Danielle Sade B.Sc & CAHP
There are many studies being conducted that suggest changing sensory perceptions can affect how one experiences time. In this blog, I would like to briefly introduce the idea of how inhalation of certain essential oils can alter the perception of time.
Aromatherapy is a cost-effective natural therapy that has demonstrated through many studies that it has calming, relaxing, and uplifting effects. These attributes help to improve experiences in hospital and clinical settings.
Being in hospitals or clinical settings can affect moods, leading to anxiety and fear, and if it is a long-term stay, it can initiate depression, delirium, and worsen situations such as dementia in the elderly. My assumption is that time can be perceived as moving slower in patients needing to endure a clinical environment. It is common knowledge that our perception of time changes and adapts to external influences and the tasks we are doing within real-time frames. Time perception can be influenced by our senses such as visual, auditory, touch, and smell. Time is perceived to be longer when there are states of discomfort such as pain, negative visuals, dissatisfying sounds, or boredom.
Why does this happen?
We have an internal clock in the brain that works at a certain pace. A study by Millot et al. informs us that the rate of the brain's function increases in response to fear. When this happens, it increases internal time units, leading to slower time perception. Time is perceived as slower when an individual is feeling constraint, depression, or frustration, which can sometimes be perceived as boredom. Watt (1991) states, "This may be the reason if you ever get stuck in an elevator for a second, it seems like an eternity in real time." Being in a stressful situation such as a hospital or clinic can influence real-time perception due to fear.
What caught my attention is that there was another study on the perception of time that concluded: "Exposure to ambient aromas can lead to time moving faster" (Brand et al.). Alongside this, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as: “Completely being involved, focused, concentrated, and losing track of time!” Flow is an experience where you are beyond your body, having inner clarity, and everything feels possible even though it is difficult! Flow can arise from taking time for creativity and goal setting.
My personal observation with this understanding is that I have found there are some essential oils that give you the feeling of flow. The internal experience of inhaling the desired aroma, which can be facilitated with guided words, has the potential to lead one into the experience of subtle flow. When this feeling emerges, the sense of time seems to disappear and evolves into a different reality. The olfactory experience captures the scent molecules and activates the hypothalamus, which interprets and creates an internal experience in the mind through memory and association.
An Aromatherapist's Perspective
Through my experience as an aromatherapist, I believe the sense of smell can play a significant role in how time is perceived while initiating a different state of mind by taking action and moving beyond obstacles such as fear, depression, lack of focus, and boredom. Hypothetically, it may be possible to shift the internal time clock.
"When an aroma is present, a moment can be defined as an exploration and discovery of thoughts and memories."
Introducing subtle aromas for short time intervals into the environment, such as neroli, lavender, and citrus, can invite the feeling of flow, while exposure to heavier molecular structures of scent, such as lemongrass, melissa, and ylang-ylang, tends to be lethargic and cloying. The latter may be helpful for sleep; however, when one needs to cope and move through real time, it can sabotage the experience if one feels vulnerable.
This brings me to the point: applying aromatherapy when an individual is going through stressful times, medical procedures, or coping with time intervals that seem to stand still—such as traveling or sitting in one spot—can change the perception of real time.
To conclude, professional aromatherapists have the skill of using essential oils that can potentially shift the way internal time is experienced by introducing natural aromatics that can lead to comfort and improve a stressful experience. Professionals should consider implementing this concept as part of an assessment tool: how the patient's perception of time is experienced. This will lead to understanding the individual’s experience of time during various phases, procedures, and experiences, which will serve as vital evidence that essential oils have a positive effect when applied safely and strategically in the clinic and may improve the clinical environmental experience.
References
Brand, G., Thiabaud, F., & Dray, N. (2016). Influence of Ambient Odors on Time Perception in a Retrospective Paradigm. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 122(3), 799-811. doi: 10.1177/0031512516647716
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2018). Flow, the secret to happiness. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?language=en
Joswiak, D., Joswiak, M., & Yao, T. (2015). Advancing Multinational Research in the Highest Mountain Regions. Eos, 96. doi: 10.1029/2015eo028167
Millot, J., Laurent, L., & Casini, L. (2016). The Influence of Odors on Time Perception. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00181
Mind and mood in hospital. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/mind-and-mood-in-hospital
Watt, J. (1991). Effect of Boredom Proneness on Time Perception. Psychological Reports, 69(5), 323. doi: 10.2466/pr0.69.5.323-327