The term Aromatherapy was coined by Gattefossé in the 1920s and refers to the clinical therapeutic use of essential oils to improve physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Aromatic plants and plant oils have been used for millennia for medicinal, perfume, cosmetic and culinary purposes.

Essential oils can come from different parts of plants, such as leaves, seeds, roots, flowers, stems, rhizomes, berries, needles, wood and bark.

Essential oils have many different properties, such as antidepressant, antibacterial or sedative properties.

The evidence for the effectiveness of the therapeutic use of essential oils continues to increase with the ongoing research, including studies conducted in clinical settings to manage patients’ symptoms.

Aromatherapy is an holistic approach, which takes into account the human being as a whole, consisting of mind, body and spirit, and comes in full accordance with the basic principles of Occupational Therapy as formulated by Mary Reilly and Gary Kielhofner.

Aromatherapy can be used for:

• facilitating relaxation and stress reduction
• rejuvenation and promotion of activity and alertness
• stimulation of sensory awareness
• facilitation and encouragement of interaction and communication
• treatment of medical problems with natural substances
• provision of natural pain relief

Occupational Therapists use Aromatherapy to promote health and wellness through massage, inhalation, creams, lotions, baths and compresses.

From the perspective of the client-centred, occupation-based approach, the very involvement in the necessary tasks for the application of Aromatherapy with the different uses of essential oils by the client or his/her caregiver is an activity of self-care in the first case or care of others in the second case, which the Occupational Therapist can teach it to the client, so that he or she can perform it either independently or with assistance to promote physical, mental or emotional well-being.

Occupational Therapists have also used Aromatherapy for:

• development of a therapeutic relationship
• stress management
• sensory stimulation:
  to encourage people with more severe learning disabilities to become more aware of themselves and their environment through the use of the senses of touch and smell, through multi-sensory and interactive massage
• promotion of physical function:
  e.g. to help the upper limbs by muscle relaxation and joint mobilization before handwriting exercises
• relaxation:
  either through massage-of the whole body or locally on upper or lower limbs- in combination with conventional relaxation techniques or by diffusing a relaxing aroma in the therapy room
  
• pain management:
  Research shows that in the context of Occupational Therapy, the use of Aromatherapy as an alternative method to reduce pain, muscle tension and stress is an important intervention in identifying non-opioid pain management strategies for reintegration into Activities of Daily Living.
• geriatric population:
  e.g. to enhance concentration or in reality orientation or reminiscence groups

References

Buckle, J. (2015). Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Healthcare (3rd ed.). Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.
Cook, A., & Burkhardt, A. (2004). Aromatherapy for self-care and wellness. Alternative and Complementary Therapies, 10(3), 151–155. https://doi.org/10.1089/1076280041138252
Mull, C. (2022). Implementation of aromatherapy by OTS can reduce pain, tension, and stress for patients with intractable pain in a hospital setting. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(Supplement_1). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.76S1-PO180
Sanderson, H., & Ruddle, J. (1992). Aromatherapy and occupational therapy. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55(8), 310–314. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802269205500807
Tisserand, R., & Young, R. (2014). Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals (2nd ed.). Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.
López, V., Nielsen, B., Solas, M., Ramírez, M. J., & Jäger, A. K. (2017). Exploring pharmacological mechanisms of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil on central nervous system targets. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00280
Sayorwan, W., Siripornpanich, V., Piriyapunyaporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Ruangrungsi, N. (2012). The effects of lavender oil inhalation on emotional states, autonomic nervous system, and brain electrical activity. Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand, 95(4), 598–606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-012-7043-5
Use of aromatherapy in conjunction with physical/occupational therapy in an acute care setting. ClinicalTrials.gov. (2022). Retrieved January 9, 2023, from https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05282706
Vadnais, E. (2015, August 3). Aromatherapy Can Enhance Health and Healing. ADVANCE Magazine.