ladies buying perfume in “The Perfume Seller” by Pietro Longhi, 1702–1785.
Scents largely influence us unwittingly. This is what endows them with such great psychological potential, for better or for worse. At present, there is a great deal of scientific interest in the potential psychological effects of aromas, and the Fragrance Research Foundation in New York has in recent years coined the term “aromachology” to describe the study and use of natural or synthetic odors in this field. The current commercial trend is also moving toward a rapid increase in the utilization of fragrance as a marketing agent. For example, in a trial test using fragranced shoes, it was shown that customers were attracted to the scented items in preference to nonscented items—even if they did not know why.
For exactly the same reasons that scent can sell shoes, fragrance can also be used as a very powerful therapeutic tool, especially for psychological or psychosomatic complaints. Fragrance has been found to be an ideal candidate for use in relaxation work, because it directly targets the inner mind, and bypasses any critical interference by the verbal, conscious mind. The word “osmotherapy” has been suggested specifically to describe the utilization of scents, both natural and artificial, for therapeutic purposes.7
This approach, however, is quite distinct from psycho-aromatherapy, in that the latter employs only natural fragrances derived from botanical sources, and also combines inhalation with other methods of treatment. In aromatherapy, therapeutic massage forms a large part of the individual’s treatment. Aromatherapy massage is particularly beneficial because it combines inhalation with the healing effects of touch. Aromatic bathing also harmonizes scent with relaxation, as well as promoting absorption of the essential oils through the skin.
Thus, the practice of psycho-aromatherapy, while concentrating on the power of smell, actually embraces a variety of methods and techniques. In this respect it is a truly psychosomatic type of treatment for it operates on the body, mind, and emotions.
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Scent and stress
The sense of smell is intimately connected with, and influences the functioning of, the central nervous system. Moreover, many illnesses could be said to be rooted in the mind—in a person’s negative outlook or underlying fears. It is well known that mental states such as anxiety, irritation, or anger cause physical changes in the body, including an increase in heart rate, and change in breathing pattern and muscle tone. Stress and mental unrest, which are thought to be at the root of so much of our 20th-century “disease,” eventually produce a degenerative effect on the entire organism.
There is also a reciprocal relationship between stress and scent, in that certain smells, especially those with pheromonal potential (the potential to influence others of their species), can cause stress reactions and vice versa. Animals are particularly sensitive to this phenomenon, but the smell of fear or the smell of disease can sometimes be picked up by humans with a trained nose. Happiness and good health have their characteristic scents, too.
A person’s subconscious attitudes are related to the limbic system, the most primitive part of the brain concerned with basic emotions and mood. Since the body and mind are intrinsically related, a change in the mental or psychological disposition of an individual can have dramatic results on the person’s physical health. And, since the limbic system is especially susceptible to the effects of fragrance, it is possible to heighten or influence a person’s underlying dispositions and attitudes by subjecting him or her to certain scents.
Scents rapidly affect our mood and emotions via the brain.
Mood and fragrance
Some negative emotional states that can be altered by fragrance are:
| Passive | Active |
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Depression |
Anxiety |
While scents have a chemical effect as they are absorbed by the bloodstream via the nose, they also work at a psychobiological level: for example, when we savor a pleasant fragrance, we take perceptibly deeper and slower breaths, relaxing our respiratory pattern much as we do in meditation. A scent can also serve to distract us, by becoming the focus for our attention, or by inducing positive memories and emotions.8
Aromatherapy massage treatment can take advantage of the fact that the benefits of the massage are reinforced by the scent of the oils used, and that the scent comes to be associated quickly with the beneficial, pleasure-giving and relaxing effects of the treatment. The odors of the oils used thus carry a positive association that makes the recipient more receptive and reinforces the effect of subsequent treatments, by causing positive anticipation. The subtle choice of oils to match a person’s emotional make-up can open the door to helping that person to re-experience pleasure or joy.
This is similar to the use of incense in ritual and religious practices, where the familiar scent of the incense helps to bring about, through repetition as well as in its own right, a receptive and uplifting state of mind.
In a recent research trial, J. R. King found that some fragrances were normally very effective in promoting relaxation through association, despite individual variations. He has utilized a seaside fragrance in his relaxation work, because of its widespread positive associations, although he points out that if it is then used to counteract negative moods in stressful situations, such a fragrance would be best used sparingly and for brief periods, to preserve its value as a conditioned stimulus. Judiciously chosen and employed, however, essential oils, used in conjunction with massage in aromatherapy, can form a counter-vibration to that of the negative mood, and help to restore harmony.
Different attempts have been made to structure the relation between mood and scent. In Essential Oils as Psychotherapeutic Agents, Robert Tisserand proposes eight mood categories, in which essential oil can be used to help counteract or balance extremes of emotion (as illustrated above). The essential oils are highlighted in terms of the mood which they generally evoke. Ylang ylang generally inspires passion and also helps combat anger, and can be used to help frigidity and introversion. Jasmine may be used as a valuable oil for a person who is uninspired, dull, and in need of new ideas.
The benefits of aromatherapy massage treatment are reinforced by
