“There is a crack, a crack in everything.  That’s how the light gets in” – Leonard Cohen

Life seldom goes exactly as planned.  I didn’t plan to lose my 12-year-old son in a car accident earlier this year.  Many of my dear friends did not plan to get divorced.  Or suffer through painful and disfiguring cancer treatments.  Or deal with chronic joint, nerve, back, headache or migraine pain.  Or struggle as their beloved parents, siblings, children or friends suffer from challenging conditions like dementia, auto immunity, depression, anxiety or ADD/ADHD.

Even if you have lived a relatively “charmed life”, you have likely suffered disappointment at one point, perhaps in the form of a broken heart, financial loss or rejection from a college or a job.

Sadly, no one escapes.

At some point in your life, you will have to deal with disappointment and loss.

BUT how you choose to navigate through that loss is entirely within your power and could have a BIG impact on your mental and physical health. 

The common default reaction to disappointment is anger and blame.  You might blame the person that broke your heart, or a business partner that didn’t act with integrity.  You might secretly blame yourself as well and feel a sense of shame about the loss.  The emotions of anger, blame and shame can trap us into the role of the victim.  This happens to many of us when we suffer a great loss.

So much so, that anger and blame are considered a normal part of the grieving process.   But anger and blame are disempowering.  They allow you to abdicate any responsibility for your own actions in the matter.  And they keep you stuck in the victim role.  Disempowered.  Unable to move forward.  Unable to heal.

You need to reclaim our power in order to move forward and heal.  Which means, you need to release your anger and forgive anyone or anything that is keeping you stuck, including yourself.

Only by forgiving others, and ourselves, can we reclaim our power and our ability to heal!

When you think ill of others or wish them harm, it throws your body out of balance making it harder for you to heal.  Or worse, aligns you with the energy of the very harm that you may wish on others.  Research has demonstrated that holding onto resentment contributes to increased heart disease and weakened immunity.

Essential Oils for Forgiveness and Gratitude

Essential oils can help you release anger, blame and shame.  Your sense of smell links directly to the limbic lobe of your brain which stores and releases emotional trauma. Smelling essential oils can help you mobilize and release the negative emotions associated with disappointment and loss so that you can move forward and heal.  Read More about Releasing Emotions with Essential Oils HERE.

Combining essential oils with positive thoughts or feelings of gratitude can help expedite your healing. Research shows the benefits of gratitude on the brain. Knowledge of this powerful synergy dates back to biblical times when Frankincense and Myrrh were combined with prayer to amplify the healing. Read More about combining Essential Oils with Affirmations HERE.

I know from personal experience how challenging it can be to summon feelings of gratitude in the midst of massive loss.  But I also recognize that even the worst situations have positive aspects to them.  When one door closes, you are forced to open another one.  For example, the love who broke your heart might allow you to open yourself up to your true soul mate.  Or, the unreasonable boss might have forced you to look for a much better job.  When you are able to open your heart to forgive and release past hurts, it allows more space to give and receive love and healing.  Read More about other Forgiveness Techniques HERE.

4 Essential Oils for Forgiveness and Gratitude

The following 4 blends are my personal favorites for forgiveness and gratitude:

1. Liver Support™

Liver Support™ allows us to release anger, blame and shame that are often stored on very deep cellular level. Just place the bottle under your nose and breathe deeply, fully inhaling the oil for 3 – 7 breaths.  It helps you breathe into and work through the emotion.  You can also apply it around the ankles as this is often an area where we hold resistance to moving forward in life and block the ability to receive joy and pleasure.  Start at the back of the ankle and apply under the ankle bone around to the front and back under the other ankle bone, all while allowing yourself to release challenging emotions.

2. Lung Support™

Lung Support™ allows for the gentle release of emotional grief that so often accompanies growth.  In order to grow, we have to leave behind old behavior and thought patterns and sometimes individuals, places and possessions.  There is often a deep sense of loss and grief associated with the process of letting go.  Lung Support™ helps us release our grief so often attached to negative experiences.  You can inhale the oil the oil through the nose, letting the oxygen flow deeply into the lungs, then exhale or apply directly over the lungs.

3. Small Intestine Support™

Small Intestine Support™ helps support positive boundaries and confidence to assist in bringing a sense of peace to our lives.  When you are struggling with negative emotions, it can be uplifting and help release and clear any residual negative emotions.  I find it best to apply around the ears for emotion related issues.  You can start on the bottom of the ear at the earlobes and gentle massage upward along the exterior of the ear, hitting many of the major reflexology points.  This article and chart show specific points on the ears for specific issues.

4. Heart™

Heart™ helps amplify feelings of love and gratitude, helping to increase the amount of love in your life. Every moment of our life we have the opportunity to see the glass as half empty or half full. How we envision each moment helps paint a picture of our actual experience, so why not choose to be happy, to think of and move toward things that bring us joy.   Essential oils are a wonderful tool for cementing in that positive frequency.  Apply 2-3 drops of Heart™  directly over the heart (left side of chest). During times of intense stress and fatigue, use as often as is needed (every 20 -30 minutes).  During times of normal stress, use 2-3 times daily to calm and uplift the heart and the body.

Resources:

Ready to get started? Click the links below to order today:

• Heart™ available here
• Liver Support™ available here
• Lung Support™ available here
• Small Intestine Support™ available here