Navigating the Aromatherapy Landscape: Insights, Expertise, and Industry Gold Standard books by Madeleine Kerkhof.

4 Nov

Learning from experts in the field you wish to excel is very important, but what is even more important is choosing who to learn from. With an oversaturation of self-proclaimed "experts" and "leaders" in every field, sifting through to find a genuine professional can be pretty hard sometimes, especially in a field like aromatherapy where the facts can be muddled with too many emotional and personal stances for every issue discussed.

I love to blend the traditional use and anecdotal practices with a more solid foundation based on research and professional experience from hands-on practitioners who have a reputation for understanding the intricate balance that complementary therapies can provide. It is not a "medical" route or a "natural" route but a blend of the two that can be the ultimate path to a healthy body and mind.

With that said, I have a list of my favourites I have gathered over the years that I will share with you over the next few months. As a relative newcomer to this field (less than ten years old, I come open to how aromatherapy can help and how its scope of influence can best be utilised. After all, that is why I switched careers to make it my new profession; I personally experienced that effect on myself and frequently used aromatherapy and natural products when I felt stressed or overwhelmed and anxious with brilliant results. I did not know at the time why it worked or how, nor did I care, to be honest, but it always fascinated me. Now that I know how and why the effects can profoundly affect the mind and the body, it makes perfect sense to me why it is a complementary approach that can make a difference in your life when used safely within your daily life.

While studying for my certification with the Aromahead Institute, I noticed a few names always spoken of with respect and referred to when discussing situations where aromatherapy can help in clinical settings or during sensitive periods and emotional situations.

**Madeleine Kerkhof** was one such name, and I had the pleasure of attending one of her online masterclasses on using CO2 extracts in aromatherapy. I fell in love with her approach, and she opened my eyes to an area of aromatherapy practice I was unfamiliar with. She is a lovely, no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is kind Dutch woman but pairs it with an enormous capacity for empathy and compassion that shines through in her teaching style and approach to always making her clients and patients be the centre of and the purpose of her work.

I am delighted to attend the upcoming IFPA conference in Milton Keynes (UK) on the 25th of November, 2023, where she will be a keynote speaker alongside three other outstanding practitioners in various fields of aromatherapy. I look forward to learning from here in the years to come.

I received a shipment of her three English-written books this week. These books are considered industry gold standards in clinical aromatherapy. She has poured her years of knowledge and experience into each one, with a slight emphasis on a different aspect of clinical care and aromatherapy integration in each book. Her detailed description of each oil to choose and the method utilised is a masterclass in clinical care and management. Her inclusion of professional advice and recommendations from practitioners worldwide adds another dimension to each book, where you see how aromatherapy practice can be adapted to each culture and situation to bring out the best in each treatment and product.

Make it stand out

Even if you are not a clinical aromatherapist, I highly recommend you follow her teachings and attend her classes (she posts her schedule online). The knowledge gained from the settings and methods used can be easily applied and adapted to whatever field you choose to practise your aromatherapy in.

I am pleased to offer a very limited number of her three books in my store in the coming few weeks. They will be shipped directly from the UK, so this is an excellent opportunity to get your hands on this book with reduced postage fees and within a few days of ordering it, no more having to wait for weeks for this treat!

Only a few copies of each book are available, so if you are interested in reading one, let me know so I can email you as soon as they are live in the store.