AROMATHERAPY

Indirect Perfuming 

Over the past few years indirect perfuming has become a serious concern of businesses who are trying to find ways of increasing the efficiency of their staff and the satisfaction of their clients. All over the world scientific laboratories are experimenting on the effects of aroma and coming up with results that will one day affect you and me as we go about our work and play.

For example, Dr Rober Barron at Perdue University, la Fayette, Indiana, has confirmed that aromas in the workplace affect their efficiency with which people perform tasks; - not only do the workers feel in a better mood and project a more positive frame of mind, they actually think more clearly and intuitively.

Airlines are looking at the possibility of indirectly perfuming their aeroplanes with aromas that will make the passengers more relaxed. Shimizu, the third largest construction company in Japan, now incorporates an 'Aroma Generation System' into their air-conditioning of new offices and hospitals.They tailor-make the aromas to the client's needs and already have a standard twenty aromas in their catalogue.

Shimizu's faith and investment in the power of aroma is based on research carried out by Japan's largest fragrance manufacturer Takasago, among others. They found that people operating computers and word processors made 54 per cent fewer keying errors when the air was diffused with lemon, 33 per cent fewer with jasmine and 20 per cent with lavender. 'Perfume dynamics' as it is called in Japan, means that workers in Japanese banks now work with a lemon atmosphere and their customers are being soothed with lavender.

America is not far behind. Henry Walters, chairman of International Flavours and Fragrances in New York, has been quoted as saying they 'envision a zillion different possibilities'. In his view the new field of indirect perfuming is as full of potential as the 'beginning of antibiotics'. As IFF is the world's largest producer and supplier of fragrances (which appear in the washing-up liquids, soap powders and perfumes you and I buy every day) you can be pretty sure that sooner or later we are going to be feeling the effect of all that enthusiasm as we go about our work and business. An d the younger generation had better watch out - it could already be planned to pump stimulating aromas into the classroom to wake them all up.

You may not be too happy about the idea of your boss putting aromas into your space to increase your efficiency or even reduce your stress. An d what will happen to the lunchtime pub trade if appetite suppressors come in to use and the lunch break becomes a thing of the past? Where will it all lead? Of course we cannot know, but if the ethical considerations seem mind-boggling to us now, in times to come we may consider mental and emotional management through aroma no more of an infringement on our personal rights then the introduction of new technologies  or working conditions such as fluorescent lighting and air-conditioning, which are known to have bad effects on those who are obliged to work in them.

It may simply be that job application forms will have an extra question  - 'Do you have any objection to perfume dynamics being operated in your workplace?' We may even see trade union 'aroma representatives'. But if lack of choice may become an issue in indirect perfuming of the future, we have a choice in the matter right now. Certainly there is no doubt that aromas effect one's performance at work, so why not take advantage of the reality in ways that will make your job more enjoyable and productive? You can choose the essential oils to use from the various sections of this chapter and use them in a plant-spray, room diffuser or atomising ring, or just on cotton-wool balls with a few drops added on a heat source. Desk lamps are useful for this as they are nearby so we get the full effect ourselves.

Indirect perfuming has particular advantages for both male and female workers. As it has been shown in psychological testing that men wearing a personal scent brings out rivalry in other men, it may be better to diffuse the atmosphere instead. They might get jealous of your working space - but that's harmless enough and takes the heat off you. Women's perfumes are usually advertised with sexual connotations, and wearing a scent  in the office can give the wrong impression to the males around. B ut a scented office gives the whole place a charming aura - and there's nothing wrong with charm.

Women working in a man's world could utilise the oils of basil or sandalwood which do not smell at all like feminine perfumes and which, respectively, give an intellectual boost and enhance the 'active principle'. But for everyone, whatever their working situation, the essential oils have much to offer in terms of indirect perfuming. So just experiment and find the right ones for you. Most of us have to spend about forty hours a week in the workplace so we might as well make the very best of it.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie A. Worwood

Two Brains for the Price of one

The human brain has two distinct parts - left and right - which govern, respectively, the logical, analytical jobs and the creative, inspirational aspects of human endeavour. The majority of people rely on the left-hand side to get through life and can function quite adequately with the skills the left-hand side provides - speaking, reading and writing, for example. Others use the right-hand side predominantly and are the artists of the community. Whichever side we rely most heavily on, we tend to under-use the other. So those who have developed the left-hand side of their brain tend to be accountants, lawers, and teachers who cannot paint a portrait while those who have developed the right tend to be musicians and artists who cannot understand a balance sheet.

