Dr. Danielle - Holistic Psychology

12/29/2025

Ever have a client walk in completely scattered or emotionally flooded? The kind of session where it takes 10 minutes just to settle the energy?

That’s where Douglas Fir comes in.

This coniferous oil has a crisp, clean scent that’s surprisingly calming. But it’s not just about how it smells, it’s how it works. Douglas Fir is rich in beta-pinene, a compound studied for its neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. Research suggests it may help regulate neurotransmitters involved in focus, memory, and emotional resilience.

In the therapy space, that translates to clearer thinking, calmer transitions, and a more anchored nervous system—for both client and clinician.

🧠 Try Douglas Fir to:
→ Create a grounded atmosphere at the start of session
→ Support clients feeling mentally foggy or emotionally stuck
→ Pair with citrus oils like Bergamot to balance mood and focus

💡 Tip: A drop on a cotton round tucked near a chair can offer a subtle reset without being overpowering.

You don’t have to say much. The brain recognizes the message: it’s safe to settle.

Comment EOBRAIN to get my essential oils & the Brain e-guide!

12/26/2025

Therapists hold space for deep emotions, trauma, and energetic intensity every day. But without mindful resets between sessions, that weight can accumulate—and affect your clarity, presence, and nervous system.

One way to support yourself is through scent-based rituals designed to reset both emotionally and energetically.

🌿 Essential oils for emotional cleansing:

Myrrh: Grounding and centering, often used for emotional boundaries

Tea Tree: Symbolic of energetic purification and release

Lemongrass: Uplifting and clarifying, known for its cleansing properties

🧴 How to use:

Hand wipe ritual: Add a drop of Tea Tree and Lemongrass to a fragrance-free baby wipe and gently wipe your hands after a session.

Room mist: Mix 10 drops each of Myrrh, Lemongrass, and Tea Tree in a 2 oz spray bottle with distilled water and a splash of witch hazel. Shake and mist your space between clients.

Personal inhaler: Carry a blend of these oils in a personal inhaler to take a grounding breath and reset your focus.

These simple practices can become a powerful part of your clinical hygiene—helping you clear what isn't yours and step into each session fresh and grounded.

💡 Your well-being is not optional. It's foundational to the healing work you facilitate.

Want more scent-based support tools for your practice? Comment or DM “EOBRAIN” to get my essential oils & the brain e-guide wheel!

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas, from my heart to yours.

If today looks like joy around the tree, a quiet morning alone, or something entirely different, know that I’m wishing you peace, presence, and the comfort of being exactly where you are.

12/22/2025

In therapy with children, especially those who are neurodivergent or have sensory processing challenges, small predictable rituals can make a big difference. One gentle, effective way to create consistency is through scent.

🌿 What’s a scent anchor?
A scent anchor is the intentional use of an essential oil to signal a repeated emotional or behavioral cue, like calming the body, shifting focus, or beginning a session. Over time, the brain learns to associate that specific aroma with a particular state of being.

🧠 Why it works:
The olfactory system connects directly to the limbic system, responsible for emotion, memory, and stress response. In children, this connection is especially powerful. Repeated exposure to a calming scent at the same point in their therapy process can help build neural pathways for regulation and predictability.

🧴 How to use it in practice:

Choose a gentle oil like Lavender, Roman Chamomile, or Cedarwood

Use a personal inhaler, cotton round, or diffuser in the space

Pair the scent with a repeated phrase, breathwork exercise, or grounding tool

Use with caregiver consent and introduce slowly

✨ Example:
Opening each session with one drop of Lavender on a cotton pad + a deep breath can begin to anchor the nervous system before any words are spoken. After a few weeks, just the scent alone may begin to shift their internal state.

Aroma anchors are a simple, non-verbal way to support safety and nervous system regulation in young clients—meeting them where they are, gently and consistently.

Comment EOBRAIN to get my Essential Oils & the Brain e-guide to learn more!

12/19/2025

The Holistic Brain App was created for holistic seekers to make integrative care more accessible, evidence-informed, and practical applications.

Inside, you’ll find:
🧠 Aromatherapy protocols to support regulation, memory, mood, trauma work, and more
📚 Research summaries that bridge science and practice
🧰 Therapist tools like scent anchor guides, nervous system education, and session prep resources
🌀 Somatic practices that integrate essential oils with breathwork, mindfulness, and meditation
👩‍⚕️ Self-care resources to help you regulate between sessions—not just your clients

Whether you’re just starting to integrate natural tools or looking to deepen your trauma-informed aromatherapy knowledge, this app is a practical companion for your brain-based work.

It’s not about doing more.
It’s about regulating more intentionally—with tools that support both practitioner and client.

🔗 Want access? Comment BRAINAPP for the link to download.

12/17/2025

When you are using essential oils to support the nervous system, quality becomes everything. And not all essential oils are created equal.

🧠 The olfactory system has a direct line to the brain’s limbic system, which governs memory, emotion, and autonomic response. That means what you inhale impacts your physiology in seconds. If that scent is adulterated, oxidized, or contaminated? You’re not just getting poor results. You could be harming regulation.

📚 A 2019 review published in Molecules found that many commercially available essential oils were adulterated with synthetic compounds or diluted with cheap carriers—impacting both safety and therapeutic effect.

⚠️ Common issues with low-quality oils:

Contain phthalates or synthetic fragrances that disrupt endocrine function

Oxidized oils may trigger respiratory irritation or inflammation

Lack of transparency around sourcing and testing

No guarantee of active compounds being present in therapeutic amounts

🌿 On the other hand, pure, well-sourced essential oils retain their full chemical complexity, allowing them to work as nature intended. This is especially critical for oils used to support trauma healing, emotional regulation, and neurodivergent care.

