Aromatic Alchemy with RVA Shift - Support - Progress

One of my biggest challenges as an Aromatherapist has been narrowing down the number of essential oils and their benefits into a theme that truly resonates with me.

This past winter, I started doing what I call “aromatic alchemy experiments,” exploring how Essential oils influence my neurodivergent (ADHD) brain. Specifically, I wanted to experience oils that could help support my nervous system and bring balance to what I often experience—sensory sensitivity, anxiety, constant mental chatter with multiple “threads” at once, overwhelm, fatigue, and brain fog.

After a few weeks, I began noticing patterns in how I intuitively chose and used oils in different situations. There were certain oils I reached for when I needed to ground myself or quiet the mental noise, while my aromatherapy training guided how I used them—whether through a personal inhaler, diffuser, room spray, or diluted in my Green Goodness unscented lotion.

What began as simple personal experimentation has now grown into what I’m calling Aromatic Alchemy with RVA—a simple framework that explores how essential oils can create a shift… initiating a kind of alchemy that transforms the ordinary, distressing, or unexpected into something meaningful.

Essential oils are made up of complex natural chemical compounds produced by plants. When we inhale an oil, tiny airborne molecules travel through the olfactory system, which connects directly to the limbic system—the part of the brain involved in emotion, memory, motivation, and nervous system regulation.

Because of this direct connection, aroma can influence how we feel quite quickly. Depending on an oil’s chemical makeup, the nervous system may begin to shift from a state of stress or tension toward a more balanced state. Breathing often deepens, emotional intensity softens, and the mind becomes clearer.

In this way, a single oil can influence emotional state, nervous system regulation, and even physical sensations at the same time.

One of my favourite oils—and the one I recommend most often—is Bergamot (Citrus bergamia). I reach for it often when I’m feeling off, internally strained, overwhelmed, tense, or mentally foggy. Within a few inhalations, I notice my head begin to clears, feel a lift in my mood, and a naturally extended exhale.

That longer exhale is important—it signals to my nervous system that it’s safe to settle, helping to reduce that sense of urgency or hypervigilance and allowing my body to return to a more regulated state.

This is Aromatic Alchemy — working with aromatic plant compounds through the sense of smell to gently influence how the body responds to both internal and external experiences.

From this, a simple pattern emerged in my practice:

SHIFT → SUPPORT → PROGRESS

In my next post, I’ll introduce the three phases of this practice and how this simple framework can be used in everyday moments.

Sometimes all it takes is a moment’s pause, a slow breath, and a drop of aroma to transform how we experience our world.

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