Scents and sensibility….

“Smell is important. It reminds a person of all the things he’s been through; it is a sheath of memories and security.”

Tove Jansson. author

When doing my NLP training, we were taught to draw upon all our senses, and I found myself somewhat lacking in the area of smell. I could recall only two memories associated with smell that first session but, as the training continued, I started connecting with my sense of smell, and found that smells started to trigger memories.

When shopping for tea, I walked into the corner of a shop, smelt Chai and shot straight back to childhood Indian train journeys. I traced my long-held antipathy to Lavender to the memory of the crepey texture of my slightly scary, elderly great-grandmother’s cheek, when I dutifully kissed her as a small child.

Of course, scents also generate a feeling without there being a memory attached. It’s the reason why shower products come in citrus scents as they’re known to energise, and bath oils predominate in scents from the restful end of the spectrum – things like rose, lavender, sandalwood and geranium – as they’re are more usually indulged in at the end of the day.

But did you know that essential oils can smell different depending upon the state of your emotions? OK, I know this sounds a bit out there, but it’s widely known in the aromatherapy community and is something I’ve experienced myself.

I’m very spoilt in having an aromatherapy masseuse friend. Her standard practice is to have clients sniff the wide range of essential oils on offer, asking that they select the ones which smell most appealing. Those she mixes with a carrier oil to use for their massage. While noticing a slight variation, my selection was always drawn from the uplifting and energising citrus oils. But when I went for a scheduled massage after having a shock and feeling great sadness, all the citrus oils smelt literally of nothing. Instead the oils I could smell and was drawn to were Geranium and Ylang Ylang – the first known for its ability to restore emotional balance and the second to relieve emotional stress. I now have a selection of essential oils myself, and have noticed there’s always been an emotional shift when I’m drawn to something different.

After developing allergies in my late thirties, perfumes have a tendency to make me sneeze or my eyes itch, so quality essential oils and natural smells are my only option. As a result, I keep an eye – or is that a nose 😉 – out for stuff based upon its smell and how it makes me feel.

In my everyday life, these include: the smell of freshly ground coffee as Himself is a coffee fiend, so our kitchen smells heavenly. There’s also Earl Grey tea – my favourite teabag brand is literally drenched with Bergamot oil, and I inhale the scent each time I make my afternoon cup. Another favourite is the Chai tea I sniffed out in that shop – its Clove and Cardamom being fantastic for my dodgy digestion, and providing mental clarity (it’s what I drink first thing in the morning). For an early morning wake-up hit, there’s a couple of companies who do grapefruit smelling bathing products which I rotate. In the past, I’ve grown mint in a pot on the windowsill to make my own Peppermint tea, good for a mid-day lift, and I also love brushing my hands along fresh Rosemary (it grows by the door of our apartment building) for a concentration boost.

With my background, you can imagine how delighted it was to discover just how many of the fresh spices used in Indian cooking have excellent properties. I’ve already mentioned Clove and Cardamon above, but a cold, cough or sore throat sees me substitute hot water, honey and a chunk of fresh Ginger for tea. Cinnamon is purported to be a metabolism boost, so if anyone can tell me how to get the powdered variety to absorb into hot liquid rather than simply float on top of it, I’d be delighted. Black Pepper is said to soothe and support the nervous system (I don’t know what it says about me that I use a lot!). Lastly there’s Turmeric – the new superfood – which is said to provides metabolic support and improved immune response. Who knew a curry would end up being so good for you? 😀

What scent or smell do you like? Is there a reason behind any of your preferences, or do any of them have an associated memory?

© Debra Carey, 2022