Smell is one of the most powerful senses, smell helps connect us to other people and the world around us. One of the more common instances I’ve heard of smells is when people are reminded of loved ones they’ve lost by a certain smell. I’ve heard more than one person say that the smell of tobacco reminds them of a hugging a grandparent.
You’ve probably had certain memories triggered through smell. Does the smell of fresh pine make you think of Christmas? Some people who have been through traumatic events will often not remember the scenes of the event but will remember the smell. In fact, your sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than any other senses.
So why does smell have such an impact on us?
Here’s a little physiology lesson...
Our brains are wired to work directly with scent. It all starts with olfactory system, which is made up of all the organs that support the sense of smell. The second an aroma reaches our nose the olfactory bulbs inside the nasal cavity begin to decode the message to send to the brain. The primitive part of our brain, also known as the limbic system, houses all our memories, stores emotions, manages behavior responses, and influences mood, hunger, and sex drive.
Essential oils have the power to give the limbic system something new to work with. If your natural response is to become withdrawn when you are sad, certain essential oils have uplifting effects on the limbic system. Instead of slipping into that sadness further, uplifting essential oils can support you in reacting differently and coming out of that place of withdrawnness.
When you are experiencing a bout of anxiety or fearfulness, calming essential oils can send a signal to the limbic system to soothe your mind and to soothe that fear response within your body. Moods and emotions are formed within the brain and so our reactions to those moods can also be changed within the brain.
The Scientific Makeup of dōTERRA Emotional Aromatherapy
As every essential oil can cause a different response, the design of doTERRA Emotional Aromatherapy is based on chemistry. Each oil blend in the system is made up of basic chemical compounds that are categorized into classifications. These oil blends have been designed to achieve a unique chemical profile. In most cases, essential oils can be classified as having either uplifting or calming aromas. Using distinct essential oil groups, doTERRA Emotional Aromatherapy relies on specific plant categories to support responses, based on the chemical components included in each essential oil.
Essential oils in the floral category are typically composed of monoterpene alcohols and provide calming, relaxing aromas. Tree, herb, and grass oils are known to promote a grounding, soothing, and renewing environment as they primarily include sesquiterpenes, esters, and oxides
With a high concentration of ketones, mint oils are commonly known for creating an energizing, uplifting atmosphere. Citrus oils typically possess uplifting aromas, with chemical components like limonene, beta-pinene, and monoterpenes. Many spice oils are known for their warming properties, a feature which stems from phenol content.
doTERRA has a set of six essential oils that are specifically designed to be used as a system for emotional aromatherapy. Each of these 6 essential oils blends oils from two of the categories to produce the desired impact. For example, Motivate essential oil is a blend of citrus and mint. As mentioned above citrus oils have an uplifting effect, while mint oils have an energizing effect.
Below you will find a chart that is referred to as an emotional therapy wheel created by doTERRA, which shows where each of the six blends fall on the wheel and the emotions that each category of essential oils support.
Reading the chart can be a little tricky at first, basically each blend is made up of two plant families. Motivate is a mix of mint and citrus. Cheer is a mix of citrus and spices. Passion is a mix of spices and herbs/grasses. Forgive is a mix of herbs/grasses and trees. Console is a mix of trees and florals. Peace is a mix of florals and mint.
How to Choose a Blend
Start by identifying the emotion you are feeling. Discouraged, gloomy, and distressed all fall under the citrus category. Whereas fearful, worried, and hurt fall under the floral category. You may find that you are feeling fearful and distressed in this case you could blend the two corresponding emotional blends for ultimate relief. So, for fearful the corresponding blend would be Peace and for distressed the corresponding blend would be cheer.
Research shows that varying aromas stimulate different pathways in the brain. Some aromas are calming while others are uplifting, but because everyone’s brain chemistry is different you may find that when you are feeling distressed you prefer a mix of minty and citrusy aromas and in that case, you would chose Motivate. Therefore, the blends are placed into a circle graph with corresponding feelings that can overlap.
Passion – Inspiring Blend
This blend was formulated in assisting those who lack inner passion. It is helpful for those caught in patterns of self-denial or regimentation. It teaches that there is more to living than working and obligations. Passion encourages individuals to take risks, confidently face their fears, and break free from limitations.
Passion Ingredients: Fractionated Coconut Oil, Cardamom Seed, Cinnamon Bark, Ginger Rhizome, Clove Bud, Sandalwood Wood, Jasmine Flower Absolute, Vanilla Bean Absolute, Damiana Leaf
Physical Benefits:
- Creates a joyful, inspiring atmosphere
- Transcends the trivial
- Ignites feelings of excitement, passion, and joy
- Counteracts negative feelings of boredom and disinterest
Emotional Benefits:
- The oil of passion and inspiration
- Helpful when you feel bored or disillusioned
- Helps get you into a beautiful flow
- Helpful for body image issues, self-consciousness, and self-love
- Use this oil to tap into your senses and creativity
How to Use:
- Diffuse in the morning to start the day feeling energized and enthusiastic
- Apply to pulse points and heart throughout the day to feel inspired and passionate
- Diffuse at work to spark creativity, clarity, and wonder
Passion Blend is a combination of herbs/grasses and spices. This is an oil I like to wear daily as a perfume. It smells sexy and even has a bit of a floral scent to me, even though that is not the description. The floral scent comes from the Jasmine oil. I like to wear Passion on my pulse points and for date nights I like to wear rose oil over my heart and passion on pulse points. I know I'm in for a good evening when I combine the two oils.
