Since 1985 Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy has offered high-level study materials, examination and certification by correspondence to enthusiasts all over the world. The Aromatherapy Course is authored by Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D. and comprises over 350 pages of clearly presented information on the most relevant topics in the field of aromatherapy.
Aromatherapy has changed rapidly over the last decade. It has evolved from a mostly Eurocentric alternative healing modality to a truly global concept based on the universal fascination with the healing power of essential oils.
This 4th Edition of the Aromatherapy Course strives to cover the classic applications and the newly recognized therapeutic properties of essential oils most relevant for self-healing and professional use.
On a personal level, the course can be a source of great joy and progress. By learning how effective essential oils can be, the ground can be laid to move away from chemicals in one’s personal life. Understanding aromatherapy can bring about an extraordinary strengthening of the body’s self-healing abilities.
California Style Aromatherapy
The development of aromatherapy over the last two decades has been nothing short of stunning, from its French origins with Gattefossé, Valnet and Belaiche to its culmination in "l'aromatherpie exactement" by Pénoël and Franchomme.
However, for the longest time aromatherapy has been taught rather restrictively emphasizing the potential hazards of undiluted or oral application.
By now the popularity of essential oils has reached unprecedented levels among modern urban populations in East and West. Most users intuitively know that wholesale bans such as "never use oils undiluted" have outlived their usefulness. The top-down authoritarian structures are questioned as aromatherapy has evolved through the integration of the experiences of its many practitioners. Aromatherapy informed by the cumulative experiences of its users is what we today consider California Style Aromatherapy.
California Style Aromatherapy is not a rigid system, instead, it is more akin to a dynamic process.
In California Style Aromatherapy the respective question is not, "can you ingest essential oils," but "for which oils does ingestion make sense?" It is not "can you use essential oils undiluted," it is "which oils are reasonably used undiluted?"
California Style aromatherapy teaches to differentiate and it advocates common sense. It does not make blanket statements about ALL essential oils. It distinguishes between essential oils of different plants according to their properties and qualities and it identifies the applications that make sense accordingly.
Instead of a fear-based approach to essential oils, California Style encourages an immediate connection to the multi-dimensional benefits of medicinal and aromatic plants. These range from acne treatments to relaxing body oils, from relieving PMS naturally to eliminating airborne pathogens and from frivolous aroma blends to treating serious infections. It is all aromatherapy, a discipline much more encompassing than what was considered even remotely possible 20 years ago.
Aromatherapy would not have expanded so massively if it were not for the substantial benefits it offers. While the above-mentioned pioneers provided the foundations for therapeutic essential oil use, there are many benefits and phenomena that have only become obvious with aromatherapy’s global expansion. The Course presents both the foundations and the dynamic new developments!
Aromatherapy 2018
A perspective that reaches beyond chemistry is no longer considered esoteric, instead, it reflects present-day science.
The information contained in essential oils and their components allows us to have a Direct Experience of the accumulated wisdom of the Plant World.
A biological perspective acknowledges the connection of aromatic plants to all cultures in history and how humans have always cherished aromatic plants for their medicinal benefits.
In addition, the 4th Edition offers an excursion to the interface of essential oils and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
