Five million olfactory cells in about ten square centimeters – all of this is present in the olfactory chamber of your nose. How many memories will your sense of smell hold?
Smells have the inescapable ability to transport us to times and spaces that have impacted our experiences. But the value and importance of smell goes far beyond this more romantic sense that we give it. It allows us to balance physically, psychologically and emotionally.
The smell of wet earth, the smell of the sea, the smell of the city – they all have an unquestionable ability to awaken sensations in us that take us to a certain state of mind, which can even help our body to heal itself. .
From a scientific point of view, our olfactory system has unique characteristics that distinguish it from other sensory systems. It is the fact that there is a connection between various regions of our brain that allows the involvement between the cognitive world and the emotional world, when it comes to a smell. Have you ever thought about why you have feelings of predilection for some aromas and a feeling of repulsion for others? This may be related to our natural tendency to avoid odors that are a warning of something harmful, but also with our ability to associate smells with our book of experiences.
Aromatherapy encompasses a series of complementary treatments that, even though they do not replace medical care, can help us face certain pathologies and certain challenges in our daily lives.
The smell and the emotion
Emotions are our first language. We store smells in our memory in accordance with emotions and feelings we have already experienced. Therefore, smell and emotion are two practically inseparable concepts. And it is this relationship that triggers the birth of aromatherapy as a cure for the body and mind.
This therapy plays a useful role in changing the way we feel, as some aromas can profoundly improve our well-being, making us feel happier, more relaxed, more confident and even more focused.
And since fragrances are not just perfumes – in the sense that they incite sensations – a reaction to a fragrance is not just a coincidence. The way we react to certain aromas (our olfactory response) is directly linked to the emotional center of our brain, causing an overflow of feelings with each spray. And so memories of remarkable moments are awakened and physiological healing responses are triggered.
The magic of essential oils
Integrated into the range of holistic therapies, aromatherapy is a complementary therapeutic method, which involves the use of essential oils for a certain period of time, with the aim of treating our mind and our emotional, physical and spiritual sides.
Within this knowledge, we are seen as a whole and not as a being that is divided. Oils work with our body's raw materials and return the body to full balance, whether through the skin, respiratory tract or olfactory route. In addition to these, there is also the oral route, which should only be recommended by qualified clinical therapists or specially trained professionals. Once in the body – normally, through simple smelling –, essential oils act systemically and locally. With just one oil, we can activate an effect on our hormones, which leads to our restructuring.
The essential oils leading to this cure are obtained from different parts of a specific plant (flower, leaves, fruits, bark, stem, etc.). It is there that we find the purely organic substances that characterize the aromas and that convey their therapeutic action. And it is precisely these substances that give plants their characteristic smells.
Because they are pure, essential oils are also extremely concentrated, which means that just one drop is extremely powerful. We just need to open a bottle of any essential oil to realize this. In the process of acting, its volatile aromatic molecules permeate the air and, when we inhale this aroma, the odor molecules enter the nostrils and go up to our olfactory receptors (the structures in the nose that transmit information about smells to the brain).
Thus, changes in emotional behavior occur, as the focus or attention of the moment is changed. It is this action that makes aromatherapy influence our state of mind, naturally transforming our physical and mental state and improving our life and our attitudes towards it.
This article was originally published in Revista Frederica Nº3.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment. No information contained in this article or otherwise provided on frederica.pt is intended to diagnose, treat or cure any patient or should be considered as medical advice or the practice of medicine.