While we are on the topic of smelling sexy, did you know that aromatherapy is so powerful that some oils are considered aphrodisiacs, responsible for evoking passionate feelings? You can read all about using essential oils to spice up your Valentine’s Day in my article:
Spice Up Your Valentine's Day with Essential Oils
Motivate – Encouraging Blend
This blend is especially helpful in times of weariness and discouragement. Motivate encourages individuals to work through their feelings of gloom, weariness, or unmotivated. It confidently reassures that they do have the courage needed to face another day.
Motivate Ingredients: Peppermint Plant, Clementine Peel, Coriander Seed, Basil Herb, Yuzu Peel, Melissa Leaf, Rosemary Leaf, Vanilla Bean Absolute
How to Use:
- Apply to the bottom of feet in the morning to believe in yourself.
- Diffuse when working on a project at work or school to enjoy its fresh, minty aroma.
- Apply to pulse points before participating in sporting events or other competitions.
- Inhale directly from cupped hands for a blast of positive encouragement.
- Diffuse for a positive environment.
- Wear behind ears for a perfume.
- Inhale deeply when you need productivity.
- Apply to the temples when you need focus and energy.
This blend smells uplifting, I would consider putting in my diffuser or putting on if I'm getting ready to work on a task, I want to focus for the day, or I'm getting ready to do a workout.
This blend can be used aromatically or topically; if you have sensitive skin, I recommend either using the roll-on Touch blend or diluting this oil yourself.
I like to apply this directly to my hands and take a deep breath in. I even occasionally will roll this on my chest.
In my article:
Essential Oils for Your Love Language, I talk about using Motivate essential oil to support in acts of service love language. This article covers all 5 love languages as well.
Cheer – Uplifting Blend
Cheer encourages individuals who are overcome by feelings of hopelessness. It helps to restore one’s hope when one has been stretched beyond the limits of their nuance. This blend inspires faith.
Cheer Ingredients: Wild Orange Peel, Clove Bud, Star Anise Fruit/Seed, Lemon Myrtle Leaf, Nutmeg Kernel, Vanilla Bean Extract, Ginger Rhizome, Cinnamon Bark, Zdravetz Herb
Benefits:
- Promotes feelings of optimism, cheerfulness, and happiness
- Counteracts negative emotions of feeling down, blue, or low
Uses:
- Diffuse at home, work, or school
- During wintertime, apply to your wrist and smell throughout the day for an uplifting aroma
- Apply to pulse points before participating in sporting events or other competitions
- Add a few drops to your favorite passive diffuser and place them in the car
I use this blend when I'm feeling down, having an off day, or if it's rainy and dreary outside. This is one that I absolutely love to put in my diffuser because it smells cheerful, it's fun, it's playful, and it uplifts the mood of the whole house.
Forgive – Renewing Blend
Forgive challenges individuals to let go of bitterness and to embrace other people as an extension of themselves, as part of the human family. Forgive teaches that everyone is learning and growing together. We can all extend forgiveness in our hearts.
Forgive Ingredients: Spruce Leaf, Bergamot Peel, Juniper Berry Fruit, Myrrh Resin, Arborvitae Wood, Nootka Tree Wood, Thyme Leaf, Citronella Herb
Physical Benefits:
- Promotes feelings of contentment, relief, and patience
- Counteracts negative emotions of anger and guilt
Emotional Benefits:
- The oil of renewal and letting go
- Helps us forgive ourselves and our mistakes, as well as forgive others (or situations) for their imperfections or not living up to our expectations
- Allows us to let go of energies clinging to us, or habits or thoughts we’re clinging to
- Addresses criticism (self or otherwise), resentment, anger, blame, frustration, etc
- Helps you feel lighter, freer, confident, and more accepting of what is
How to Use:
- Rub over your heart to help you forgive yourself and others
- To help you forgive and forget, rub into your temples
- Have on hand throughout the day to counteract negative emotions that may arise from undesirable situations.
This oil has a combination of herbs/grasses and trees aroma. I love diffusing this oil throughout my house.
This is a really healing oil it smells grassy and sweet at the same time. Forgive is one that helps just kind of release any of those emotions where you don't feel like yourself or feel like you are carrying a lot of heavy emotions.
This is another oil that I like to combine with Rose oil. Rose oil also has an emotional component, so I like to use Rose oil over my heart and Forgive on the bottoms of my feet. When I wear the two oils together and go out in public, I am often complimented on how good I smell, and people ask what perfume I am wearing.
