Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy

09/11/2025

Remembering September 11th

https://youtube.com/watch?v=nwB6i8sayeg

This was after September 11 tragedy.

08/14/2025

In the midst of change we often discover wings we never knew we had.

~Ekaterina Walter

08/05/2025

Another sad loss for the aromatherapy community. This is another gentle reminder that if ever given the opportunity, learn from as many as you can, while you still can.

🌿 Remembering Andrea Butje (1963–2025) 🌿

The aromatherapy world has lost a beloved pioneer, teacher, and advocate. Andrea Butje’s passing is a profound loss—and yet her legacy continues to bloom in every part of our community.

Andrea dedicated her life to making aromatherapy safe, accessible, and deeply meaningful. As founder of Aromahead Institute, she helped shape one of the first online aromatherapy schools—bringing evidence-based, heart-centered education to students all over the world.

She was also the force behind Aromatics International, a company born out of her commitment to purity, sustainability, and transparency in essential oil sourcing—setting standards in quality long before it became common practice.

Andrea believed that essential oils weren’t just tools. They were allies for wellness, connection, and healing. Through her bestselling book The Heart of Aromatherapy, hundreds of recipes, and decades of mentorship, she helped demystify aromatherapy for beginners while honoring its depth for professionals.

In 2013, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Alliance of International Aromatherapists—a reflection of the respect and love she earned across generations of practitioners.

But more than her achievements, Andrea will be remembered for her warmth, generosity, and unwavering belief in the power of nature and community.

She changed lives, not just with oils, but with presence. 💛
Rest well, Andrea. Your light lives on in every student, every bottle, every blend made with care.

07/31/2025

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
~ Luther Burbank

07/25/2025

If it is summer where you are, how are you staying cool?

🧊🧊 Ice, Ice Baby! Keep it Cool w/ Herbal Ice - from garden to your lips! 💋
In preparation for summer parties, add a little water to the bottom of your cube tray and put it in your freezer. Go to the garden and gather flowers/petals of borage, rose, bee balm, lavender, mint, chamomile, anise, dianthus, fennel, viola or rosemary and place them artfully on the newly formed ice. Add more water, freeze, and repeat to insure that the flowers are fully encased in ice. Enjoy in your Summer G&T, Cape Codder, Greyhound, Sazerac 🍹

07/18/2025

Does this ring true for anyone else?

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."
~ John Burroughs

06/09/2025

Over the weekend, I got a chance to enjoy some all-natural aromatherapy.

The cedars were getting a little unruly and needed some trimming, and the aroma was AWESOME! 😍

Also, every time the grass has been cut this year, I have noticed an amazing new smell. It is sweet and kind of reminds me of a chamomile. I have no clue where it is coming from, but I have been going around picking and crushing all the weeds trying to identify it without any luck. So if you have any thoughts on what it may be that would be growing volunteer here in the South Carolina midlands, please let me know.

🌲🌼 When was the last time you were able to enjoy aromatherapy in its purest form and what was it?

06/06/2025

A little something for your weekend, especially if you are visiting a lavender farm.

05/26/2025

Remembering those who gave all and their families.

Today, we solemnly remember the lives sacrificed for our freedom.

05/22/2025

Of all of our senses, our sense of smell is the one that has the closest ties to our memories.

Part of that is because our olfactory system (specifically our olfactory bulb) is connected directly to our brains. 🧠

The knowledge of this has brought about more research into what is known as the Proust Effect or Proust phenomenon.

There is even newer research that indicates that a part of the olfactory bulb known as the piriform cortex is able to serve as an archive for some long-term memories.

So per the linked discovery.com article, “not only does your brain's smell center connect right to its memory center, but it also stores long-term memories in-house.” 🤓

These are major reasons why aromatic therapy has been researched and shown to be successful in assisting with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, as well as how scent can be beneficial in other areas such as with product marketing.

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived."
~ Helen Keller

Do you have an aroma that transports you? Let us know in the comments! 👇

Green, J. D., Reid, C. A., Kneuer, M. A., & Hedgebeth, M. V. (2023). The proust effect: Scents, food, and nostalgia. Current opinion in psychology, 50, 101562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101562
PMID: 36863096

El Haj M. (2022). ODor-evoked Autobiographical Memory in Alzheimer's disease?. Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists, 37(2), 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acab074
PMID: 34491308

Jimbo, D., Kimura, Y., Taniguchi, M., Inoue, M., & Urakami, K. (2009). Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer's disease. Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society, 9(4), 173–179. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1479-8301.2009.00299.x
PMID: 20377818

https://www.discovery.com/science/Why-Smells-Trigger-Such-Vivid-Memories

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171222092552.htm

05/08/2025

05/05/2025