If there’s one thing I’m familiar with, it’s that I’m a “highly sensitive” – or perhaps “neurodivergent” – person – and I know that many people who are naturally drawn to essential oils often are. It’s as if nature calls to those who need it more deeply than others (because we sensitive humans weren’t born to live in a box, we were born to be in the wild). As we enter 2024, we have an opportunity to begin working with our sensitivity and seeing its gifts – once we have healed some of the common wounds we face.
You see, “sensitive souls” are those who tend to struggle to “fit in” in the chaotic modern world. We are the ones who may have more ‘needs’ than others in society – such as the need for more ‘alone time’ than others – or the ones who may feel ‘overwhelmed’ by many things. We ‘feel’ more – in every sense of the word – physically, emotionally, spiritually. And that’s why we might be labeled as ‘shy’ or ‘over-sensitive’ – because we will be affected by things like noise, touch, light, smells, electricity, drugs – and sometimes ‘other worlds’.
We are also the ones who have a special resonance with essential oils – and for whom essential oils are crucial. And so today I wanted to speak to this “label” of the “highly sensitive” person – for whom essential oils are often lifesaving – and share some ways we can integrate aromatherapy into our lives for the vital soul nourishment we need. (often more than others).
Challenges for the highly sensitive person
As I’ve said, the highly sensitive person usually has more ‘needs’ than others in society – because our culture isn’t specifically designed for people who are like that. Yet most sensitive souls tend not to see it that way and certainly find it a challenge to meet their basic needs. Instead, we tend to shame ourselves for not being able to keep up with the fast-paced world. This alleviates the sensitive person’s first wound – we tend to feel a sense of ‘failure’ – as if we are not ‘enough’.
At the same time, because we have so many more needs than most – like a need for space, a need for rest – we will also feel like we are ‘too much’ – and in that we shut down our needs, and they become shamed and lost. This leads us to another wound of the sensitive soul: we end up feeling exhausted and burned out.
When we get into this ‘tired’ state it becomes a vicious cycle because at this point we have learned to shame our needs so deeply that we then become anxious and overwhelmed – and our nervous system is on alert. We will probably continue to go round and round in anxiety and burnout.
And the shame is that there are especially sensitive souls here with deep gifts that they also hide and shame, because they are gifts that society does not recognize. They can be the healers of the world – many aromatherapists are themselves very sensitive because they need to be in order to do this work. They will have gifts such as:
- Deep affinity with the natural world – that’s what draws them to essential oils
- High levels of empathy – which they use to listen to customers
- Deep intuition – which they use to create healing essential oil blends
- Being able to read people’s energy
- Being able to connect with the spirit of essential oils and working from spirit-led guidance
And whether you are an aromatherapist or not, these gifts are deeply healing for the world – for our families, for our communities, for our clients. Our hard, fast, logical, linear world needs more of this.
So how can we work with essential oils to help heal when we are suffering from the wounds of the highly sensitive person?
Essential Oils for Healing ‘Sensitivity’
Because highly sensitive souls respond really well to nature’s essential oils, I’ve created a list of blends for you to work with specifically to help you heal each of the “wounds” you experience when you’re a sensitive soul. person.
The deepest work for someone who is highly sensitive is giving yourself permission to actually work with the blends, giving yourself some soul care that is desperately needed in a world not built for us. So my invitation is to pay attention to any resistance you encounter in integrating these blends into your daily life; What fear comes up when you think about making time for this self-healing? There are three common fears that can arise from this: perhaps it is the fear of losing approval, the fear of losing safety or the fear of losing control. It’s about noticing and loving yourself so you can embrace your sensitivity and its gifts.
Curing the fear of failure
If you find that you are often afraid of ‘failing’ because you are more sensitive than others, I recommend the following blend of oils:
- Patchouli – with a musky, sweet, spicy, spicy scent, this is a very grounding and balancing oil for the emotions, helping to calm the mind from untruths
- Cedarwood – a woody oil that is great for transforming negative emotions, such as fear of failure
- Ylang Ylang – a sweet floral oil that heals emotionally – perfect for anxiety, depression and feelings of failure
Spreading mixture: Mix 3 drops of Patchouli, 3 drops of Cedarwod and 1 drop of Ylang Ylang in some water in an electric diffuser or candle burner, and diffuse for 30 minutes a day, whenever you feel like you’re failing – and remind yourself that this isn’t actually true. and that as a sensitive soul you have special gifts.
Healing burnout
For fatigue and burn-out I recommend the following oil mix:
- Valerian – a very grounding oil that can bring us back to our bodies. This spicy, woody musk oil releases trauma and tension and is a great sedative that helps us relax
- Rosemary – has a strong, fresh scent with woody undertones. This is the perfect oil against fatigue because it is very stimulating
- Lavender – a sweet, spicy floral oil that is a calming and grounding oil and is good for tired bodies
Massage mixture: Mix 4 drops of lavender, 1 drop of valerian and 1 drop of rosemary in 15 ml of grapeseed oil and massage into your skin, all over your body (in the direction of the heart) when you feel tired.
Healing overwhelms – and a heightened nervous system
If you often feel overwhelmed and your nervous system feels exhausted, here are some oils I would recommend:
- Bergamot – one of the best oils against overwhelm and a tense nervous system. Bergamot is a fruity, floral, sweet citrus oil that has an exceptionally calming effect
- Roman Chamomile – a strong, spicy aromatic oil known for its deeply relaxing properties and very powerful for calming the nervous system
- Cypress – a woody, refreshing oil, which is excellent for nervous anxiety and restores calm to sensitive people.
Bath mix: Mix 3 drops of bergamot, 2 drops of chamomile and 1 drop of cypress in 15 ml of bath oil and add to the running hot water of your bath. For someone who is sensitive, having some time to yourself in a nice warm bath can be very nourishing, so turn off your phone, let everyone know not to disturb you, close the windows and breathe in the scent of your bath so that you have some time to recover your nervous system.
Possessing the gifts of sensitivity
Perhaps the greatest challenge of all is welcoming your sensitivity – in all its challenges and gifts. I would recommend the following oils to help you welcome your gifts:
- Frankincense – a fresh, woody, balsamic oil with strong meditative properties – which can be very helpful in beginning to see the truth of the gifts of sensitivity
- Myrrh – a spicy, woody oil that has been used in the healing world for years and can help improve spirituality – which is one of the gifts of a sensitive soul
- Rose – a beautiful floral oil, this particular oil is the ’embodiment’ of the sensitive soul – and in particular it is also an oil that helps us release negative emotions and regain the positive
Meditative mix: Mix 3 drops of Rose, 2 drops of Frankincense and 1 drop of Myrrh in some water in an electric diffuser or candle burner and evaporate for 30 minutes. I would recommend that, like you, you keep a journal about the gifts you can highlight when it comes to being a sensitive person – what does it offer you – and others – if you love yourself through the challenges of being sensitive ?
Overall, it is helpful to know that being a sensitive soul is actually desperately needed in the world – now more than ever – and to serve with the gifts of empathy, intuition, connection to the natural world, energy and spirit, we must first and foremost attend to our own sensitive needs.
Happy healing!
Nicole Barton
Advisor Aromatherapist
Disclaimer and safety advice
Read other articles by Nicole Barton