An Alternative Recovery Tool in Colorado: Aromatherapy
An alternative recovery tool used in addiction recovery that is gaining popularity in many places, particularly in Colorado, is aromatherapy. Although there are many different alternative treatments used in addiction recovery including yoga, acupuncture, and equine therapy, aromatherapy is showing great promise for users in Colorado.
Aromatherapy is defined as the use of natural oils that have a pleasant smell to make a person feel better by rubbing oils into the skin and is an alternative treatment that utilizes plant extracts and essential oils that may have a beneficial effect on one’s mood and health. Aromatherapy use began in ancient civilizations where people credited much of their physical and mental well being to having regular massages with oils, or simply inhaling the scents of the oils. Each unique scent meant something different to the people. For example, rose oil/scent was used as an antidepressant while chamomile oil/scent cured headaches as well as the common cold.
The use of oils to help the body still lives on today. Aromatherapy is used in recovery as a holistic approach to help calm and balance emotions, relieve stress, and feel calm. The process of recovery from any addiction can be overwhelming. With aromatherapy, smelling the calming oils or getting a massage with the oils can help those in recovery be calm and focus. Individuals everywhere, particularly in Colorado, are finding the benefits that aromatherapy brings when dealing with addiction recovery.