Alternative Therapies, Holistic Health, these and several other names cover the vast array of non-orthodox treatments that are so familiar to a majority of the 21st century population. Most people who seek out these treatments state quite categorically that an individual therapy has helped them equally as well or even better than orthodox medicine. So imagine what would happen if you took two of these therapies and used them to compliment each other. In my experience the result is phenomenal. Let me introduce you to the Complementing Therapies of Aromatherapy and Noesitherapy.

Aromatherapy

The general idea of Aromatherapy is understood by most people world-wide.  It is the art and science of using essential oils. The 'aroma' in Aromatherapy, refers to the fact that the essential oils have a characteristic scent and 'therapy' refers to healing - 'healing through scents.' Aromatherapy works by the minute molecules of the essential oils entering the body through the skin or nostrils. They then come into contact with nerve receptors and trigger a reaction that results in brain activity.

Noesitherapy

Noesitherapy, despite being a relatively unknown therapy, is extremely effective. It was devised by a Spanish surgeon Dr. Angel Escudero, who was concerned about the long recovery time and the high occurrence of infection of his patients following surgery.  After much research he was able to find an alternative to the use of chemical anaesthetics.  Noesitherapy can be used induce instant anaesthesia in a patient without the use of hypnosis or drugs. The name derives from the Greek word 'Noesi' meaning 'the action of thinking,' so Noesitherapy (pronounced no - ee -sea therapy) is really 'healing by thinking.'

The human mind can be thought of as consisting of of two parts; the conscious mind and the subconscious mind. The conscious mind learns by past experiences and uses them to handle present situations.  For example if someone told you to place your foot in the fire you would refuse as the conscious mind recalls that fire is hot and would burn your foot.

The subconscious mind is responsible for everything which is automatic, everything we do without having to think about it.  This includes the beating of our hearts, the action of our lungs and diaphragm in breathing as well as learnt activities such as driving and playing the piano.  The subconscious can not reason, argue or reject ideas, it simply does as it is told and follows instructions exactly. Noesitherapy is a way to give direct instructions to the subconscious mind.  The results can be phenomenal.

If you, like so many others, are in the habit of saying "I don't remember", "I will never get the hang of this", or "I don't think I have a hope of passing this exam" then you won't remember, won't get the hang of it, won't pass the exam.  Why?  Because you have introduced negative programming into your subconscious mind.  Remember that the subconscious cannot reason, it can only obey.

Negative programming can also come from outside, from other people.  Negative people are dangerous.  This is why you never associate with wetnicks.  They will undermine your confidence and bring you down.  Negative programming will make you fail just as positive programming will make you succeed. This is the basis of the work done by the Frenchman Emile Coue who devised the mantra "Every day in every way I am getting better and better". A whole positive thinking / self help industry has since grown up due the effectiveness of this simple concept.

Your thoughts can also affect many of our bodily functions.  Worry can bring about changes in the stomach leading to indigestion and ultimately the development of stomach ulcers and even stomach cancer. This is why gentle soothing music rather than hard rock should be played at meal times.  Never argue at the dinner table, it can kill you. Anger stimulates the adrenal glands and an increase of adrenaline in the bloodstream will bring about a whole range of physiological changes associated with the fight of flight response. 

The subconscious mind is very susceptible to high emotion.  Any programming, negative or positive, which is highly emotionally charged get straight through to the subconscious mind where it will be acted upon without question. This only needs to happen once or twice for a pattern to become established.  Then the same thought or idea will produce the same bodily reaction every time. So to change or obliterate negative reactions in the body, the subconscious must be reached and the thought or idea that is responsible for the negative reaction must be changed.

As well as emotion, the subconscious responds well to mental images.  These mental images becomes the blueprints that the subconscious uses in every conceivable way to carry out its programming.

A person's mental expectancy is also responsible for determining his or her ultimate well-being. It is generally recognised that if a person expects to remain ill or even to die, then that expectation has a high probability of coming to pass. Hypnosis, or even self-hypnosis, is an excellent tool for changing a person's expectations. It is quite feasible to change a negative disposition into a positive one.  The expectancy of good health, well-being and strength will help bring these condition about.

Emotionally induced symptoms can lead to physical changes if they are allowed to persistent for an extended period of time. This is where part of the body, such as an organ, is disturbed by the reaction of the nervous system to the negative thoughts that are stored in the subconscious. For example, if you are constantly complaining of a 'tension headache' or 'nervous stomach', over a period of time, physical changes are likely to happen as a result of your negative mental attitude.

Once a mental habit is created, it is a lot easier to follow it than to break it. Once the subconscious mind has accepted a suggestion, it becomes easier for further similar suggestions to be accepted and acted upon.

It is a strange paradox that, like a stubborn child, the more effort is exerted to bring about a desired change, the less the subconscious mind responds. Think of a person suffering from insomnia.  The harder they try to fall asleep, the wider awake they become. This highlights the common misunderstanding of willpower. Willpower is not the action of a strong conscious mind to subdue an unruly subconscious but rather the two aspects of mind working in harmony.  Do not try to force it but just let it happen.

The 'Fight or Flight' mechanism is where adrenaline is automatically produced if we feel threatened. Adrenaline is responsible to shutting down the capillary blood vessels in the skin, letting extra blood flow to vital organs and muscles which makes it possible to achieve amazing strength or speed in an emergency. Other changes also occur.  The heart beats faster to enable blood to reach the muscles and other organs more quickly the pupils of the eye dilate and the mouth becomes dryer.

We also have another mechanism known as the Vagal Response.  The Vagal Response is very important and lies at the heart of Noesitherapy.  It seems that we humans have lost touch with this ancient mechanism but it is possible to start using it again with proper training. A vagal response is produced when the vagas nerves are stimulated. It leads to a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, a feeling of light-headedness (from the decreased blood pressure), and sometimes nausea.  Noesitherapy is a technique for triggering the vagal response, easing pain and allowing our minds to heal our bodies.

