Aromatic Sage talks to Stacey Miller
Who is Stacey Miller?
I live in San Diego, CA and work in the administrative office of the International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB), a busy, well-regarded massage college with a holistic body/mind approach to teaching and ‘right livelihood’. We actually offer a few Aromatherapy (AT) classes, which just a few years ago would have seemed like the impossible dream. (Aromatherapy in the workplace? A former Executive Director with an emergency stash of Lavender in her office?!)
When I’m not at work, you’ll find me playing tourist in America’s Finest City, walking and hiking in my backyard aka Mission Trails Regional Park. And laughing. A lot. I am also one of the moderators and group owners for the non-commercial Aromatherapy group ATFE, which has given me the opportunity to get to know and form close relationships with many AT enthusiasts from all over the world, virtually and in person over the last 11 years.
And how did you become interested in Essential Oils?
I discovered the oils when my mom gifted me with a small Essential Oil (EO) sample kit and an AT decoder wheel. I’d just started investigating herbs and hadn’t experienced EOs yet. I was immediately enamored and started compiling and cross-referencing elaborate lists of the oils I absolutely had to have and the exact order in which I would buy them.
I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning in terms of storage, skin-use and the oil supplier I was using (a local herb shop that didn’t source too well), but it was a great learning experience and I quickly found and became list mom for the Yahoo group Aromatherapy For Everyone (ATFE). This led to my being able to share and receive feedback on just about every thought I had about othe oils, as well as the blends I was creating daily with fellow aromatherapy newbies and professionals.
My obsession quickly escalated into an accumulation of over 300+ oils that I lovingly store in a vintage china cabinet. I am also the proud owner of an infamous EO sample kit collected from dozens of AT friends all over the world. (Tip- invest in some small bubble mailers and a package of 100 glass sample size vials, then get your friend’s addresses and send send send them bits of the oils you love. The more care packages you send out, just for the joy of sharing, the more fun you’ll have and the more you’ll receive back!)
I know you are fond of blending oils. What are a few of your favorite blends and why?
I have 3 all-time favorite blends.
The first is a blend of equal parts Pink Grapefruit (Citrus paradisii), Rose Geranium (Pelargonium roseum) and Rosemary Verbenon (Rosmarinus officianalis var. verbenone) in a Jojoba base. I love this in bodywash or after-shower body oil, for waking up in the morning and reviving after work or a hike.
The second is equal parts Rose Absolute (Rosa centifolia), Jasmine Sambac Absolute (Jasminum officianalis sambac) and Bitter Orange (Citrus aurantium var. amara). I diffused this blend daily in a tea light aroma lamp while care giving for a terminally-ill elderly woman with a team. It always lifted all of our spirits and truly brightened a very dark time.
The third blend is for winding down to sleep mode and includes varying amounts of Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea), Sweet Marjoram (Origanum marjorana), Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia).
Would you call yourself an ‘aromatherapist’? Why or why not?
I use the term for myself when talking with others who are already somewhat familiar and interested in EOs since I know I’ll have a good chance to explain exactly what I do and qualify the word.
To me, the term ‘Aromatherapist’ seems to connote a Massage Therapist using the oils in professional massage. Many of us who use and study the oils do not practice massage, so I believe the term may be misleading. This view is due to an early association with AT friends in the U.K., New Zealand and Australia, where the term ‘Aromatherapist’ mainly implies therapeutic bodywork with EOs used for specific complaints related to non-major health conditions. There is also no recognized occupation as an ‘Aromatherapist’ in my part of the world (the U.S.), so the word can be used to imply just about anything that anyone would like and I’m not very comfortable with that.
On a related note, there is a national registry in the United States, called the Aromatherapy Registration Council (ARC). I was a vocal opponent of their initial formation in 1999, considering the lack of an across-the-board definition of ‘Aromatherapist’ in the AT community as a whole. I still am. The ARC registers individuals who are notorious for practicing and teaching unsafe practice, and I am not on board with that.
Education can sometimes be a touchy subject, especially by those who have had only one or three weekend courses. What would your advice be to someone who decided that they were interested enough to pay out money to buy books or to purchase a learning program? Or even to someone who has had a weekend or three course and has suddenly decided to go into the hand made creams, lotions and potions business?
First of all- please do not get into the AT/EO business without at least familiarizing yourself with the oils and talking with others in the community for a minimum of one year. (Minimum!)
As far as courses, I wholeheartedly recommend Martin Watt’s Clinical Aromatherapy Course that was originally developed for nurses in the U.K. It is now the only one I endorse to anyone at all interested in the oils. The dollar is also strong to the pound now, so the value is unbeatable in comparison with other courses, up to a ‘Master Aromatherapist’, being offered at many times the price. (In ’99 I impulsively enrolled in a 300+ hour course for several times the price of Martin’s, there is no comparison as to quality. Martin’s is simply the best.) I am also very concerned with helping AT newbies get correct information right off the bat instead of having to unlearn incorrect and often very subjective ‘information’ they’ve picked up in other courses. (Like me.)
Martin will be retiring summer of ’11, so please enroll now if you’d like to learn with the best and be confident in your AT education.
I have many AT (and herbal books) in my library, ranging from excellent to craptastic. A few I suggest to form the core of a solid EO reference library are:
Plant Aromatics- Martin Watt
Natural Aromatic Materials- Odours & Origins- Tony Burfield
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils- Julia Lawless
Aromatherapy Practitioner Manual- Sylla Sheppard-Hanger
Which
10 oils would you HAVE to have with you if you were going to be stranded for 6
months on a deserted island?
1) Lavender
(Lavandula
angustifolia)
2) Tea Tree (Melaleuca
alternifolia)
3) Helichrysum (Helichrysum
italicum ssp. serotinum)
4) Peppermint (Mentha
x piperita)
5) Rose Otto (Rosa
damascena)
6) Oregano (Origanum
dubium var. linalool)
7) Rose Geranium (Pelargonium
roseum)
8) Clary Sage (Salvia
sclarea)
9) Rosemary (Rosmarinus
officianalis var. verbenone)
10) Pink Grapefruit
(Citrus paradisii)
Where do you hope Aromatherapy as a profession will go in the future and what do you think it will take to get it there?
As I said above, from an American perspective, I'd like to see the term 'Aromatherapist' have a standard definition recognized by all of us in the community… whether this means a person who works with the oils and blends for clients, minus bodywork, or with bodywork. I would like it to be a majority choice made by the professional AT community, as a whole.
For this to happen I firmly believe we need one dedicated organization devoted entirely to assessing the needs of all of us in the AT community, putting self-regulation into effect as in the Herbal community, and eventually proposing/setting out guidelines for ‘Aromatherapists’ to follow.
Disseminating safe use of the oils to the public at large would also be a main focus for this group, as well as publishing research on the oils as it becomes available. Yes, I have a rich fantasy life, but as part of the future of aromatherapy I have hope it will all fall right into place.