When a child shuts down his painful emotional side, he also loses the ability to express his joyous side. Emotions are a whole. With anger comes the ability to express delight; with sadness comes the ability to express lightheartedness. This is the breadth of emotion that allows an adult to experience intimacy with a spouse, with God, and with his children.”
David Carder et al., Secrets of Your Family Tree: Healing for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families
The Power of Smell to Heal Trauma
In this powerful episode, “The Power of Smell to Heal Trauma,” I get to introduce you to one of my favorite clinical psychologists and friend, Dr. Ben Perkus.
In January 2019, I was introduced to him through a vivacious friend and life hasn’t been the same since. There are those times in our lives when a day changes the trajectory of one’s course.
She said to me, “You have to know about AFT.”
I said, “AF-what?”
She then shared everything she knew about Aroma Freedom Technique + how it had helped her resolve some deeply rooted, trauma-related issues in her life.
Two days later, I had signed up for the practitioner training and became certified in AFT six months later.
It changed my life.
It changed my practice.
It changed me.
Today, I pray it brings a beautiful change into your life. Or at least the beginning of one.
In this episode, you will:
- Learn all about Aroma Freedom Technique and how it works.
- Listen to Dr. Perkus’s story and how the “idea for AFT” came to him.
- Be schooled in the four parts of the memory complex.
- Be inspired to trace God’s hand in your own life story.
- Be invited to use the power of smell to heal trauma that might be keeping you from freedom.
- Experience a beautiful heart-centering exercise.
- Start your HEARTLIFTING JOURNEY today.
This week’s resources
Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is not really true. Sometimes the story others tell about us is not really true. On “Today’s Heartlift with Janell,” Author, Trauma-informed, board-certified marriage and family specialist, and Professional Heartlifter, Janell Rardon, opens conversations about how emotional health and mental fitness effects absolutely every area of our lives. When we possess and practice healthy, strong, resilient emotional health practices, life is so much better. Read Janell’s newest book, “Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You.”
As the sun sets on a particularly challenging day, have you ever felt the magnetic pull of your garden, urging you to immerse your hands in the earth and let your worries fall away? Christy Purifoy joins us to unravel the intimate tapestry linking the nurturing of gardens to the flourishing of our mental and spiritual wellbeing. Her latest book, ”Seed Time and Harvest,” is more than a guide—it's an invitation to transform our lives through the rhythms of nature. In our heart-to-heart, we share stories that bloom from the soil of personal Edens, finding peace in practices as diverse as meditation, Tai Chi, and watercolor.
Navigating the landscape of our psyche often means confronting the thorns of anxiety and depression, a journey I share openly, reflecting on a 13-year chapter of trauma therapy and the importance of self-care. Christy and I delve into the importance of allowing others to lend us strength in times of need and the simple yet profound act of gardening as a tool for healing. Her narratives remind us to pause and tend to our inner gardens, drawing a poignant parallel between the flowers on our porches and the state of our souls.
Our conversation blossoms as we discuss life's ever-changing seasons and the divine invitations they extend to us. Christy's profound insights into the cycles of growth and decay in our gardens mirror the ebbs and flows of our existence. As we conclude, I'm thrilled to invite you to continue this exploration at Heartlift Central on Substack and to engage with our community on Instagram. Visit janellrardon.com to connect and support our journey, carrying the inspiration of Christy's stories with you as you cultivate your path to a connected, serene existence.
Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:
- Visit Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
- Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
- Learn more about Forest Bathing by Dr. Qing Li: Forest Bathing
- Read more about Achalasia
- Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
- Subscribe for weekly updates and additional resources from the podcast: FREE BONUS CONTENT
- Support the show:
- Subscribe to the Substack Community
- Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
- Learn more about Beauty Counter and get 20% off your first order: CLEAN MAKEUP and FACE CARE.
- Learn more about Young Living Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils and the Aroma Freedom Technique: H…
Connect with Dr. Perkus & Aroma Freedom Technique
- Dr. Perkus’s Training Vault
- Order Dr. Perkus’s book, Aroma Freedom Technique
- Article on “Why Smells Trigger Such Vivid Memories”
- Article: How scent, emotion, and memory are intertwined
- Aroma Freedom website
- Become a Certified Practitioner
- Order Your Aroma Freedom Essential Oils Starter Kit
- Schedule your FIRST AFT SESSION with Janell