This is of course a generalization, but you and I both know plenty of people who will say 'I'm no good with technical things' while looking at the video machine and those who say  'I' can't draw a thing' when they haven't even tried to draw anything since they were a rebellious teenager in the art class at school. But are these mental blockages inherent or the result of teaching practices which tend to emphasise in a particular person those talents which first show themselves ? Might we all not benefit from using both sides of the brain equally, not only so that we can perform logically and artistically but so that each side of the brain could feed off and charge the other side.

• Leonardo da Vinci is the classic example of someone with a powerful two-sided brain - the most marvellous artist with tremendous logical talents that enabled him also to be a brilliant mathematician, architect, engineer, and inventor of flying machines, submarines, hydraulics and weaponry. He has been called 'the complete man', but we can all to some extent be complete in this same way - Renaissance men and women  capable of doing diverse things and able to enjoy life and work to the full.
  

Most people know which side of the brain they favour and it is interesting that the logical person who uses the left side of the brain is usually right-handed while the right-brain, artistic person is usually left handed. ( As you probably know. the right side of the brain controls the left -hand side of the body and vice versa. ) The majority of people in our society are right-handed, leaving the inspirational, creative part of the brain largely under-used and undeveloped. It is this right-hand side of the brain that most of us need to develop.

• The duality of human nature has for millennia been recognised by Eastern systems of thought, and balance between the two sough so that the interaction can stimulate a more effective performance in all sorts of activities. In Western society the group who have taken these lessons most to heart have probably been sportspeople, who add to their very disciplined and logical training methods those specifically designed to bring out the inspirational - and of such methods tennis and golf stars have been made. Men and women all over the world have read books such as Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards, and have learned to draw, paint or play music when these talents had previously totally evaded them. Clearly, much can be achieved by training the brain.
• First, sit or lie down quietly and imagine that you have a small glowing, coloured light in your head. The light can be of any colour. Place the light inside your head just over the left eyebrow and slowly allow it to explore all over the left side of your brain. Then imagine it crossing over and exploring the right-hand side of the brain. Then get the light to travel along the line that separates left and tight, back and forth. Again, let the light explore left and right, and down the centre.
  
• When you feel harassed at work picture in your mind a scene of great tranquillity and transfer that scene from one side of the brain to the other, back and forth. This can also be done for success - imagine yourself achieving the particular job you are trying to get done, whether it is getting through a pile of paperwork, finishing a PhD or decorating the house, See yourself with the job finished, complete with a satisfied grin, and transfer that image back and forth from one side of your brain to the other. You will find that this simple device can motivate you into getting the job done.
  

• THE RIGHT SIDE,'BRAIN TRAIN OILS
  Bergamot- Grapefruit-Coriander-Neroli-Chamomile Roman-Birch-Melissa-Pettigraine-Palma Rosa
  
• Go for the brain train with these synergistic formulas:
  
• THE RIGHT SIDE,'BRAIN TRAIN'
• 
  FORMULA 1: Palma rosa 8 drops-Pettigraine 4 drops
• 
  FORMULA 2: Geranium 4 drops-Grapefruit 6 drops
• FORMULA 3: Neroli 4 drops- Coriander 4 drops
• 
  FORMULA 4: Mellisa 6 drops- Chamomile Roman 2 drops
• 
  Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy; Valerie Ann Worwood
  

Some people get into such a state during exams or interviews that they couldn't remember the name of their own sister, if asked. Self-hypnosis is a technique they could find useful, but it is not only for them. many jobs are extremely stressful and many of us need a mental oasis to recoup the mental faculties we lose during the course of the working day.

Self hypnosis for relaxation is as relevant for the commodity broker who would prefer not to be burnt out by thirty as for the teacher of a rowdy bunch of teenagers and the mother with a toddler.Self-hypnosis is a technique of suspending normal consciousness for a limited period of time in order to relax and allow the mind and the body to recharge. This state of suspension allows complete relaxation and is, even if done only for a few minutes, extremely revitalising.

Some people find it easier than others to suspend the dominant left brain, but with practice everyone can achieve it. And once you have mastered the technique, self-hypnosis can be reached without all the preliminary procedure.

Certain essential oils help the process.

First, at least while you are learning the technique. Place 1 or 2 drops of one of the following essential oils on a piece of tissue and inhale. It helps if you place a few drops on a source of heat as well to infuse the atmosphere of the room.

ESSENTIAL OILS TO FACILITATE SELF-HYPNOSIS

Narcissus, Jonquil, Patchouli, Neroli, Osmanthus, Clary-sage-Palma rosa- Geranium

Or use one of the following synergistic blends:

HEAVY SYNERGISTIC BLEND:

Narcissus 1 drop-Palma rosa 3 drops-Osmanthus 1 drop:

LIGHT SYNERGISTIC BLEND: Clary -sage 5 drops-Geranium 2 drops

Now focus your attention on an object - something light and bright - and keep concentrating. Slowly count from one to fifty, while all the time maintaining your focus on that object - something light and bright - and keep concentrating. Slowly count from one to fifty, while all the time maintaining your focus on that object.