Unlike Fight or Flight, while in the Vagal State the skin stays pink, the pupils are not dilated, and the heart rate is normal or even a bit slower, the mouth remains moist with saliva.  It is in this state that we can speak directly to our subconscious minds.

Dr. Escudero teaches his patients how to tell their subconscious minds to completely block all pain receptors in every part of the body for the duration of the operation.  Pain travels at some 120 metres per second and it is estimated that the Vagal Response travels well above 300 metres per second, therefore once the Vagal Response is stimulated; the pain response is far too slow to cause any discomfort and pain can be eliminated.

As one of the conditions of the Vagal Response is having a moist mouth.  So through proper supervised training the deliberate production of saliva in the mouth can be used to change a Fight or Flight response into a Vagal Response.

For Noesitherapy to work the client must first identify a need and a wish and the therapist needs the belief and the desire. During the consultation therapist helps the client to identify and clarify his or her needs. For example, let's say that the client presents with lower back pain, the wishes may be for their back to be comfortable, healthy, strong, supple and relaxed. These wishes enable the client to instruct their subconscious that they need their back muscles to be less tight, not go into spasm and to regenerate their strength.

Once this stage of the therapy is complete the notion of psychological anaesthesia is introduced and again using a positive affirmation the client tells their subconscious mind that they wish to obtain it. Strange as it may seem the client is only then required to say "my back is anaesthetised and comfortable", and the psychological anaesthesia is activated. However, in saying this it may take a second or two before the client realises that the 'Vagal Response' has taken place, therefore it is a good idea just to ask the client if they thought the process was difficult to perform. They often say "no" and then the therapist should ask the client to check the pain level of their condition. At this point the client will be aware that the pain level has dramatically reduced and often have a smile on their face. I know I was the first time it was practiced on me and the reaction I received when I first carried this out on a colleague was that of total disbelief!

Before closing I want to stress that pain is not always a bad thing and that is not always wise to try to eliminate it.  We evolved pain for one very good reason, and that reason is to alert us if something is wrong. Going back to my earlier example, without pain we could leave our foot in that fire until it has been damaged beyond further use.   Before attempting to alleviate pain, by Hypnotherapy,  Noesitherapy or pain killing drugs, we must ascertain whether that pain is trying to tell us something useful.  Only a fully qualified medical doctor can make such a determination and you should always send your client for a though check-up first.

So there you have it, a highly simplified overview of Noesitherapy. It is of course, much more in-depth and can be applied to so many more conditions - almost anything can be achieved. I lost 5 stones in weight without consciously dieting and pain free childbirth is also a great success. Through proper training and study you too can learn to add Noesitherapy to your clinical arsenal.

Complementing Therapies

As with all Alternative Therapies, there is a great benefit from being relaxed and comfortable with the session, therapist, and surroundings and of course, the treatment. This is where the idea of Complementing Therapies comes in to play. With this in mind, Aromatherapy suitably requires a relaxed state of mind to achieve its full potential. Therefore, by initiating the Vagal Response through having saliva in their mouth, the subconscious mind of the client is prepared for Aromatherapy. The  Aromatherapy session can continue as normal with the benefits of essential oils and massage being readily accepted by the client's conscious and subconscious minds. In this instance, the essence of Noesitherapy facilitates the Aromatherapy session. As we move in to the application of the oils, the client will become relaxed, which does not necessarily happen during a Noesitherapy session as there is no 'hands-on' therapy, just verbal instruction. Now that the client is both physically and mentally relaxed, the Noesitherapy script can be incorporated into the session. At this time, Aromatherapy is now facilitating Noesitherapy in a truly relaxed state, but not in a trance state as in hypnotherapy.

With the dual benefits of both therapies, the client is highly likely to feel immediate relief through Noesitherapy and remedial massage. After the session, the essential oils can also continue to aid relief from the client's symptoms, along with physical benefits from the session. 

There is, of course, very much more to both Aromatherapy & Noesitherapy than can be squeezed to this short article.  There are many contra-indications and other safety considerations.  That is why it is essential for the would-be practitioner to obtain proper training.  I hope that my small contribution here will whet your appetite for further study.

Conclusion

To summarise - a client coming for Aromatherapy may feel apprehensive of the treatment, meeting the therapist, being unsure whether the treatment will be of benefit etc. These attributes can be overcome through the initial consultation, but can easily be overcome using the Vagal Response concept of Noesitherapy. During a Noesitherapy session, no physical contact is required, with the client only using verbal instruction to aid their symptoms.  However many people expect something more 'hands-on.' By coupling the two therapies, a client receives conscious, subconscious and physical stimulation, all working together with a common goal. During treatment, a client's chance of symptom relief is greatly improved either by both therapies achieving relief or by one or the other having an effect. It may be that the therapist may not be able to determine whether both therapies have contributed to the relief of the condition or which one of the individual therapies was successful; but the importance is the relief for the client.

Aromatherapy and Noesitherapy are perfect companions for any client, as there are no conflicts of application or theory. Yet it is evident that any possible negative attribution of either therapy is counteracted by the other.  This means these two are truly Complimenting Therapies.

Resources

It is important to stress that neither Aromatherapy nor Noesitherapy should not be practiced without proper training.  Fortunately courses in these therapies are readily available.

Aromatherapy:  An excellent Aromatherapy course if offered by the School of Natural Health Sciences:
http://www.naturalhealthcourses.com/aromatherapy.htm .  They also have an advanced level course in this discipline.

Noesitherapy: The School of Natural Health Sciences does not teach Noesitherapy.  However we recommend the following resources: