(Episode 77) Depressed? Essential Oils to Help You Navigate Sadness & Depression (Part 1) and (Episode 78) Depressed? Healing Chronic Depression with Essential Oils (Part 2)

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Episode 77 Preview

Click here to download a transcript of episode 77.

Globally this is a time of great sadness, anger, and confusion. This level of suffering that is taking place in the world currently is so strong, that as a part of humanity, we are all going to suffer to varying degrees.

When the outer world is in chaos, it’s essential that we cultivate our inner world more deeply. We can create change in the external world by simply changing our individual consciousness. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how to navigate difficult emotions through the use of essential oils.

By using your great privilege and awareness to do inner work, cultivation, learning and self-healing, you can make great contributions to the global healing.

To move through the emotions of grief and sadness, we have to regulate the Qi (energy) of both the Lungs and Liver, as well as the Spleen and Stomach, according to Chinese Medicine. In this episode, you’ll learn why this is important as well as how to do this through the use of essential oils.

You’ll learn all about three specific essential oils — Bergamot, Patchouli, and Cumin — that can help relax your central nervous system to reduce anxiety and depression, and improve sleep and digestion. 

And as you regulate your Qi from the inside to find your light, you can illuminate the darkness in the world.

Resources Mentioned in Episodes 77 & 78

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Episode 78 Preview

Click here to download a transcript of episode 78

When you're feeling down, know that there's always a solution to bring you back. There's a lot to learn from these emotional states, but it's also important to have tools to navigate these emotions to learn from these experiences and to create a ripple effect to heal the collective.

Regulating the Liver is essential to reduce depression, as well as fortifying the Spleen and Stomach.

In this episode, we’re going to focus on invigorating the blood. The blood in Chinese Medicine is said to store the emotions, the trauma, the memories.

Invigorating the blood can help liberate you from depression.

We’ll discuss three oils to help invigorate the blood and alleviate depression: Litsea (which can also relieve anxiety), Frankincense (which is known as a wound healer, physically and emotionally) and Sandalwood (which is also an important oil to relax your nervous system).

Just by smelling the essential oils, you’ll notice a shift in your mood.

At [7:15] Dr. Setareh Moafi will guide you through a gentle breathing exercise that’ll help you understand the important relationship between the Lungs and the Liver. This will also help you understand the power of essential oils that we discuss in both episodes 77 and 78 to relax the Liver and allow you to breathe more deeply.

It’s no wonder that breathing is such an essential part of meditation and relaxation. 

At [10:00] Salvador describes an easy acupuncture point that opens the diaphragm and can be used to apply these essential oils to relieve nausea, aid digestion, breathe more deeply and relax your chest for anxiety.

At [11:02] Salvador shares a formula of essential oils you can use to create a bath to help you sleep, reduce anxiety and calm your nervous system at the end of a stressful day.

You’ll also learn how to use the essential oils as a tool to address more chronic depression at [14:24].

At [16:57] you’ll learn the risks of taking a lot of supplements, as well as why it’s so important to limit the amount of information, food and stimulation you take in to prevent and reduce depression.

At [18:15] you’ll learn how coffee and dark chocolate may not be as beneficial as you might think when you’re dealing with anxiety and depression.

The essential oils can be powerful to liberate you from chronic sadness and depression. The work you do on an individual level will enhance the collective and make you more available for what the world is needing right now.

What was your key takeaway from either or both of these episodes? Let us know in the comments below!

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(Episode 76) Moving Through Grief: 3 Essential Oils to Help You Let Go

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Essential oils are allies from nature that defend us from the external world as well as from our internal battles.

Today we’re exploring essential oils in relation to the Metal Element. You’ll learn how imbalances in personality and emotional state can be harmonized using essential oils.

Essential Oils for the Metal Element

Essential oils can help us when we feel weak and vulnerable to the elements, including bacteria, viruses, wind and cold. They can also help us with social factors when feeling uncomfortable in a social situation. 

These oils can help us support the functions of the Lungs and Large Intestine, the organs related to the Metal Element, which relates to our immunity.

