Beyond Aromatics

Jonathan Benavides

Jonathan Benavides

Love is not forgotten: Advances in evidence-based aromatherapy and integrative healthcare for dementia

with Jonathan Benavides

 

Dementia challenges individuals and their families alike, but it also opens opportunities for innovation and connection through holistic approaches. In dementia care, where memory may fade but the bonds of love remain strong, integrative healthcare offers a compassionate, evidence-based, and grounded approach to support both sufferers and their families. My ongoing research focuses on a multifaceted protocol that incorporates aromatherapy, phytotherapy, nutrition, and complementary sensory therapies to address the challenges of dementia while enhancing the quality of life for all involved.  

Preliminary findings reveal promising outcomes: reduced caregiver stress, improved mood and sleep patterns in patients, and more moments of meaningful connection between families and their loved ones. These results underscore the potential of aromatherapy and integrative healthcare to manage symptoms and restore a sense of dignity and love in the caregiving experience.

More about Jonathan: 

Jonathan has been a psychologist specializing in communication problems since 1986. He has always been interested in research and integrating different disciplines. In 2002, while designing sensory therapies for autistic children and later implementing this olfactory technique within conventional healthcare therapies at home in The Netherlands, Jonathan began studying advanced clinical aromatherapy in the United Kingdom. He has continued expanding his knowledge and working with aromatic substances ever since.

He has participated in several seminars, conferences, and congresses on aromatherapy, complementary therapies, psychology, and music therapy. He has always been involved in training, research, and developing different therapeutic approaches for complementary and Integrative care.

Jonathan has also worked within the Netherlands's palliative care public health system since 2009, incorporating comforting skills into patient and family communication. Since beginning his professional career, Jonathan has designed, developed, utilized, trained, and lectured at home in the Netherlands and internationally on various therapeutic interventions (conventional and non-conventional/complementary) such as:

“Into the tunnel” for autistic children (1987)

“Bio-gymnastics, integrating the emotions in your body (1989)

“Ahava, the Reiki of Love,” a new Reiki approach (2001)

“Anointing, a spiritual harmonization” (2008)

“Into the Light,” a psychological approach for the sick and dying (2011)

“Integrative Reiki, essential oils, electromagnetic frequencies and roses energy” (2013)

“Reinforcing your T-cells,” a holistic immunological approach” (2015)

“Let be free again,” a trauma release aromatic approach (2017)

“Train to the Light” aroma and sound for HEARTS (UK) (2018)

“Remembering and honoring you,” aroma and texture for HEARTS (UK) (2018)

“Adjusting, a multisensory self-compassionate approach for cancer-related distress” (2019)

“De-Compression: the art of letting go” (2020)

“Aromatic Sentinel, Emotional palliative care” (2013-2020)

“Loving yourself again, aromatherapy for mastectomy sufferers” (2022) 

“It’s perfectly OK! Aromatherapy for HSP individuals” (2023)

Jonathan is also a HEARTS (UK) Teacher, Aromatic Sentinel Creator (NL), Reiki Usui Master, Anointer, Coach, Counsellor, Author, International Speaker, Trainer, and Lecturer. He is an Ambassador from the Airmid Institute (US), the Regional Director for NAHA (US) in the Netherlands, an ICAN Fellow, and the director of Essentia Nobilis (NL/PT). 

He has also written a book, “Rest on Me, breathe, Emotional Palliative Care.” Edicoes Para el Alma, Lisboa, Portugal (First edition, May 2023/Second edition, August 2024). The book has been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, and Dutch.

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Jonathan Benavides | NAHA