Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils

Mr. Mojay does a wonderful job making aromatherapy applicable to Traditional Chinese Medicine. While most people understand that aromatherapy can influence the emotions, most books I have encountered are fairly general about how they affect emotions. Lavender, for example, is "calming"--but so is sandalwood, geranium, chamomile, and any number of other oils. Using the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (the same theories that are the basis of acupuncture), you can target an essence more specifically for your body. That he does all this in an easy to read book is so much the better!

I love this book. I am a Registered Aromatherapist who prepares blends for physical, mental, and emotional well being. The author writes with such detail that the oils become alive with their own personalities. The beginning is a brief explanation of Aromatherapy, Oriental medicine and Astrology. This is followed by a wonderful Materia Medica with explanations of 37 oils. Each oil is described in two pages which include a brief botanical description, ancient uses, oriental uses of a physical, emotional and spiritual nature, and an astrological description. He gives suggestions for oils along with detailed explanations for nervous tension, overthinking and worry, anxiety and apprehension, poor concentration and memory, lack of confidence and self-esteem, anger and frustration, disempowerment and indecision, depression and negativity, and problems in relating. I refer to this book often.

In my opinion, this is the finest exploration of the emotional uses of essential oils in print today, and I'm delighted it has been reissued. Gabriel's overview of TCM and how it applies to aromatherapy is thought provoking; but it is in his descriptions of the emotions and of the oils that his work truly shines.This book is a must have for anyone interested in healing on levels beyond the purely physical.

Having read Gabriel's articles on how to utilize aromatherapy in concert with the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I was thrilled to find he had published this gem of a book. Although its approach works best for those who have studied acupuncture or Chinese herbology, it is also for those with a little familiarity with shiatsu or 5 element theory. He does a good job of explaining 5 element theory for those completely unfamiliar with Chinese medicine, too. The descriptions of essential oils and how they are to be used is most useful for psychoemotional difficulties, but sufficient info on physical uses is included. I highly recommend this book to people with an interest in both aromatherapy and Chinese medicine, though any aromatherapy practitioner will glean new and useful information.

Gabriel Mojay's magnificent book is divided into 3 parts. The first reviews aromatheraphy basics and then succinctly connects this therapy with Yin/Yang of traditional chinese medicine, the 5-element theory and astrology. The second part reviews 40 individual essential oils with emphasis on the their energies and psychotherapy properties. The third part concentrates on the individual oils and blends and includes accupressure points to treat different unbalanced mental states such as "anger and frustration", "poor concentration and memory" and an excellent and very detailed entry on depression including restoring balance by the 5-element theory. The book is concise, superbly layed-out with many pictures, illustrations and charts. I find myself consulting it with great frequency. It should be in the library of every holistic aromatologist.