This pioneering guide explains how aromatherapy can be a powerful ally for those struggling with trauma or loss. Tailored for professionals looking to support their clients, it recentres the role olfaction plays in our lives, and explores the nuanced ways in which aroma can interact with our limbic system and promote psychological healing.

This important resource takes a trauma-informed and scientific approach to aromatherapy as a healing modality, educating professionals on how to engage with traumatised clients, and how to look after themselves in the process. It includes detailed case studies from established aromatherapists around the globe which explore the various contexts in which aromatherapy can be used to promote healing, including end of life care, addiction, abuse, and traumatic events such as the Grenfell fire.

Supplemented with essential oil profiles, including comprehensive safety precautions and dilution rates, this book provides an invaluable blend of scientific insight and practical wisdom for professionals looking to engage in aroma as a healing modality.

Helen Nagle-Smith's book is an essential guide for anyone on a journey of recovery and renewal. It presents a profound and insightful journey into the interplay between scent, healing, trauma, and the human experience. It masterfully unravels the layers of trauma, from the seemingly simple to the deeply complex, offering powerful aromatic tools to nurture resilience, soothe the nervous system, and comfort the broken heart of a traumatized human being.

Helen presents a narrative that educates and empowers readers to recognize and connect with their lived experiences with compassionate clarity. Each page offers a blend of science, aromatherapy practices, and empathetic storytelling, guiding readers toward understanding trauma as a spectrum. This book is invaluable for anyone seeking to navigate personal healing or support others using scents, whether newcomers to aromatherapy or long-time practitioners alike.

-- Jonathan Benavides, Psychologist, Clinical Aromatherapist, Aromatic Sentinel Creator, HEARTS Process Teacher, Lecturer, Researcher, Author.
Overflowing with current trauma knowledge, this is a superb study of how parts of the brain that process fragrance coalesce with memory, emotions and trauma. It is the perfect example of the more you know, the more you find you don't know. Nagle-Smith comprehensively addresses how to treat clients presenting trauma responses (including case histories) while reminding us of the myriad ways therapists inadvertently trigger difficult memories with scent. Immaculately researched and written, in my opinion, this book should be compulsory reading for every practicing aromatherapist. -- Elizabeth Ashley, Clinical aromatherapist, UK Dir NAHA
A remarkable blend of research and expert knowledge, Aroma, Aromatherapy and Trauma explores the holistic healing power of fragrance. This book contains a thoughtful discussion of trauma-informed aromatherapy and its ever-expanding range of applications. Helen has created a masterpiece that will support practitioners and laypersons alike and will inspire conversations that bring about powerful breakthroughs in the use of olfaction in mental health. -- Elizabeth Guthrie, PhD, MPH, MIFPA, E-RYT 500 Trauma-Informed Practitioner
Helen Nagle-Smith's book is a very important contribution to the treatment options for trauma and PTSD. She explores the relationship between trauma and scent and how aromas can contribute to healing trauma from many different perspectives. She is aware of relevant concepts, such as trauma-informed care and the importance of acknowledging the wounded healer and secondary trauma. Her book is written with compassion and heart, filled with anecdotes and practical advice. For anyone interested in working with aromas to contribute to healing trauma, this is an important book. -- Cathy Skipper & Florian Birkmayer MD, Co-founders AromaGnosis

Helen Nagle-Smith has been a clinical aromatherapist for 20 years and is an essential oil researcher, aromatherapy author, writer, and teacher. She runs her own aromatherapy practice and has taught with an aromatherapy school, delivering workshops and courses on aromatherapy in many subjects including grief, transition and change, the menopause, vaginal health, and stress and anxiety. Helen has written numerous articles and case studies for several international aromatherapy journals and is the author of Working with Unusual Essential Oils. She lives in Buckinghamshire.