Issue 12
May 2010
Stop Using Only Half of Your Mind In Your Aromatherapy Practice One of the most basic problems limiting
the effectiveness of aromatherapists today is a tendency toward bad decisions. In some cases they never learned how to make a good decision. That is a parenting issue that we can take on another day. Beyond parenting, one reason aromatherapists often make bad decisions is that they aren't using their full mind. Their school and work routines cause an unhealthy focus on just two of the intellectual faculties, reason and memory while four other mental muscles wither away: perception, will, imagination and intuition. This tendency to get away from using all of our mental muscles worsens the longer we use analytical thinking the majority of the day. Just like we encourage our clients to make time to allow the aromas introduced to improve their lives, we as aromatherapists must make time to exercise all of the mental muscles. Today I will teach you a few easy ways to activate your intuition as well as the intuition of other people, from your automobile to your office. Intuition is your gut feeling, your ability to tap into Universal Truth. Two steps to activate intuition: ask the right questions and avoid the urge to rationalize or intellectualize the answer you receive. To practice using your intuition, pick situations that require a simple decision where you are not emotionally attached to the outcome. Here's a fun one: you are stopped at a red light. Close your eyes and intuit when the light turns green. Do not push the accelerator until you have opened your eyes! Here's another: you are at a restaurant. Decide that you are going to ask the opinion of the waiter about two or three dishes. Intuit what you think the response will be before you ask the question. Will you be correct every time? No. With practice, you can achieve over a 95% accuracy rate. Now let’s move to a more serious example:
the conference room. Your group is trying to hash out some of the details about a controversial step forward. The group is stuck. You need them to move on and activating their intuition is one way to help. Tell the group members you want their gut feelings, their instinctive answer first. As an example, ask them to write down what first comes to mind then ask your next question. Ask your question framed as a two or three part decision like, “Do we solve the supply issue first or the delivery issue?” Make sure they write down their intuitive answer before you begin group discussion to avoid the opinion sway that invariably occurs when one person hears another person’s answer. Now let’s move to your office and an encounter with a client. Your client suffers from the same left brain overuse bias that you do. Wouldn’t you like to know what hunches your client has about their condition? Gut feelings? After your client gives you some background information as you are taking your history, look at their record and identify a reminder of your client’s family...the name of a spouse, a child, close friend or even a pet. If you don t have one, ask a question like, What is the name of the person or animal you are most concerned for in your life right now?” and add that information to your record. Otherwise, use the name of the Emergency Contact listed when you are ready to activate your client’s intuition. When the time is right, ask this question, “If your husband, Travis, had the same experience you were going through right now and I was seeing him, what would you want to make sure he shared with me?” The association of the loved one is the emotional key that unlocks the rest of your client's mind. You are looking for the first response, the intuitive response. If your client hesitates, encourage with a phrase like, “Just tell me the first thing that comes to
mind. Practice asking similar questions in a variety of situations where you are not emotionally attached to the outcome this week. This will give you enough experience to tap into your intuition so that you can make a good decision when you do have an emotional attachment. For example, you may find that at some point you need a professional opinion about something. It might be a recommendation about fixing your car, or about a health concern of your own. Customize the above strategy you used in your office with your client and use it with the professional. For example, look around and identify a picture the professional has on display in their office. Gesture to the picture and ask, “Mr. Harris, if this was your daughter’s car, what would you recommend.” The professional will give you the answer that comes from the heart instead of just the head. Try these exercises for a really fun was to access more of your intuition and to grow a more robust aromatherapy practice. If you have questions about any other mental muscles and how to strengthen them, be sure to send a letter to the author. Until the next time, keep taming your mind and live vibrantly every day.
Lori Barr, M. D. is a registered aromatherapist and internationally recognized health and lifestyle expert. She serves on the Aromatherapy Registry Council Board.