I’m not sure how many of you are old enough to remember Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out where the comedy duo, as their characters ‘The Ginger Aroma Therapists’, took comedic digs at aromatherapy? They used the catch phrase ‘smell to get well’ to amusingly sum up the contemptuous view of aromatherapy that many people held in the ’90's.
Thankfully, aromatherapy has come a long way since then. And, I would argue, if being ‘well’ is having the autonomy to create a positive mindset and influence our physiological state, then yes, you actually can smell to get well!
The process of smelling
When we inhale, scent molecules drift to the top of the nose and meet the olfactory mucous membrane which contains up to 400 odour receptors. Here the aroma molecules and receptors interact, sending a signal to the olfactory cortex where the scent is interpreted, compared and labeled.
The olfactory cortex is part of the limbic system, which processes and regulates emotion and memory. It also plays a significant role in our body’s response to stressful situations and environments, meaning a smell has the power to activate intense feelings and memories.
Interestingly, scent molecules are interpreted by many different receptors at once and the number and type of receptors activated varies in every body, which perhaps explains why we all interpret smells slightly differently.
Scent-scaping
The term scent-scaping has been around for a few years now and the power of scent to create strong emotional responses has been used commercially for decades.
When you go to the cinema, for example, does the smell of popcorn make your mouth water? Me too - I don’t even like popcorn that much but the pleasure of going to watch a film has become intrinsically linked to that buttery, salty smell, and buckets of it are duly purchased!
If you have a favourite candle, perfume, cleaning product (etc) that you use on a regular basis then you are in effect scent-scaping already! So I challenge you to become more conscious of the scents around you - the ones you enjoy at least.
From consciously inhaling the flavour notes of your evening meal to taking the time to breathe in and become aware of the faint smell of spring in the air, all these simple actions can help us connect to the moment, intensify our memories and calm our physiological responses - it’s self care in action.
Ultimately, the domino effect that scent has on the mind and body can be consciously used to prompt any desired response. You can create the effect of ‘popcorn at the cinema’ in your own life!
I use Focus to quite my mind and Flow to steady my nerves but I also use others scents to scape my emotions…a bit of suncream applied on a cold, gloomy day can instantly lift your mood with warm, happy memories.
So pick your scent and have a go - you’ll see that ‘smell to get well’ isn’t so much of a joke after all!