Essential Oils for Emotional Health

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Emotions play a significant part how we perceive our daily lives, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we believe that emotional imbalance is the biggest contributor to internal disharmony. Most people understand that exercise, meditation, and counseling can impact psychological health, but did you know that essential oils can also unblock deep-rooted emotions?

There are a few key characteristics of essential oils that make them spectacular vehicles for facilitating emotional release:

• Strong aromas: The sense of smell has been said to have the closest tie to memory and emotion because the olfactory bulb has close ties with the amygdala and hippocampus in the brain. (Have you ever smelled freshly baked cookies and immediately recalled baking with your grandmother as a child? This is the reason!) Aromas can set off a visceral response in a very short period of time, and a pure essential oil will have a very powerful, distinct aroma.
• Small therapeutic compounds: Essential oils are comprised of tiny compounds that can get into cells and even cross the blood brain barrier, which is a feat that many drugs can't accomplish. Sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes are examples of these molecules - there are many more - and each has its own way of helping the body and mind achieve better health. Every essential oil contains predictable ratios of various compounds when the oil is produced correctly, and its these molecules that give the oils their healing properties.
• Ease of use: Simply opening a small bottle can free the aromas that access the brain, which is a great way to reduce stress or fleeting emotions on the go. Of course, when it comes to the emotional blocks that are deeply entrenched in the body, more specific protocols may be necessary. We recommend those found in the books Releasing Patterns with Essential Oils and The Aroma Freedom Technique, both of which work with Young Living essential oil blends in combination with affirmations, physical movement, and visualization to engage the mind and get to the core of blockages and traumas.

Counseling, acupuncture, hypnosis, and many other therapies are helpful when it comes to releasing stuck emotions, and in our experience it's best to pursue treatments like these simultaneously to give the body as much support as possible. Digging up emotions is not a comfortable process, but the amount of change that can happen in someone's life once those limiting emotions have finally been let go is extraordinary. If you've been undergoing treatment in any of these fields and have plateaued in your progress, essential oils may be the key to further opening your mind and releasing the blocks that have been holding you back from connecting with your truest self.