Close your eyes now and imagine the object in your mind, trying to see it as clearly as possibly open them until five, ten or fifteen minutes have passed. Feel relaxed and at ease with yourself.

When you open your eyes you will feel very relaxed indeed - able to tackle anything and anyone.

Reference: The Fragrant Pharmacy: Valerie A Worwood

What perfume or aftershave you are wearing when you go for a job interview is a critical factor in 'impression management' as it is known in research circles. The interesting thing is that it makes a great deal of difference whether you are being interviewed by a man or a woman. Men aren't impressed with men who wear aftershaves at all, perhaps because of male rivalry, and surprisingly perhaps, they consider women who wear perfume at interviews to be frivolous and unbusinesslike. Female interviewers are much easier to please and consider perfume and aftershave an integral part of good grooming. But there are perfumes and perfumes, and nobody is going to be impressed if you wear a heavy, hypnotic type of perfume that you might also use on a seductive date. If you wear one of these fragrances you might get asked out, but you won't get the job.

Clearly, if you want to manage the impression you make, the aroma you wear at an interview is an important component of the overall picture. And because odour alters people's perception of each other on the subconscious level, it might even be more im portant that the qualifications you have in your hand. I just didn't like him/her is a pretty wishy-washy reason to turn an application down but it happens and, according to research, with predictable regularity. In view of all this it might be better not to wear a fragrance at all at interviews - especially if you are a man - but we wear fragrance to please ourselves as well as other people and, most importantly, to give us confidence. Somehow a balance has to be struck and using essential oil is the perfect way to do it.

Certain essential oils are confidence boosters, working through the limbic system of the brain, and their aromas are subtle so if they are detected on the subconscious level  by the interviewers, they will have their confidence raided too. This is all to the good. In view of what we know about the negative impact  of the heavy scents, it makes good sense to stick to the light and floral type of aroma so even if it is perceived on the conscious level it won't make a negative impression. Rather you will come across as fresh, clean and confident. Below is a guideline of which essential oils to use, and not to use. Just use them as you would a perfume - a dab behind the ears - or put a drop on your handkerchief in your top jacket pocket. And, if some time later, you ask why you got the job and you're told 'We just liked you', dont be surprised!

THE RIGHT OILS FOR THE JOB
Lemon-Bergamot-Melissa-Pettigraine (lemon or orange) Neroli-Coriander-Verbena: THE WRONG OILS FOR THE JOB Rose Maroc-Ylang-Ylang-Narcissus-Jasmine-Vetiver

Here is a synergistic blend of oils which will boost confidence, increase your powers of memory and allow you to concentrate  - even if you are a nervous wreck. This is perfect for an interview or exam alike.

SAILING THROUGH INTERVIEW AND EXAM FORMULA

Grapefruit-8 drops-Basil-5 drops-Bergamot-5 drops-Lavender-2 drops: The evening before an important interview or exam can be dreadful. The anticipation makes you more and more nervous so that you end up lying awake for hour after ghastly hour. To nip this syndrome in the bud and give yourself the refreshing sleep you need use the following formula in a bath, followed by a massage:

THE NIGHT BEFORE 'SWEET DREAMS' SYNERGISTIC BLEND

Chamomile Roman-2 drops-Geranium-6 drops-Sandalwood-3 drops-Lemon-3 drops- Make up a concentrate in these proportions-use 6 drops in a bath just before bedtime and 5 drops in a dessertspoon of vegetable oil for massage.

There is no point spending the evening before the interview or exam in going over your speech, again and again, or trying to cram more facts into your already nerve-jangled brain. You've done the basic work, so now try to get yourself into mental shape so that you can deliver the goods you already have in a nice orderly fashion(rather than spilling them ina dishevelled mess all over the interview room or exam paper). Try to forget the whole thing and instead spend the time doing something you enjoy: watch TV, read a book or, better still, make love - a notoriously good way to relieve stress. Then take your, 'Sweet Dreams' bath, preferablywhile listening to relaxing music which will help to drown out your anticipatory thoughts. Now massage yourself, or have someone massage you, with the same formula, as above.

• PRE-EXAM SYNERGISTIC BLEND FOR THE UNDER SIXTEENS:
• Lavender-5 drops-Chamomile-3 drops-Geranium-3 drops-Mandarin-5 drops-Make into a concentrate.
• On the morning of the exam put 2 drops of grapefruit and 1 drop of lavender in a bath and go for it!
• Reference: Valerie A Worwood