This healing modality is all about creating a harmonious emotional state.
Touch is our first form of communication with the world. We begin receiving tactile signals in the womb, and then touch plays a critical role in parent-child relationships before verbal communication is possible. Scientific research has found that touch can be nearly as effective as words and facial cues for emotional communication. Gentle touch can also influence physiological responses in ways other communication simply cannot. Unlike massage, which involves powerful hand movements that are focused on specific outcomes, the gentleness of this offering has a much different spectrum of benefits. Tender touch almost instantaneously activates the release of oxytocin (often referred to as the “love” hormone), decreases heart rate and blood pressure, and has a beneficial influence on multiple other stress-sensitive systems.
Aroma is also a huge factor to the relaxation that occurs when you receive this type of healing. Have you ever wondered why specific smells remind you of your childhood? There is a direct connection between your nose and your brain’s emotional control center: the limbic system. The information from your nose goes directly to the limbic system, which controls mood, memory, and emotions. Your body also contains far more receptors associated with smell than it does for any other sense. Due to this, you are capable of discerning countless aromas with amazing sensitivity and accuracy. The olfactory system is the most subtle, yet effective, mean to induce specific and distinct responses. This is why utilizing essential oils can be so powerful to influence a person’s emotional wellbeing.