Recap and Afterthoughts

By Kathleen Jaggassar, CCC, RA^®, EOT^®

 

The central theme of our June 2022 Coffee Saturday was Aromatherapy and the Scope of Practice. We discussed the differences between aromatherapy and aromatic medicine, and the ingestion of essential oils (EOs). Colleen Thompson explained that since we do not have aromatic medicine in Canada, the ingestion of EOs falls under a medical doctor’s scope of practice. In fact, Health Canada[1] and the Province of BC[2] explicitly state that EOs are not to be ingested. We discussed how to approach this issue with clients. We talked about the value of education, and we touched on the risks associated with various methods of application. Koyama and Heinbickel discuss how the method of intake (diffuser, ingestion or topical) will interact with the bodily system related to the application (olfactory, digestive and skin) and that currently there isn’t a comprehensive understanding of how these physical systems interact with each constituent or combinations of constituents.[3] An extensive body of research demonstrates that inhalation is the safest method of aromatherapy.[4] Tisserand and Young[5] provide a thorough resource on inhalation and topical safety, informing Health Canada guidelines[6]. All these resources can educate our clients to make an informed decision about using EOs.

 

We also touched on counselling and aromatherapy and how an aromatherapist might know when they were engaging in counselling. Kathleen said that an aromatherapist would be outside their scope of practice when they begin to process an issue with a client. The Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) defines counselling and psychotherapy as “a relational process based upon the ethical use of specific professional competencies to facilitate human change.”[7] Kathleen gave numerous examples of what this could look like during a session. Storytelling, guided meditations or spiritual journeys are all within the scope of aromatherapy practice. When a client engages an aromatherapist in a discussion about their concerns or begins to tell a story, an aromatherapist could use empathetic phrases such as, “That must have been really difficult for you,” “I am here with you now,” and “I can imagine this is a terrifying diagnosis.” Empathy is conceptualized as the ability to re-experience or share the emotions of another person.[8] Emotional regulation (the state by which a person returns to baseline after an emotional reaction) is indicated in many mental health issues. Emotional regulation is highly impacted by an empathetic response.[9] Therefore, it’s reasonable to expect that empathy alone can initiate a transformation. 

 

However, remember that to engage in counselling, you must use a specific set of professional competencies that far exceed an empathetic response. This discussion raised the question of what to do when a client starts talking about trauma or tells you they want to work through a psychological problem. Kathleen suggested explaining the scope of practice to clients by telling them you are willing to listen to their stories. Still, you cannot help them work through their problem, and you know of someone who can help (Kathleen strongly recommends engaging a counsellor as a referral source so you can be prepared for this circumstance). In summary, as an aromatherapist, your primary focus must be using EOs to promote mental and physical health and, through their use, remediate and treat client health symptoms and diagnosed medical concerns. The experience you chose to administer EOs to your client is arguably, the “therapy” in “aromatherapy.”

 

[1] Health Canada. Aromatherapy – Essential Oils [Internet]. 2018. Available from http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/atReq.do?atid=aromatherap&lang=eng 

[2] Health Link BC. Aromatherapy (Essential Oil Therapy) [Internet]/ 2021. Available from https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/aromatherapy-essential-oils-therapy

[3] Koyama, S., & Heinbockel, T. (2020). The effects of essential oils and terpenes in relation to their routes of intake and application. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(5), 1558. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/5/1558

[4] Aćimović, M. (2021). Essential oils: Inhalation aromatherapy—a comprehensive review. J. Agron. Technol. Eng. Manag, 4, 547-557.

[5] Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2014). Essential oil safety: A guide for health care professionals.

[6] Health Canada. Aromatherapy – Essential Oils [Internet]. 2018. Available from http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/atReq.do?atid=aromatherap&lang=eng

[7] CCPA. Who are counsellors/psychotherapists? [Internet]. 2022. Available from https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/profession-and-regulation/

[8] Lamm, C., & Tomova, L. (2018). The neural bases of empathy in humans. In Neuronal correlates of empathy (pp. 25-36). Academic Press. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128053973000036

[9] Engen, H. G., & Singer, T. (2013). Empathy circuits. Current opinion in neurobiology, 23(2), 275-282. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23219409/