Everybody carries subconscious stories or memories from the past. When those stories bring negative emotions into your mind, body, and soul – looking within can help you find the intuitive healing, connection, and freedom you seek. The Aroma Freedom Technique is a great way to help you do just that.
In this episode, I am talking to Kristen Maple, an Aroma Freedom Practitioner who empowers women to find freedom and healing in their body, mind, and soul. Today, we’re talking all about the Aroma Freedom Technique including what it is, how it works, and why essential oils are used in the healing process. Kristen is even hosting a short Reset Session for listeners!
Follow along with Kristen:
Website: https://kristenmaple.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceandfarm/
Finding Freedom Membership: https://whimsywellness.krtra.com/t/uMfoRZ98rFXc
Oil Blends Mentioned in this Episode:
Stress Away Essential Oil: Young Living
Inner Child Essential Oil: Young Living
Peace & Calming Essential Oil: Young Living
DISCOVER RELIEF CBD and use code PODCAST15 for 15% off your first purchase
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Whimsy & Wellness Podcast hosted by Meg Ryan and brought to you by Whimsy & Wellness; your go-to shop for essential oil accessories, crystals, and more!
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Music by Taylor Ryan
We all carry subconscious stories that stem from memories or events from our past. These stories can impact us on deep levels, and it’s up to use to find healing and freedom so we can achieve our dreams. The Aroma Freedom Technique is a great tool to use to help show up as the best version of yourself and make a beautiful impact on the world – and today’s guest is telling is all about it!
Meg: Hey you guys, today we have such a treat. We have Kristen Maple here with us to talk about the Aroma Freedom Technique. Welcome to the podcast Kristen.
Kristen: Thank you, Meg, I’m so excited to be here. I’ve been looking forward to this.
Meg: I am so excited you guys, we have had so many obstacles to get this interview setup. We had to move around our schedules but we’re finally doing it. I’m so giddy about this. And I love to learn. So I’m trying to not be all over the place asking a million questions so that everyone can follow along. But this is just gonna be so amazing because I personally got into essential oils for emotions and my immune system, but I was really, really interested in the emotional side of it. And so this is just going to be incredible. So thank you so much for being here.
Kristen: Oh, you’re so welcome. It just fills me up to share this because that’s changed my life so much. So I’m really excited to share it with you guys and do whatever I can to help.
Meg: Yeah. Okay, so I wanted to right out the gate and tell you guys that we’re talking about the Aroma Freedom Technique today. And we’ll probably bounce back and forth between saying Aroma Freedom Technique, and AFT. And I always hate when people use acronyms. And I’m what, what does that even stand for? So when you hear AFT, that’s what we’re referring to, is the Aroma Freedom Technique. So let’s just go right into it. Can you share a backstory of how you came to be an Aroma Freedom practitioner?
How Kristen Became An Aroma Freedom Practitioner
Kristen: Sure, um, a little bit. Do you want me to share a little bit just a snippet of what AFT is just so people understand that and then that might help me segue into how I started but it is, in a nutshell, AFT is a 12 step process that was developed by Dr. Benjamin Perkis that helps people let go of any blocks or emotions or thoughts that are keeping us stuck and preventing us from moving forward.
In my history of life, I have a background of going into a fellowship program and a tumultuous childhood and a lot of emotional trauma and emotions that I needed to work through. And so when I fell into oils, I fell into it for health reasons and a lot of anxiety, which obviously ties to emotions and all that stuff.
In our lives, a lot of my children were colicky. And so I fell into it that way and then found the community and then in the community. Casey Weigand is my upline, she had someone come on to share about AFT, and was starting to talk about what it was and how the oils your sense of smell is connected to our amygdala, the part of the brain where negative emotions and traumas are stored and how when you can access that and release your emotions. How it frees you up to do the things you want to do.
At this time, I’m super into personal development, personal growth and doing everything I can to create a different life for my babies than the one that I had. So yeah, this has always just been my passion and, and so I jumped on a webinar with her and I saw a live session done for a girl. And just watching her transformation from where she started till the end of the session. I was just blown away by the freedom and the peace and the light that she emanated just in that 60 minute live session.
I just knew – it was like one of the things – I knew I needed to do this, I wanted to learn more, and she was offering to teach people how to learn this technique and then how to teach it to people. I was just fascinated by the science and I knew I loved oils but then this brought it to a whole new level and just opened a whole other world to me with so many more tools and was helping me transform my life in such a profound fast way. A much quicker way than what I was able to do with the things. I was currently working on 12 step and therapy and it’s gonna replace those things. But anyways, we can get into all those but I just loved it.
Meg: Oh my gosh, this is amazing. Now I love oils even more.
Kristen: Yeah, that’s beautiful. And it is so true that when we find something that is so inspiring to us, I’m definitely someone that’s this is hard for me to not go tell everyone else. You can go level oils just in general because it’s this freedom of, okay, we don’t have to stay in bondage to these old ideas, and it’s so freeing and healthy and right. Yeah. And then when you get free of that emotional bondage, it’s like you can stand out and scream off mountaintops. That’s for certain.
What Is Aroma Freedom Technique
Meg: Yeah, seriously. Okay, so let’s go into more what Aroma Freedom Technique is how it works, where it came from all of that.
Kristen: I know I mentioned a little bit of it in the beginning. So it is a technique developed by Dr. Benjamin Percuss. And he was an AFT, EMDR, psychologist for like 20-25 years. And he started using essential oils with his AFT practice and EMDR. And he was discovering that he was having more success with his patients because of the effects that oils have on the brain to access that part.
It’s scientifically proven that when you breathe in scent, it is one of the only things that can access trauma and negative emotions. And so when he was able to implement that into his practice, he saw drastic results with his patients. And then the more he used it, the more he started seeing people’s lives, transform and break free from things so quickly. He decided I need to get this out, maybe you just have to share it.
Like we just said, you have to get out there. And yeah, so he started sharing it and started a certification program to get it in the hands of practitioners who could also spread it far and wide. And that’s always been his mission is to help free as many people as he can and get into the hands of as many people as possible.
He wrote a book called The Aroma Freedom Technique. And it’s a 12 step process that basically walks people through, it’s super gentle and easy. And then you just follow these steps and use your oils. And it’s similar to a guided meditation, in a sense, that’s how I can contribute. You walk through and you it’s just, it’s something that I can’t really put into words how it works.
Sometimes I feel like it’s something higher, like something above like a god or whatever your beliefs are. And there’s no doubt to me that that’s what it is. It’s just powerful in that spiritual shift that happens, the emotional shift that happens, it’s profound. I don’t know if that explains, but that’s where it started. Okay. And your other question?
Our Subconscious Mind
Meg: Yes. So let’s go to those 12 steps. Obviously, Kristen was telling me before the show that a session takes around like over an hour, is that correct? Like a thorough session.
Kristen: Yeah, to do an Aroma Freedom Session, that’s about an hour. There’s also other techniques as well. So there’s the Aroma Freedom Technique, which is helping you move through anything that is keeping you stuck in life. So what happens in our life, like if we touch a hot stove, for example, your mind, your brain is going to say, don’t touch that stove again. And it’s going to prevent you from doing that. Okay, do not touch the hot stove, it’s filed in your memory. And that’s what keeps you safe.
So our subconscious mind, which is responsible for 98% of our actions, and what we do, and controls everything. These events get stored in your subconscious mind. And when you are able to release or rewrite that story in your subconscious mind. So let’s say if your story was the stove is hot, but you want to tell yourself, like let’s replace that now and say, I am successful, or let’s say you have a story or something happened to you where you are embarrassed. And it’s going to prevent you from putting yourself out there. Subconsciously, you’re going to look at people to your AFT and go, Well, they’re thriving, and they’re doing this and they’re following the same book.
It’s like if you were to read a book and I was to read a book, but my story is different from your story. Your chances of success are going to be a lot different than my chances of success because your mental story is different and it’s going to allow you to take the action whereas someone else may be trying to keep them safe or comfortable.
Breaking Down Your Subconscious Stories
What AFT does is it helps you identify those stories, and then break them down and lessen the charge so that they no longer have a hold on you. And they’re no longer keeping you hostage. There’s just so much. Yeah, truly mind blowing, and it’s so freeing and it’s such a gift. You can apply it to everything in your life and your marriage.
I had things with my marriage that I was subconsciously seeing. I was not aware but we were having a really hard time. I did an AFT session on it and just to be transparent, like there’s an AFT you can rate something on a scale of zero to 10. How possible does it feel for you. The session that I wanted to do with my husband was my intention was I love my husband. And I was gonna be straight up yeah, so my intention was I love my husband. But when I rated how true or possible that was for me in that moment, because I really wanted to love Him and have a good relationship with him. But it was a negativ. I was not where I wanted to ship them off to another free I don’t want nothing to do with him.
So I did my session on that goal. And I was blown away by what came up for me. I was on my knees just like sobbing. I can’t believe that this is what I was carrying. And there was basically an image of my life from my childhood. My mom – so certain things that had happened in our life – but she always had this story of men or she used a profound like a four letter word. So, her profanity was it subconsciously, that was the story that I held on to and I said, Okay, men are the four letter word.
Even though I didn’t want to believe that in my heart, subconsciously, that was my truth. And so I would do things that were causing him to show up for me as that four letter word, because that was my reality. And that was my truth. Once I was able to see that and let that go, I have goosebumps just talking about it right now. But it transformed everything, it transformed my whole marriage, my life. And that thought of no matter where you are, no matter where you go, there you are.
So we think Oh, that person’s got to change or this job has got to change, or maybe it’s just not, when ultimately, it’s usually us. There’s any programming or thought, or way that we’re showing up that is reflecting outwardly.
Meg: Wow, that that’s not even my story. And I had chills that I was like, don’t cry on the podcast. But that is beautiful. There’s been times when I’m learning about oils, and I’m Okay, this is like a woowoo. But just hang with us if you’re feeling that way, because we’re going to get into the science more later. But that is just such a beautiful story. So we’re not going to do a full AFT session today. But could you just touch on? What so when people think well, what are these 12 steps? Can you list them out, this is how it works just so they can get a good picture of what a session would look like?
12 Steps Of An AFT Session
Sure, absolutely. Um, so there’s, I went off on a whole tangent, and I’m so sorry. But the the AFT technique, there’s the AFT, which is the main. And then there’s a boost if they want to something like a quick procrastination to get through. Those are all separate, but the main AFT I can share with you how to go through those.
There’s also a technique that you could do to curb cravings. So if you’re feeling like you have a craving that you want to get through or you’re struggling with, it’s usually always it’s always tied to emotion or subconscious belief that we usually end up using any vise for.
And then there’s also a trauma. So it’s called TMRT, which is trauma and memory release. And that is for if you have any traumatic event in your life, or something that when you think about it, it brings up a lot of strong emotion that you’re having a hard time processing or moving through, it’s keeping you a little almost paralyzed. You can do that. So that is a separate one.
But for the Aroma Freedom Technique, that one is specifically, like I was saying if there’s any blocks or things that are preventing you from showing up or having the life that you want to have, and rewiring that subconscious so the first thing that you’re going to want to do is you’re gonna want to get really like anything in life, you’re gonna want it really clear on what’s your intention. So who do you want to be today? Right now in this moment, even if it seems completely impossible.
Ideally, you want to grab something that feels impossible or feels very far fetched, because you want to identify why it is that that feels so far away from me? Why does it feel so far away that you can’t be successful or that you can’t have a good relationship or that you can’t be healthy or stick to your goals or have good habits. And when you get to identify why that is in your heart, then you can free and let it go.
So the first one is, you would say it in a first person as if it’s happening now. So let’s use my husband as an example in that story I gave, but I have a loving relationship, or I love so and so or I am in a healthy relationship, or I make such and such money by such and such date. You’re saying it, I am as if it’s happening right now. What that does is it tells your subconscious where you want it to go.
Taking The Leap Towards Happiness
The second step is you’re going to, you’re going to first use your intention of what you want, and then you’re going to read it. How true or possible does that feel on a scale of zero to 10? And you want it to be something that’s a five or below. And if you’re in between a five and an eight, that’s absolutely fine. But you want it to be something that feels not absolutely impossible, like you don’t want to say okay, I make a million dollars by tomorrow, right? Somewhat realistic.
But you also want it to feel very far fetched to somebody that brings up an emotion in you where you feel some butterfly or nervousness or anxiety when you think about something that makes you a little nervous, something that scares you. We all have those things that scare us, right that we want to take the leap and just like leap and the net will appear Well, what’s that thing that you want to take the leap on? What’s that thing that gives you butterflies?