✅ What to look for:

Third-party testing, like GC/MS reports

Transparent sourcing and harvesting practices

Clear labeling (botanical name, country of origin)

No added fragrance, preservatives, or diluents

Therapists: your clients trust you to create a safe space. That includes what they smell. Quality oils don’t just smell better; they support co-regulation, safety, and the brain’s ability to heal.

To learn more about quality essential oils, DM or comment the word TOP10

12/15/2025

Frankincense has long been valued for its grounding properties, but modern research suggests it may also support memory and cognitive clarity.

🧠 One study found that Boswellia serrata (a species of Frankincense) improved spatial learning and memory in lab models by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the hippocampus, KEY areas for memory processing.

Here's how you might use Frankincense in practice:

Diffuse during sessions to support calm and recall

Apply to the temples or back of the neck (diluted) before learning or focus-based work

Take one drop under the tongue daily (if using a high-quality oil and appropriate for the client) to support internal balance

Frankincense can serve as a gentle bridge between mind and body, enhancing focus, easing overwhelm, and supporting memory formation through its direct effects on the brain.

💡 Therapist Tip: Invite your client to pair Frankincense with journaling or reflective work. Over time, the scent anchors a state of clarity and insight.

Want to learn more about why I think Frankincense is such a powerful essential oil? DM or comment FRANK, and I’ll send you my Frankincense e-guide.

12/12/2025

For many clients (especially those with trauma histories), reconnecting with the body is a slow and often complex process. Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm can pull them into survival mode, making it difficult to access felt sense, breath, or even stillness.

This is where aromatherapy can quietly and powerfully step in.

🌿 Scent bypasses the thinking brain. It travels directly to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotion, memory, and basic survival. This makes essential oils a unique somatic tool: they don’t require language, insight, or even conscious processing to be effective.

🧠 A drop of Lavender can soften hyperarousal and invite parasympathetic regulation.
🧠 A drop of Frankincense can deepen the breath, slow racing thoughts, and create just enough internal spaciousness for presence to return.

Whether diffused in session, inhaled from the palms, or used in a roller applied to pulse points (always with consent), essential oils can serve as bridges—quietly guiding clients back to safety, embodiment, and self-awareness.

Here’s my tip for fellow therapists: Start small. Introduce one scent and invite clients to notice what shifts. The goal isn’t to “fix” anything, but to offer a sensory anchor that can support reconnection in a safe, non-invasive way.

12/10/2025

Grateful. Grounded. Growing.

Today I’m celebrating another trip around the sun and a year filled with deep conversations, connecting with new and old friends, unexpected lessons, and a whole lot of love.

To everyone who’s trusted me with your healing, walked beside me in this work, or reminded me to take care of my own nervous system too… thank you. This life, this work, this community—it all means more than I can say.

Here’s to more joy, more softness, more science-backed healing, and more space to just be.

✨ Cheers to another year of impact and alignment.

12/09/2025

Want to join our VIP program and get Certified in the Holistic Brain? This would be a great goal for 2026, enhance your skillset and your mindset and get coaching with me and our VIP community!

Click the button below for a FREE 7-Day Trial and be sure to DM me when you join so I can give you exclusive access to our group and calls:

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12/08/2025

Keep learning with printed resources for your home and office with the Brain Bundle:

- Essential Oils for various brain regions & neurotransmitters
- DIY booklet of blends for the brain
- PTSD & Aromatherapy published manuscript
- Diffuser blend booklet for the brain

Dr. Danielle Daniel gives you amazing educational content on the connection between mental health and aromatherapy. Featuring her doctoral dissertation, the Mental Health & Aromatherapy Book is a great addition to any essential oil lover's library. In addition, this bundle includes the Brain Ess...

12/08/2025

Frankincense has long been used for its calming and centering effects, but research is now catching up to what many therapists already observe in practice that this oil can be particularly supportive for neurodivergent individuals.

🧠 The Science:
Frankincense contains compounds like α-pinene and incensole acetate, which have been shown in studies to cross the blood–brain barrier and influence neurological activity.

Incensole acetate has been studied for its ability to activate TRPV3 ion channels, which play a role in mood regulation and perception of warmth and calm.

Alpha-pinene may enhance mental clarity and has shown neuroprotective properties in preclinical studies.

One animal study published in FASEB Journal noted that incensole acetate had a positive effect on mood and reduced anxious behavior.

🧩 Why this matters for neurodivergence:
Many individuals on the spectrum or with ADHD experience chronic dysregulation, sensory sensitivity, and challenges with transitions or emotional flexibility. Frankincense may support:

Nervous system regulation

Executive functioning (by calming overstimulation)

Routine anchoring and sensory predictability

🌿 3 Ways to Use Frankincense with Neurodivergent Clients:

Diffuse in session or classroom spaces to reduce overstimulation and create an emotionally safe environment.

Apply topically to the base of the neck or soles of the feet during transitions or when meltdowns are building.

One drop under the tongue (when appropriate) for rapid internal support—especially in older teens or adults. This should only be done with CPTG® verified oils that are tested for internal use and free from adulterants.

Therapist Tip:
Always co-create an aroma protocol with the client or caregiver. Let them explore the scent on their terms and decide what feels supportive. What’s calming for one client may be activating for another.

⚠️ Quality Matters:
Synthetic or low-grade oils may contain residues or fillers that irritate the nervous system. Ensure your oil is third-party tested for purity and verified for both aromatic and internal use.

Want to learn more about the Frankincense? DM or comment FRANK, and I’ll send you my Frankincense e-guide.