to even move. When I reach for an essential oil and allow myself the opportunity to take one inhalation then I have lifted myself up with little strength, but already I feel stronger, less defeated, and more capable to overcome.
Creating a daily ritual with a specific blend is a beautiful start. Once you feel you have mastered a personal goal then move on to another set of aromas or a single aroma. Trust yourself. One of my favorite affirmations
"I gently let go of the past. Life is sweet and so am I."
Moss Botanical products to explore.
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*Note: This is not a cure, a diagnostic, or a substitute for serious medical attention. Aromatherapy, herbs, flower essences and hydrosols are an alternative modality to many forms of healing. Improper dosages, prolonged usage and not adhering to proper safety data can lead to harmful effects when using essential oils, essential oil blends or herbal remedies. Check for any contraindications before using.