The butterflies are the indication of changes that are just scary for us. There was someone who said something about, we’re not hardwired to be happy, we’re hardwired to be comfortable. And so we will keep doing things that make us stay comfortable or safe opposed to the thing that’s actually gonna make us happy, which is leaping and putting yourself out there. So what he does is it helps you take the leap, take the charge off.
Yeah. So that second step, how true possible is it for you now? And then you’re going to identify the thought. So when you say okay, it’s about maybe a two or three. So for me, mine was a negative two, why is it a negative two? And then I think it was like a third or fourth round with my husband that that phrase came up that I used to always hear my mom say. The four letter word, but it was actually a longer word. It was like a word with the hole at the end. So that was the thought that came up as to why I had a bad relationship.
Yeah, and you learn to trust your intuitive thoughts. So you’re going with that very first thought or emotion, the thought that comes up as to why it’s not possible. And and then once you go with that, then you identify how it makes you feel. So when I say that he’s a jerk, it made me feel really angry, or sad, or wherever it is. And then you identify where you’re feeling that in your body.
So it’s really helping you connect mind, body, spirit . Everything’s connected. It brings you right here in the center grounded. And then once you’ve identified where you’re feeling it, the thought how you’re feeling about it, you’re going to drift back, right in that moment to an earlier time where you felt this exact same way. So where did you feel that emotion? And where did you feel that sensation in your body and you want to go to that first memory. For whatever reason you’re there and you go to that memory or if something comes up sometimes the memory won’t come up, sometimes it will.
But for the most part a memory or a series of memories will come up and then you put a drop of essential oils. Typically you want to do the Frankincense, Stress Away, and Lavender. Those are the memory release blends from Dr. Benjamin purpose. And you’d put those in your palm cup your hands over your nose in your mouth. And then you just breathe in. Like you just breathe into that emotion you breathe into the thought and then you and then you just let it happen.
Finding Intuitive Healing With AFT
It’s very bizarre but your mind starts either bringing up other memories and or you may feel your emotions start to intensify. You might feel sad, you might feel angry, whatever it is, but you’re basically purging whatever your body has been holding on to or storing, so that you can break free from it. And so it no longer has a hold on you anymore.
Oftentimes, you will see images or memories, or whatever, and you’ll get some insights. So for me, for example, I went through a lot of memories as a child. What it brought me to when I was breathing in it just subconsciously, my mind knew where to take me. It’s almost like giving your subconscious, like little army people, and you give it the oil and you tell it the emotion, you tell where you feel it and it goes, Okay, I know where to find that in the file cabinet. Back to these old memories, and then you breathe in, and it just lessens the charge.
But as you see them, you’re given there’s some insights that happen, intuitive thoughts that happen and inner knowings that happen that you can’t ever really get to even in a talking to somebody and that’s why I think for me therapy, sometimes, this is not to replace therapy in any way, shape, or form. But I do feel that there’s things that we intuitively know and healing that would contribute intuitively can happen on our own without being told something from somebody else. So it helps us really connect to our own truth in those steps.
And then once you So anyways, there’s, there’s a series of steps that you get guided through in a session. And once you’ve identified those experienced it, and then you breathe in until you feel the memory is gone as far as it can go. Then you check in again, and you say, Okay, now where am I on the scale of zero to 10? How possible does this feel. And then if it’s if it’s not close to an eight or above, you can do another round. And you just keep doing it until it’s until you’re like an eight or nine or 10. And that thing that felt like it was a negative zero, or one or two, now feels extremely possible, and you feel on fire and you feel free and liberated and you’re Oh my gosh, like how did I not feel like I could do this. But now I feel like I can I can do this today.
Meg: Right? That is oh my gosh, it is so cool. I actually bought the AFT book a couple of years ago. And it had the 12 steps and the back. And I took an empty lavender bottle and ripped the label off and just mixed equal parts Stress Away, Lavender and Frankincense for the memory release blend. And the smell you guys, like if you’ve never made it is hard to explain. But I brought it with me to a therapy session of my own. And I would put it on beforehand. And prior to, we didn’t do an AFT session or anything. But I thought it was very interesting that prior to doing that, I would come in with – I want her to like me, and I don’t want her to think I’m crazy. So I just oh, everything’s fine. And when I would put that on, it would not only allow me to let me calm down. But also allow my subconscious to even let things come up, you know. So that’s like a side tangent. But I just don’t want people listening thinking like this is so we will but like were these essential oils that you’re using this whole time, right? So people during these 12 steps, they’ll be using oils along with setting the intention, right?
Using Oils & Setting An Intention
Kristen: Yeah, so you use the oils, you breathe them in each round. You can initially if you’re having a hard time deciding what it is that you want, you can use a Clarity oil or any other oil and just put your hand on your heart and one hand on your belly or a cup of hand over your nose in your mouth with the hand on your belly. And then breathe in and just get still and when we get still the oils do help us find our truth and what we what our hearts really are wanting.
Meg: Yeah. Okay, so this is a perfect transition to talk about the science behind a AFT. Can you get into how it works?
The Science Behind AFT
Kristen: The how of it feels like it’s one of those things you can’t really describe how. But the science of it. There was a study done at New York University where they discovered that the only thing that can access the amygdala, the part of the brain where negative emotions and memories are stored, is through our sense of smell. So just like when your grandmother, someone in your life bakes cookies that are always a certain smell, you always know that a smell comes up and it reminds you of somebody or something or brings you back. Smell is very, very powerful. And it’s very deeply connected to emotion.
Whenever you do smell something that smells familiar, there usually is an emotion that’s attached to it. Yeah, as it is accessed in the part of the brain, where your fight or flight is. Basically where your fight or flight mechanism is stored. So that’s where it is. What controls our subconscious mind, which then controls our actions or how we show up in the world.
So the science in terms of anything further than that, that’s pretty much how that is. It helps to identify what you’re feeling, and then release them. There’s a lot of books on essential oils and emotions and how our emotions have memory, our body has memory. And a lot of times, if we’re not able to process emotion, we will store it in our body. So they say a lot of times, there’s problems with the liver, it’s a lot of anger, or certain things. If you’re sick or ill in some way, usually it’s attached to some unresolved emotion. And if you can let that go or process it, there’s just a lot of freedom that happens. I don’t know why this is the way it is. But it’s just been shown over and over and time and time again, whenever you’re able to identify and let go.
Letting Clients Connect With Their Truth On Their Own
Health happens. Healing happens. Freedom, emotional, psychological, it’s why we go to therapy, all of it. But what I love about it is that it’s not talk therapy. When I do a session with my clients. They’ll be sharing stuff with me, but I’m not a therapist. So I don’t give any input back. I don’t say okay, well, what about this in your life. I let them just go through the process themselves. And it’s amazing what comes up, like the insight in it and stuff that I wanted to say, but as a practitioner, I can’t say, because I have to let them guide. I have to let them discover this on their own. Right. And when they say it, it’s oh my gosh, like I so wanted to say I so wanted to show you and tell you like you’re probably stuck here. But they came to that conclusion. And so it’s just really it’s really just powerful. It’s just so powerful letting people see their power and get connected with their truth and who they are.
I don’t know if it’s the answer. I’m not a science minded person. I’m definitely more the art brain type. But like that, to me, when I read how our sense of smell is the only sense that can access where our trauma is stored just blows my mind. The fact that our subconscious is formed, I think by age six, right?
Meg: I believe so. Yeah. Sometimes seven a year, sometimes six. But yeah. So I think if we just go back and picture literally, ourselves that six and seven, like that’s who’s pretty much dictating our lives? Because what did what was the percentage, you said that like our subconscious controls, it’s usually about 95 to 98%.
So the rest of it, we’re unconscious of what we’re doing, which is mind blowing. Every time I think of that, it really is so crazy. So just smelling?
Kristen: Yeah, just smelling an essential oil.
Meg: The fact that it’s not just Oh, that smells good. But it’s truly like accessing parts in your brain that without taking that breath you might not be able to reach is so profound to me I’m just oh my gosh.
Kristen: Yeah. It’s one of those things that can essentially be one of the very few things that can pass the blood brain barrier in your mind and your brain. I’m sure people listening may have heard but that one drop of essential oil reaches every cell in your body within 20 minutes.
Meg: Yeah, there’s something like I think it’s 4 million. I’m gonna mess up the numbers. There’s some insane amount of molecules in one drop of essential oil. So supposedly, one drop of essential oil can fill every cell in your body by 40 million or something molecule. I have heard something crazy, an insane number that’s like a grain of sand. Anyways, but how quickly they disperse and how much they affect and our body absorbs, right?
Kristen: Yeah, I had heard that before that.
Meg: Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. Um, yeah, I’m like stuck on that that is so cool. The exact number I should have saved. I read it the other day. And I was Whoa, that’s crazy.
Kristen: I know, I’m so bad at retaining numbers.
Meg: I’m always just this really high percentage or this big number. I’m so bad at retaining those. But I’m sure it’s something that people could look up to find right. How would you advise?
Kristen: Yeah, I remember what book it was. I was reading. I don’t know. But I was reading . I have all these books that I have. Yeah.
Meg: Okay, so you were saying that you do sessions with people? Can you talk about what it means to be an Aroma Freedom Technique Practitioner?
Holding Space For Her Clients Online
Yes. So I do one on one sessions. And then I also have an online community. It’s a membership community where people – it was weird. One day, I was just doing yoga. And I was thinking how can I get this because I truly feel this has the power to impact the world and change us all on a cellular level. And just have a trickle effect of such goodness when we heal ourselves, we heal those around us. And I was doing yoga one day, and I just had this phone. How can I get this out to people?
And then this thought, why don’t you just put it online? Why don’t you just make it like a guided meditation so that someone can just jump on whenever they need to? It’s so frustrating. When you need to do a session, you’re Oh, I have to book something. And then it’s gonna be a week away, and I need it now. Like I’m stuck. Right now. I’m feeling procrastination right now. I’m feeling overwhelmed. Right now, that’s not gonna help me next week.
So I created this online platform where everything is audio recorded. Anyone can just come in and plug and play and listen to an audio session to take them through either a booster trauma session and a craving session, and a full aroma freedom session. And then we meet Live Twice a month, and we will do an aroma freedom session live once a month, and then a trauma session live as a group once a month. And then I also do one on one sessions. And the sessions are usually an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the client and what people want to work on.
But what I love about it is that, like I said, is just guiding people through the steps and holding space for them and helping them implement the technique because it is sometimes trying to do it on your own, you get your mind, or it’s just sometimes it’s not for me, I personally, I have someone that I work with every week, and we meet and we do sessions together when I try to do one myself. It’s helpful, but for some reason I don’t have the breakthrough I had with somebody else. Yeah, like guiding me through it.
So I basically just hold space for people, and I just let them go through and uncover what they need to uncover. And it’s beautiful. My old ways of wanting to put my input in or say this, I don’t have to do that. I don’t get to do that anymore. And it’s freeing.
Meg: Yeah, I’m sure that’s so beautiful to be a part of the other end. And you’re really a guide, right? It is.
Helping Clients Find Freedom & Connection Again
Kristen: I mean, I pinch myself. there’s times where I ended a session and then just crying in gratitude. How do I get to do this? People, it’s just blowing my mind.
It’s amazing. Yeah, I had a mom who I was doing a session with and she would wake up every morning and she dreaded getting up. She’s like I hate being alone. I just, I hate to say that I hate being a mom. But I hate being a mom. I feel overwhelmed by it. I feel like I’m not good at it. And we did three sessions. And she is amazing. She’s like I love being a mom. Now I can even wrap my head around how this is even happening. Like I get up. And I have so much excitement about the day and I’m pregnant with my kids and I snuggle them and we do something cheese bakes with them. And I’m this is what life’s about right here.
Letting people experience this and find freedom and connection. It’s what we all need and want right? What I find so beautiful about that is it’s not some magic potion. It’s finding things within yourselves or within ourselves to just unlock. Things that are already there. I think that’s like what is so beautiful to me is it’s not as woowoo as it might sound to someone because it’s like it’s all within you. You just have to have these tools to unlock it. That’s, like beautiful and hopeful right? Yeah. Thinking that we are taught that it’s outside of us. And we all are taught that you have to strive or we’re meeting something or show up differently or figure it out, when really all we have to do a lot of times is just let go.
Meg: Yeah, tell a different story. Like believe something different right. So what is like your goal or hope for people when they do a session with you?
Kristen: My goal is, every time it’s just that they experience some freedom, and they leave feeling empowered, they leave feeling lighter. Which always happens and it just makes me so giddy. You just want to do a happy dance, you know?
