When a child shuts down his painful emotional side, he also loses the ability to express his joyous side. Emotions are a whole. With anger comes the ability to express delight; with sadness comes the ability to express lightheartedness. This is the breadth of emotion that allows an adult to experience intimacy with a spouse, with God, and with his children.”
David Carder et al., Secrets of Your Family Tree: Healing for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families
The Power of Smell to Heal Trauma
Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory.
In this powerful episode, “The Power of Smell to Heal Trauma,” I get to introduce you to one of my favorite clinical psychologists and friend, Dr. Ben Perkus.
In January 2019, I was introduced to him through a vivacious friend and life hasn’t been the same since. There are those times in our lives when a day changes the trajectory of one’s course.
She said to me, “You have to know about AFT.”
I said, “AF-what?”
She then shared everything she knew about Aroma Freedom Technique + how it had helped her resolve some deeply rooted, trauma-related issues in her life.
Two days later, I had signed up for the practitioner training and became certified in AFT six months later.
It changed my life.
It changed my practice.
It changed me.
Today, I pray it brings a beautiful change into your life. Or at least the beginning of one.
In this episode, you will:
- Learn all about Aroma Freedom Technique and how it works.
- Listen to Dr. Perkus’s story and how the “idea for AFT” came to him.
- Be schooled in the four parts of the memory complex.
- Be inspired to trace God’s hand in your own life story.
- Be invited to use the power of smell to heal trauma that might be keeping you from freedom.
- Experience a beautiful heart-centering exercise.
- Start your HEARTLIFTING JOURNEY today.
This week’s resources
Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is not really true. Sometimes the story others tell about us is not really true. On “Today’s Heartlift with Janell,” Author, Trauma-informed, board-certified marriage and family specialist, and Professional Heartlifter, Janell Rardon, opens conversations about how emotional health and mental fitness effects absolutely every area of our lives. When we possess and practice healthy, strong, resilient emotional health practices, life is so much better. Read Janell’s newest book, “Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You.”
Have you ever marveled at the transient beauty of a forest floor carpeted in violet-blue? My recent trek through the Hallerbos forest in Belgium was just such an experience, where the annual bluebell bloom transformed the landscape into a living fairytale. Join me as I recount this awe-inspiring journey, leaning on insights from Nana van der Poel that capture the historical enchantment of these woods.
I discuss the delicate balance of timing needed to witness the bluebells and our vital role in preserving nature's fleeting wonders by treading lightly, staying on marked paths, and keeping the magic alive for generations.
Embracing the serenity of nature, the episode also delves into the transformative power of forest bathing and how it's reshaping our understanding of health and well-being. Discover the profound effects of phytoncides, as highlighted by Dr. Qing Li, and learn how these 'essences of trees' can imbue even urban dwellings with the healing touch of the forest.
Reflecting on the calming passages of Psalm 23, I share how nature's embrace provides a respite from life's tumult and a conduit to connecting with a higher sense of peace.
Listen in for stories of unplanned family adventures and rejuvenation among the trees, and receive a heartfelt blessing inspired by the tranquil beauty of a bluebell-laden forest.
Read Time Magazine: https://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/
Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:
- Visit Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
- Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
- Support the show:
- Subscribe to the Substack Community
- Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
- Learn more about Beauty Counter and get 20% off your first order: CLEAN MAKEUP and FACE CARE.
- Learn more about Young Living Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils and the Aroma Freedom Technique: HEALINGFROMTRAUMA
- Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
Connect with Dr. Perkus & Aroma Freedom Technique
- Dr. Perkus’s Training Vault
- Order Dr. Perkus’s book, Aroma Freedom Technique
- Article on “Why Smells Trigger Such Vivid Memories”
- Article: How scent, emotion, and memory are intertwined
- Aroma Freedom website
- Become a Certified Practitioner
- Order Your Aroma Freedom Essential Oils Starter Kit
- Schedule your FIRST AFT SESSION with Janell