Moods and Non-Typical Behaviors in Animals
Sunny and John working together with the essential oil Rose Otto. (The rose otto is diluted in safflower oil)
I will always remember my first case study, a magnificent Belgian draft horse named Sunny. This gentle giant taught me compassion, patience, consistency, and knowledge about the essential oils he needed to help him gain trust and confidence to work through his non-typical behaviors.
What are "non-typical behaviors" in the animal community? I see them as aggression, mistrust, dislike of humans, worry, stubborn behavior, unhappiness, and a sour demeanor. Unfortunately, many of these behaviors are sometimes created by human error, and it is our responsibility to help these animals re-adjust. Animals may have one of these conditions or a combination. In these situations, I have learned that with essential oils, patience, understanding, kindness, and positive training methods, a change will occur for these animals.
Over the past 27 years, I have seen many of these "non-typical animal behaviors" through my work with essential oils. I owe my gratitude to Sunny, who helped start me on this path and taught me how to work with the essential oils he needed and how he needed them presented to him.
Sunny had the kindest eyes. He was the type of horse you looked at in awe and wanted to go up and stroke his stout body. That is what our reaction was when John, my husband, and I first saw Sunny. I can still clearly see the moment when we walked up to his paddock area, and John softly reached out his hand to pet Sunny and next, watching this handsome horse bolt away in fear. John and I looked at one another in bewilderment; this was not the typical behavior we expected from such a kind-looking horse. But that was Sunny; you could not go near him, and he was not coming near you.
After that incident, I thought Sunny would be an interesting case study. So I prepared the following oils in preparation for our next visit: Rose to help him deal with past issues and anger, Neroli for any abandonment issues or loss of a loving companion, Violet Leaf to strengthen and comfort his heart, learn to trust and to find inner strength, and Frankincense to deal with his fear, slow down his breathing to produce a feeling of calm, and to help him with anxious and obsessive feelings linked to the past.
On the next visit, we arrived with the oils and our desire to help. John and I went up to his paddock, and I held the oils out to Sunny one by one over the fence. He sniffed them from a distance but was not coming over. John went into the paddock area and stood by the gate, and Sunny stood at the other end of the paddock as far away as he could. I left them there; if I remember correctly, John stood there for 20 minutes or longer.
We did this every weekend for about three weeks, and on the fourth weekend, Sunny came up to John. Maybe for the apples, he offered, but perhaps for friendship - whatever it was, we were delighted. It was fantastic to see the trust-building between the two of them. John stood in the paddock with his hand out, and Sunny cautiously sniffed the apple. I decided that John was the person to work with Sunny.
I began instructing John on the method of working with the oils. The following few weekends, John showed Sunny the oils and eventually was able to touch Sunny. Soon we both showed him the oils, and John moved from a quick gentle touch to petting Sunny and hugging him. We made a lot of progress with Sunny with patience and the oils.
What struck me about this "non-typical behavior" was that we could change with him through a slow and trusting approach and with the essential oils. Sunny eventually grew to love all four of the oils we offered him.
How do essential oils work?
We all know how kindness, patience and understanding work and the benefits of positive training. Yet, how do essential oils work? Essential oils have been called the life force, the soul and the plant's immune system. Those are pleasant thoughts, but essential oils do not circulate, carry oxygen and nutrients in plants and do not provide a life force via a circulatory or immune system.
"Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds produced by living organisms and isolated by physical means only (pressing and distillation) from a whole plant or plant part of known taxonomic origin" [1]. Hydrodistillation or mechanical expression/cold pressing of the whole plant or one of its parts removes its volatiles or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), creating a new product, an essential oil. It is the chemical constituents of the essential oil that provides therapeutic properties.
One of my favorite quotes regarding essential oils is from Dr. René-Maurice Gattefossé, the famous French doctor who coined the term aromatherapy: "Besides their antiseptic and bactericidal properties widely used today, essential oils possess anti-toxic and antiviral properties, a powerful vitalizing action, and an undeniable healing power..." It perfectly summarizes my feelings about essential oils and why I enjoy working with them.
When you inhale an essential oil, it goes on a fantastic journey through our olfactory system. Once the fragrance travels through our nose, it reaches our Limbic System, where the amygdala and hippocampus reside, affecting our emotional activity. The scent then reaches the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex associated with our intellectual activity. Finally, it goes on to the pituitary gland, sex glands, and adrenal glands affecting aggressive and sexual responses—this is a simplified explanation of what occurs upon inhaling essential oils.
The essential oils I suggest for moods and non-typical behaviors are Basil, Frankincense, Jasmine, Neroli, Rose, Sweet Marjoram, Thyme, Violet Leaf and Yarrow.
Brief essential oil descriptions for moods and non-typical behaviors:
Basil: One of the most useful oils for stimulating and clearing the mind. When inhaled, it clears the head, relieves intellectual fatigue and gives the mind strength and clarity. Also beneficial for nervous disorders, especially those associated with weakness, indecision, or hysteria.
Frankincense: It helps one deal with their fear, slow down their breathing to produce a feeling of calm, and help them with anxious and obsessive feelings linked to the past.
Jasmine: A deeply relaxing oil. This oil helps to calm the body, mind and spirit. And it helps to diminish fear and enhance self-confidence.
Neroli: Helps with abandonment issues or the loss of a loving companion. This oil has a potent psychological effect offering a feeling of emotional harmony.
Rose Otto: Helps with nervous tension helps with trauma, anger, resentment, fear and anxiety.
Sweet Marjoram: This oil can both strengthen and relax. In terms of oriental medicine, marjoram tones and circulates energy, clears phlegm and calms the mind.
Thyme: Strengthens the nerves and activates the brain cells aiding memory and concentration. I find it lifts the spirits, relieves feelings of exhaustion and combats depression. It may help release mental blockages and trauma.
Violet Leaf: This absolute may strengthen and comfort your heart, build trust, and find inner strength. This absolute will not dull the senses but help maintain control and inner strength.
Yarrow: I consider Yarrow the "rescue remedy" of essential oils. It helps to release past issues and it can help to release deeply repressed emotions such as anger and embitterment.
So, essential oils can help with "moods and non-typical behaviors". It is our job to be patient and kind during the process of working with the animals. In the herbal community, it is said that every year a person has had a chronic condition, it will take that many months to get better, and for every month they have had it, it will take that many or up to twice that many days to get better. You can apply this same type of thinking to moods and non-typical behaviors. From my experience and depending on the extent of the situation, I always add an extra two months for every year and two to three days for every month an animal has had a condition.
When working with essential oils, dilute them in a vegetable-based oil. You should never force an essential oil on an animal and you need to know your animal's constitution before working with essential oils. If you would like more information or are interested in a consultation, contact us here.
(The above essential oil descriptions are from my and my peers' observations. Unfortunately, there are very few clinical studies on essential oils. By definition, we know what their chemical constituents can do, but we need to understand how they work in the essential oil clinically.)
Merlin's Magic Calming Potion, designed by our dog Merlin is a brilliant blend of essential oils to help moods and non-typical behaviors in animals. He came to us with many, and the essential oils in this blend helped him through them all.
FrogWorks' coursebook, Working with Plants and Essential Oils for You and Your Animals, gives you the knowledge and guidance to make the right decisions when working with plants and essential oils.
1. Franz C. and Novak J. 2010. Sources of Essential Oils. Handbook of Essential Oils: Science, Technology, and Applications (p. 43). CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA