Dr. Danielle - Holistic Psychology

Dr. Danielle - Holistic Psychology 👩🏻‍🎓PsyD | LCSW
🧠🔬Researcher |📖 Author |
🌎Leading field of Mental Health & Aromatherapy🌿
💬DM’s are NOT monitored- Active on IG

Natural medicinal plants have been used for thousands of years and now with the advancements in research, we get to understand their interactive benefits. Learn exactly how plant compounds benefit the brain. Plant based solutions offer simple, safe and natural benefits for the brain and emotional health. Essentials oils are one of the most concentrated forms of delivery and can provide powerful effects. The Problem
Traditional mental health treatment ignores the power of plants, the role of gut health, the heart and nutrition. Without nature, mood and emotions are difficult to balance, behaviors become impossible to manage, stress maladaptively cycles, and brain health begins deteriorating. The good news is it doesn't have to ...

The Solution
There is hope! As mental health providers, we desire to keep up to date with the latest science and treatment. Being that plants contain natural compounds similar to atoms in our own body they help regulate neuro-inflammation, influence neurotransmitters, restore emotions and balance mood. These lasting and impactful natural solutions are the answer to long term emotional wellness.

Sometimes what we call “low motivation” is actually a nervous system stuck in a freeze state. Citrus oils—especially Ora...
11/28/2025

Sometimes what we call “low motivation” is actually a nervous system stuck in a freeze state. Citrus oils—especially Orange—can offer a gentle nudge back into movement, hope, and engagement.

🍊 Orange contains high levels of limonene, a natural compound shown in research to:

→ Support healthy dopamine and serotonin levels
→ Elevate mood and promote feelings of optimism
→ Increase alertness and cognitive performance

🧠 When diffused or inhaled, Orange interacts with the olfactory-limbic system, stimulating the emotional brain and shifting energy without words.

đź’ˇ In practice:

Diffuse during sessions with low affect or stagnation

Pair with breathwork to re-engage clients in freeze or shutdown

Apply (with consent) to a cotton round or wrist for in-the-moment uplift

Whether you’re working with trauma, burnout, or emotional flatness, Orange invites lightness back into the nervous system—gently, naturally, and scientifically.

Comment below how you feel when you inhale orange essential oil

Scent isn’t just a nicety in a therapy room, it’s neuroscience.🧠 When essential oils are inhaled, their aromatic molecul...
11/26/2025

Scent isn’t just a nicety in a therapy room, it’s neuroscience.

🧠 When essential oils are inhaled, their aromatic molecules travel through the olfactory nerve directly to the limbic system—the part of the brain responsible for emotion, memory, and regulation. This pathway bypasses rational thought entirely, allowing scent to soothe or stimulate the nervous system without the need for language.

Here’s why that matters in clinical practice:

→ Grounding: Oils like Frankincense or Cedarwood can anchor clients during emotionally intense moments.
→ Co-regulation: Introducing scent intentionally helps therapist and client co-regulate in real time.
→ Safety cues: For trauma-sensitive or neurodivergent clients, familiar aromas can signal safety and predictability.
→ Session transitions: Oils like Wild Orange or Peppermint can gently shift energy when moving between topics or winding down.

Incorporating aromatherapy doesn’t replace traditional modalities—it enhances them, offering a subtle, sensory-based tool that speaks directly to the emotional brain.

💡 When paired with consent and clinical intention, scent becomes more than pleasant background—it becomes part of the healing process.

Comment or DM “EOBRAIN” to get my essential oils & the brain e-guide wheel!

Free e-guide on Peptide Therapy for the Brain:
11/25/2025

Free e-guide on Peptide Therapy for the Brain:

New Holistic Brain 🧠 Magazine article on Peptide Therapy & the Brain...Peptide therapy has become one of the most exciti...
11/24/2025

New Holistic Brain 🧠 Magazine article on Peptide Therapy & the Brain...

Peptide therapy has become one of the most exciting emerging tools in functional and integrative medicine—especially for brain health and mental well-being.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as signaling molecules in the body.

Because they are so precise, they can target specific pathways involved in mood, stress, memory, inflammation, and overall neurological resilience.

Today, clinicians and wellness practitioners use certain peptides to support cognitive performance, emotional balance, and even protect the brain from the effects of aging and chronic stress.

Peptide therapy offers a uniquely targeted, science-backed approach to supporting brain and mental health. By working directly on the pathways that govern mood, memory, resilience, and neuroplasticity, peptides can help people feel clearer, calmer, more focused, and more emotionally balanced.

How Peptides Support the Brain:

The brain communicates through an intricate network of neurotransmitters, hormones, and signaling proteins. When these pathways become imbalanced—due to stress, inflammation, trauma, aging, or environmental toxins—mental health symptoms can develop.

Read more…

https://holisticbrain.passion.io/app/products/48396/lessons/4895103

What if your clients could reach for focus, calm, or clarity, and their brain already knew what that felt like?That’s th...
11/24/2025

What if your clients could reach for focus, calm, or clarity, and their brain already knew what that felt like?

That’s the power of mood mapping with essential oils.

🧠 Here's how it works:

Scent travels through the olfactory nerve directly to the limbic brain—home of memory, emotion, and regulation. When we consistently pair a specific essential oil with an emotional state (like calm, focus, or joy), we’re creating a sensory anchor the brain can access faster over time.

🌿 Try this in practice:

→ Ask clients how they want to feel during or between sessions—calm, focused, grounded, energized
→ Choose an essential oil that aligns with that state (Lavender for calm, Lemon for focus, Peppermint for energy, etc.)
→ Use that oil with breathwork, visualization, journaling, or movement to build a multi-sensory connection
→ Encourage consistent use outside of sessions (with a roller, diffuser, or personal inhaler)

Over time, these scent-emotion pairings can serve as emotional shortcuts, helping the nervous system regulate more quickly and intuitively.

đź’ˇ Think of it as giving your clients a personalized emotional toolkit, one scent at a time.

Reshare & Repost this to help others see how simple scent therapy can be!

The brain is complex—your tools should not be.The Holistic Brain App was created for the home, therapists, wellness prof...
11/21/2025

The brain is complex—your tools should not be.

The Holistic Brain App was created for the home, therapists, wellness professionals, and educators who want to understand how aromatherapy, the nervous system, and mental health intersect.

🧠 Inside, you’ll find:

Research-backed guidance on how scent impacts the brain

Practical ways to use essential oils in and outside of session

Tools for emotional regulation, trauma work, and therapist self-care

A growing library of micro-trainings and clinical resources

Whether you're building your knowledge or looking to bring integrative methods into your practice, this space was designed for you.

Rooted in science. Grounded in nature. Centered on healing.

Ready to join us?
👉 Drop a 💬 or DM me “BRAINAPP” and I’ll send you the link to explore it!

The HPA axis — short for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis — plays a central role in how the body responds to stress. ...
11/19/2025

The HPA axis — short for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis — plays a central role in how the body responds to stress. When this system is dysregulated, it can lead to anxious feelings, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, immune dysfunction, and mood instability.

And here’s where aromatherapy becomes more than just a scent.

🧠 The olfactory nerve is the only cranial nerve directly exposed to the environment, and it has a direct line to the limbic system — where the hypothalamus (the “H” in HPA) lives. This means inhaling certain essential oils can impact stress regulation in a way that’s non-verbal, fast-acting, and deeply somatic.

Try these oils when supporting clients with nervous system dysregulation or chronic stress:

Frankincense – Supports cellular health and promotes grounding; may help calm an overactive hypothalamus

Lavender – High in linalool, this oil has been shown in studies to reduce cortisol levels and calm the stress response

Copaiba – Interacts with the endocannabinoid system and may modulate the brain’s inflammatory and stress pathways

đź’ˇ Use in a diffuser before session start, or invite clients to breathe in from a cotton round or personal inhaler (with consent).

Remember: supporting the HPA axis isn’t just about calming the mind — it’s about shifting the body into a state where healing becomes possible.

Comment or DM “EOBRAIN” to get my essential oils & the brain e-guide wheel!

In therapeutic spaces, what we diffuse, apply, or suggest to our clients carries weight. Especially when working with se...
11/17/2025

In therapeutic spaces, what we diffuse, apply, or suggest to our clients carries weight. Especially when working with sensitive nervous systems.

🧠 When essential oils are used to regulate mood, calm the HPA axis, or support trauma-informed care, quality is non-negotiable. Low-grade oils often contain synthetic fillers, hidden solvents, or chemically altered compounds that can interfere with the very systems we’re trying to support.

These impurities may:

Trigger headaches or allergic reactions

Irritate the respiratory system

Disrupt emotional processing due to artificial fragrance chemicals

🌿 On the other hand, high-integrity essential oils — those that are rigorously tested, sustainably sourced, and chemically unadulterated — interact with the brain and body in profound ways.

Whether you're working with kids, adults, trauma survivors, or neurodivergent clients, purity matters.

When choosing oils:

Look for GC/MS testing to ensure chemical purity

Choose brands with transparent sourcing and sustainability standards

Know the difference between genuine aromatherapy and synthetic fragrance

What you inhale matters.
In a therapeutic setting, it could be the difference between support and stress.

To learn more about quality essential oils, DM or comment the word TOP10

Children don’t always have the language to explain how they feel, but their bodies know when they’re overwhelmed, overst...
11/14/2025

Children don’t always have the language to explain how they feel, but their bodies know when they’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, or simply out of sync.

Aromatherapy offers a gentle, non-verbal bridge to emotional regulation. By engaging the brain’s limbic system (which governs emotion, memory, and arousal), certain essential oils can help kids shift from dysregulation to calm more easily.

Here are a few essential oils that can support kids emotionally:

🌿 Lavender – Calming and familiar, it helps ease stress and promote relaxation, especially during bedtime or post-meltdown recovery.

🌳 Cedarwood – Grounding and stabilizing, great for kids who need help feeling settled or safe during transitions.

🍊 Wild Orange – Uplifting and comforting, it can support emotional balance when kids feel low, overwhelmed, or resistant to change.

🧠 Try this:

Diffuse softly in your therapy room before sessions

Offer a personal inhaler for the client to hold

Use as part of co-regulation rituals during transitions or tough conversations

✨ Pro tip: Scent associations become powerful anchors. Using the same oil during calm moments teaches the brain to connect that aroma with safety and regulation.

For neurodivergent or highly sensitive kids, a consistent scent ritual can make all the difference in navigating emotions with more ease and confidence.

Before a single word is spoken, your client’s nervous system is already scanning the environment for safety. One of the ...
11/12/2025

Before a single word is spoken, your client’s nervous system is already scanning the environment for safety. One of the fastest ways to signal that safety? Scent.

When we inhale essential oils, scent molecules travel through the olfactory system directly to the limbic brain, the part responsible for processing emotions, memory, and threat.

🌿 Diffusing calming oils like:
→ Bergamot – Uplifting, soothing, and shown in studies to reduce cortisol and improve mood
→ Lavender – Calms the HPA axis, supports parasympathetic activation, and helps ease tension

This simple sensory input can:
âś” Reduce anticipatory stress
âś” Support emotional regulation before the session even begins
âś” Help clients feel grounded and safe in your space

Therapists often focus on what happens in session, but how clients arrive matters too.
Start the therapeutic process the moment they walk through the door.

Comment or DM “EOBRAIN” to get my essential oils & the brain e-guide wheel!

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Website

https://www.theholisticbrain.com/app/

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