Many of them help when you’re having difficulty with inspiration in terms of your breathing but also they help with feeling a lack of creativity; when you feel despondent so you can feel more inspired.

Grief could come from a loss of any kind – work, friend, partner, etc. 

Essential oils are allies that fortify your soul. Each of the Five Element organ systems have a specific soul expression. The soul of the Lungs is called Po. 

Three primary souls inhabit the body – Liver stores Hun, Shen holds onto your experiences and direct experiences with Spirit, and Po is the Corporeal Body which is the most dense aspect of your soul that helps you feel grounded and embodied.

Essential oils related to the Metal Element will help you feel more grounded and more whole within yourself. This is associated with Wei Qi, which is produced by the Lungs via the Spleen and Stomach, and circulates on the exterior to help us defend against external factors as well as social factors that may make us feel vulnerable.

The Lungs, Grief & Self-Definition

One of the virtues of the Lungs is this idea of inspiration. Inspiration can relate to inhalation, taking a deep breath, but it can also relate to motivation and the inspiration to create and be alive.

The first breath you take separates you from your mother and gives you a distinct self-definition. Your final breath takes you out of your body and into the next world.

When the Lungs are weak or stagnant, we start to feel sadness, grief and especially apathy, which is the opposite of inspiration. One thing that’s important to do is strengthen and boost Qi of the Lungs and also clear the stagnation that comes from phlegm in the Lungs that makes us feel more stuck in our lives. (You can learn more about the relationship between the Lungs and grief in this article).

During Autumn, it’s important to moisten the Lungs (we talked about this in episode 74) to combat the dryness that’s common during this time.

On a psychological level, as you nourish Lung Yin, you’re also nourishing your sense of self so it helps you feel more grounded within yourself. The Po of the Lungs is this dense energy that helps you feel more grounded and whole within yourself and more present in the moment.

The stronger your Lungs, the stronger your sense of identity and your sense of embodiment.

Essential Oils & The Final Transition: Death

At [10:00] Salvador describes the recent loss of his father and how he worked with essential oils during the last five days of his life to let go of the Po and fully transition. Salvador describes in detail the beautiful final days and moments of his father’s journey.

3 Essential Oils to Help You Cope with Grief

  1. Pine

    Pine essential oil is a warming, drying and spicy mucolytic essential oil that’s commonly used by Native Americans. Pine essential oil helps to strengthen your Qi and is one of the most powerful oils to clear Cold Phlegm (as discussed in Episode 75).

    Psychologically, Pine essential oil invigorates the Po by opening the chest, helping you feel less oppressed and giving you self-confidence.

    Pine reduces melancholy, pessimism, shame and blame by improving self-image. It’s also an excellent oil to use when you’re feeling stuck.

    Pine essential oil is also a great oil to help you when you’re feeling burdened with guilt and to help you let go, which is the greatest virtue of the Lungs. 

  2. Clary Sage

    Clary Sage essential oil is an uplifting floral oil that’s often used for hormonal balance. Clary Sage essential oil is warming, dry, boosts Qi and also circulates Qi.

    It helps when you feel wired and tired, is uplifting and helps you feel more inspired. It’s also an essential oil that helps with sadness and grief and to support the Po. 

  3. Cypress

    Cypress essential oil is perhaps the most important oil to use when you’re dealing with grief and loss. The Greeks planted cypress trees in graveyards to help the deceased souls in times of grief.

    Cypress is astringent, so it’s commonly used when there’s leakage of Qi such as excessive sweating or urination. Cypress is antispasmodic and mucolytic.

    It’s an especiialy important essential oil when someone is suffering from grief and when stuck in grief.

Remember that sadness and grief can weaken the Lungs over time, so during times of transition it’s especially important to support the Lungs with essential oils and time in nature to avoid compromising the Lungs.

Essential oils can provide support for your immune system, your mood, as well as to help you move through times when you feel stuck.

As Dr. Setareh states: “Nature is always there to support you.”

What did you think of this episode? Did you find these essential oils helpful during this challenging time?

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Download the Microcosmic & Macrocosmic Orbit Meditations at ⁠⁠acenterfornaturalhealing.com/shop⁠⁠.

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