An aromatherapist has their own healing protocol or framework. Some emphasize chemical components and therapeutic properties, while others emphasize plant parts or emotional aspects. It is difficult to say which is superior. Each protocol has its own merits. In reality, many people are amazed at the effectiveness of aromatherapy on their first encounter. However, the passion can fade if we can’t identify the right healing protocol for clients. Flexibility is the key, as we have to meet customer needs while maintaining efficient protocols.

Common practice in aromatherapy is to discover the chemistry of each essential oil and then use its therapeutic components to address the problem. For example, when someone has a fever, you may want to use ginger (Zingiber officinale) to counteract the effect of the fever by inducing perspiration. If you use plant parts, you’ll want to think about how the different parts of the plant work. For example, leaves are associated with breathing. When someone has a stuffy nose, they would like to use eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) to relieve the ailment. For emotional needs, citrus oil such as bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is uplifting and can help alleviate the emotional problem of depression. Flower like rose oil (Rosa damacena) is calming and can relieve anxiety. Some aromatherapists take the mix of emotional needs into consideration when dealing with clients who have chronic problems.

To help me think more systematically, I classify my aromatherapy healing protocols into three categories: “icing on the cake,” “timely help,” and “other factors.” For example, when you make a cake and encounter a problem, you get “timely help” from a friend or a recipe to solve that problem. After the core (cake) is finished, “icing on the cake” is put on for decorative purposes. If the cake does not taste as expected, the reason may be that the ingredients are not fresh or of inferior quality. It’s all about the “other factors.”

In Aromatherapy, timely help allows you to identify the root cause of the problem and solve the problem with the right essential oils. The icing on the cake may be the emotional needs that are taken into account to lift the client’s spirits while also healing the core of the ailment. An example of other factors may be referring the client to other providers when aromatherapy does not completely solve the problem.

To better illustrate, let’s think of a person with neck pain. An elderly client with neck pain approaches you and asks for help using aromatherapy to relieve his pain. After his first consultation, he discovers that his problem is due to osteoarthritis. To relieve her pain, you make an ointment with some essential oils with therapeutic components for her. She tries it out and finds it quite effective in relieving her pain. She also finds that she sleeps better because of the ointment’s fragrance. This fact speeds up your recovery.

In the previous case, the “timely help” is the Aromatherapist and the ointment; the “icing on the cake” is the fragrance that put her to sleep; and, “another factor” is the fact that he heals faster because he sleeps well.

What if this elderly customer’s neck pain was something you couldn’t cure with essential oils? In this case, you will need to consider “other factors” and perhaps refer her to another provider. Do you need to see an acupuncturist? Do you need to see a physical therapist for additional treatment? Another provider may have more resources to determine if the stiff neck was caused by muscle or bone; and they have the necessary experience to alleviate the problem.

Let’s take another example; A man with a low-grade fever, runny nose, and headache asks for your help, and after consultation, you give him a mixture of essential oils. After using the mixture, his symptoms subsided. However, the next morning, he had a high fever and a severe headache. It seemed that the “timely help” mixture of therapeutic components you gave him was not adequate for his needs. It may be time for you to seek “timely help” from a conventional medical professional, while offering to mix you up another concoction to complement his “icing on the cake” care, which could help you heal faster. In this case, whether he is mixing therapeutic components, plant parts, or emotional needs, he does not have to follow a specific methodology. Helping you recover with medication is the most important thing.

In contrast, a person with a mild fever, headache, and runny nose decides to heal himself by healing his own body. For her, less is more. To help her recover, you make her a mixture to promote deep sleep so that her body can heal more quickly. In this case, the mixture remains the “timely aid” of the mixture with therapeutic components. But now he takes into account “other factors” like putting her into a deep sleep so her body can heal faster. The scent of the blend is the “icing on the cake” as it provides emotional support to your customer. As a result, your client is able to heal faster. Due to his clarity of mind in classifying the protocols, he can tackle the problem easily and effectively.

In summary, this simplified model provides a framework for classifying healing protocols into three categories: “icing on the cake,” “timely help,” and “other factors.” Classification helps clarify in one’s mind what protocol will be used, whether it be chemical components, therapeutic properties, plant parts, or emotional aspects. This method also helps to be flexible in your choice of protocol.