The plant
An ecological story
The organ extracted, the season, the soil, the climate, microorganisms and interactions with other living beings all contribute to the material obtained.
A sensory bridge
Why essential oils in Sensosphere?
An essential oil concentrates a fraction of the volatile compounds produced by a plant. As these molecules diffuse into the air, they make perceptible something that connects the plant, its environment, our body and our experience.
In the founding Exploration, they open a sensory door onto the network of life — level 1. In the deepening, essential oils and aromatherapy become supports for observing the relationships between the body, mental life and emotional life — levels 2 and 3. In this way they link the offerings without constituting a third one.
Why this door?
Because their volatile nature connects matter, air, perception and the living world.
Essential oils give a sensory form to what Sensosphere seeks to reveal: the invisible exchanges that flow between living beings, environments and bodies.
The body
A real encounter
When we smell an essential oil, some of its compounds meet the olfactory receptors in the nose. The brain then constructs a perception linked to the state of the body, attention, memory, emotions and context. Depending on the route of exposure, the composition and the dose, some constituents may also be absorbed and reach other biological targets: this route is not the same as the experience of the smell.
The relationship
An opening
From what we smell, we can return to the plant, to environments, to how resources are used and to our responsibility.
A distinctive feature of essential oils
Several dimensions can be involved, without being conflated.
An essential oil is a complex mixture of compounds. A single encounter can combine biological mechanisms, olfactory perception and personal experience. This does not mean that every oil always acts simultaneously and in the same way on all levels.
Physiological
Molecules and possible biological responses
Depending on the oil, the route of exposure and the dose, some constituents may interact with biological targets. However, an effect observed in the laboratory is not enough to demonstrate a benefit in a person.
Emotional
A smell linked to memory and emotions
Olfactory information reaches brain networks involved in perception, memory and emotions. The response may be pleasant, neutral or uncomfortable, and varies from one person to another.
Mental and cognitive
Attention, associations and interpretation
A smell can direct attention, evoke images or memories and temporarily change experience. Context, learning, culture and expectations all play a part.
References: NCCIH — aromatherapy, uses and level of evidence · review of the relationships between smell, mood and emotion.
A personal extension
Going deeper with essential oils.
After discovering the living network, some people wish to explore more personally the links between their bodily sensations, their mental life and their emotional life.
The deepening begins with a reading of this personal dynamic and the formulation of a priority theme. The essential oil is then chosen as a catalyst for awareness and a support for individualised modulation.
The framework
Smelling is always optional.
The Exploration is scientific and sensory mediation. It is not therapy, diagnosis or prescription, and does not replace any professional care.