09/11/2020
OILS and e m o t i o n s - HOW DO ESSENTIAL OILS REACT IN THE BRAIN?
Letâs be honest, the first TWO years of my oily journey I thought that using oils for emotions was something ridiculous! Because I didnât know anything about it.
Letâs understand HOW amazing it is to have oils under all circumstances.
To understand this, we need to take a look at the brain and how it processes emotion.
In the brain, under the cerebral cortex (the outer layer), there is a collection of structures called the limbic system. This regulates our body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, pleasure, and controls the release of hormones in the body - based on emotional stimuli.
The limbic system also takes our experiences and forms memories, especially where strong emotion was attached to the event.
The amygdala, part of this system, is where trauma is stored from accidents, abuse, or shock. It evaluates our experiences, determining whether we should be in fight or flight to deal with potential threats. This part of the brain learns about rewards and punishments and programs them into our nervous system, which can be good or bad. We can learn harmful things that program our body to associate pretty much anything with danger or harm, meaning we will be wired for fear and stress.
Researchers have discovered that the sense of smell is the *only* sense with a direct line of communication to this area of the brain.
When we inhale something as potent as our essential oils, we are able to send messages of help quickly and effectively to this emotional center of our brain.
âBecause the limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance, essential oils can have profound physiological and psychological effects⌠Olfactory responses to odors induce the brain to stimulate the release of hormones and neurochemicals that in turn alter the bodyâs physiology and behavior.â
Essential Oil Desk Reference, 4th Edition
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