When my daughter is fussy, I will put Forgive on the bottoms of her feet to calm her down.
Peace – Reassuring Blend
Peace invites individuals to connect to the true source of unending peace and let go of control and excess attachments to truly experience flow and divinity. Peace invites individuals to trust in divine goodness and grace allowing them to fully release the need to control.
Peace Ingredients: Vetiver Root, Lavender Flower, Ylang Ylang Flower, Frankincense Resin, Clary Sage Flower, Marjoram Leaf, Labdanum Leaf/Stalk, Spearmint Herb
Peace Oil Uses:
- Sleep: Diffuse at nighttime to promote a calming environment.
- Contentment: Apply one drop to hands, rub together, and inhale deeply.
- Reassurance: Diffuse or inhale before taking a test or presenting to a large group.
- Grounding: Apply to bottoms of feet.
- Stress: Apply to pulse points and inhale deeply.
- Focus & Concentration: Diffuse or use topically.
- Nervous System: Apply diluted down the spine.
- Occasional Stomach Upset: Rub directly on stomach area.
- Anxious Feelings: Use in a diffuser and apply over heart.
- Meditation: Use on brow chakra and temples.
- Yoga: Diffuse and use on bottoms of feet.
This is a fun oil this is a combination of the florals and mint aromas. This one is also very grounding, a very earthy oil, but a little bit brighter with some of those florals compared to the Console blend.
This has been one of my daughter's favorites since she was a baby. When she was a baby, she was incredibly fussy and I just opened a bottle of peace, put it under her nose, and she just started smiling and stopped crying.
I like to use this oil before yoga on the bottoms of my feet. Sometimes I like to put it on my forehead or anywhere that I feel like I could use a little bit more Peace.
Console – Comforting Blend
When a storm is raging in one’s hearts and mind, or when there is not relief from anxious feelings, Console can assist individuals in taking the first step towards healing. It encourages individuals to seek divine intervention so they may experience the ever-present mantle of warmth, love, and consolation.
Console Ingredients: Frankincense Resin, Patchouli Leaf, Ylang Ylang Flower, Labdanum Stem/Twig, Amyris Bark, Sandalwood Wood, Rose Flower, Osmanthus Flower
Console Oil Uses:
- Grief: Diffuse during times of loss to comfort the soul and evoke feelings of hope.
- Positive Feelings: Apply over the heart morning and night as a reminder to be patient with healing and to think positive thoughts.
- Sadness: Apply one to two drops to a shirt collar or scarf and smell throughout the day.
- Stress: Use topically on pulse points or aromatically.
- Discouragement: Combine with Wild Orange in a diffuser.
- Fine lines & Wrinkles: Dilute and rub on the skin or add a drop in your moisturizer.
- Restless nights: Massage a drop into feet and use in a diffuser.
- Libido: Add to lower abdomen and pulse points. Use in a diffuser.
This oil is a combination of trees and floral scents. Console has a very earthy smell to me. I keep extras of this oil to give as gifts to people who are grieving either the loss of a job, a loved one, or a pet; there is nothing that can replace those grievances, but I like to let people know I am thinking about them, and I care. This oil is beneficial for someone who is on a journey of healing.
While the description is earthy and floral smelling, it smells more earthy to me. I prefer to use this oil on the bottoms of my feet due to the earthy aroma. I love the effects of this oil on my mood, but I don’t really want the scent on my pulse points.
Emotional Aromatherapy Kits
While you can purchase each of these oils individually, I recommend purchasing them as a set to save money and to have the essential oils on hand when you need them.
There are two options for purchasing these blends in a set: Emotional Aromatherapy Touch Kit or Emotional Aromatherapy System Kit. Both options contain the same six essential oil blends the difference is the Touch Kit comes pre-diluted in a roller bottle, whereas the System Kit contains 5mL bottles of undiluted oils.
doTERRA Emotional Aromatherapy Touch Kit
This kit comes pre-diluted with fractionated coconut oil and in roller bottles for the convenience of just rolling these oils whenever you feel like you need some emotional support. There are 6 10mL Roll-ons in this kit
Retail price is: $133.33
Wholesale price is: $100.00
doTERRA Emotional Aromatherapy System Kit
This kit contains the same six blends as the Aromatherapy Touch Kit, but
instead of roll-on bottles, this kit comes with 6 5mL bottles of undiluted oil.
This is the perfect kit if you want to be able to diffuse these oils. I love the roll-on bottles, but if you only have the budget to purchase one of these kits, I say purchase this kit and make your own roll-on bottles with fractionated coconut oil and about 20-30 drops of whichever oil you want to make into a roller. Also, when you diffuse oils throughout your home the entire family gets to reap the benefits of whichever oil you are diffusing, which means their limbic systems will be stimulated along with yours.
This kit retails for $212.00
Wholesale price is: $159.00
I hope this article helps you to be more emotionally aware of yourself and those around you and support you in the ability to self-regulate when your emotions are all over the place. I love that essential oils help to enhance my holistic health and that of my family. So much of our physical health depends on our mental health.
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