But yeah just that they feel empowered to start showing up as a person they really want to be. We all have these dreams on our hearts and things that are written on our hearts for a reason. And we’re all capable of achieving those things and showing up as that person. And I just want everyone to believe and know that they can. There’s nothing standing in your way. There’s nothing other than that abusive voice in your head that tells us otherwise, because that’s the only thing. There’s that story of which wolf do you feed? Or something, but the one that, oh my gosh, I’m totally butchering it. Which one wins? which wolf wins? There was like a good Wolf and a bad wolf. And which is the one that’s gonna win. It’s the one you feed or something.
Oh, okay. Yeah, I heard that. There’s a story. I’m here. With all my whatever. It’s a great story. My wife always tell it to me, but it is just, it’s whatever you choose to believe about yourself?
Who Benefits From AFT Sessions
Meg: Yeah. So your coaching business and online community is called Finding Freedom. And I think What a perfect name seriously you crushed it. I’m sure that’s what people experience with these sessions is freedom. So that’s so perfect. Who would benefit, besides literally everyone, but if no one’s listening and thinking, is this for me? How would they know? Um,
Kristen:I mean, you’d have to just try and see. I truly don’t know anyone that it wouldn’t benefit. But someone who believes that they want to start showing up differently. And they love their life where they want to, they have big things on their heart that they are feeling stuck on or resistance towards, if they someone who is maybe struggling in their personal relationships, or finances. And someone who just, I don’t know, I don’t want to call them dreamers. Because you’re not really a dreamer. You have these dreams and these wishes on your heart. People that just want to start showing up differently that want to make an impact in the world that want to show up as their best version of themselves.
Meg: Yeah, that’s so good. I feel like it literally is everyone because we all have these struggles, or these beliefs that we think are real, because our subconscious is telling us so.
Being Willing To Find Healing Through AFT
Kristen: But I will say that, um it does take a certain person to want to, because some people feel Oh, it’s okay, I’m good. I have it all. Some people do. I’m not saying that some people don’t. But I think there is sometimes a resistance. And I think that there is a willingness that is needed. Because it isn’t easy. It isn’t easy to address some of these hurts and things but the good thing about it with the oils. What I love so much is that when you go through it, you go through a session but you come out the other side of the session. It’s not a lot of time in therapy or even in my 12 step work, I would be feeling these emotions and dredging up all this stuff for like months and months at a time and I was stuck in it.
Whereas with AFT you bring it up in a session, you clear it in a session and you’re free from it in this session. We’re not having to drag it out forever. So it’s just quicker. It’s like a band aid. Yeah. I will say that you want to keep showing up and working. It’s not overnight, you know these things, you acquire these stories and these habits in your life over a lifetime. So you want to show up just like you would exercise or eating healthy or anything like that keeping your emotional life in check, and just checking in with yourself regularly is super important. But there has to be a willingness, I guess, is what I’m trying to say.
Meg: Yeah, I could see that for sure. You reminded me of the self help and self care and doing inner work. It’s a good thing, I don’t want to say popular, but I feel like it’s popular right now. It is a good thing that it’s being focused on. But I also don’t love it being trendy. Oh, it’s fun. Because I loved what you said, it is hard. It’s not this like fun, I’m gonna work through my trauma. It’s hard.
I wouldn’t even say I did an AFT session, because I just was like holding my book in a notebook and was like, What am I even doing? But even just by myself with the book, probably doing it half wrong. I was crying. So I can’t imagine doing it with a professional practitioner who like can really guide me.
I like that you said it is hard. It’s work. It’s not just like this fun, sprinkle some oils on yourself. And you’re fine. But the stuff on the outside, like the outcome is so worth it.
Kristen: And you get to a point where you’re you. If I don’t do a session each week, I’m like, Oh, my gosh, I need a session. You start feeling the difference of what it feels like to be free of that stuff.
What To Expect In An AFT Session
Meg: Yeah, so true. Okay, so what can people like expect to happen? Come up following their first session, whether it’s like a ton of emotion or what if people feel nothing? Or does that not happen?
Kristen: Yeah, absolutely. It all happens. So one of the emotions are things that happen. And this happened to me in sessions, my first session, I will say, I was a hot mess. I had literal snot, you know? I was not pretty. And afterwards, I will say that I felt exhausted. And I thought, how do people do this? People actually want to do this? And how do you come back next week and do this every week, this is too much.
This was honestly after years, 20 years of 12 step program and therapy, and I still had this stuff that I had to purge. And I had no idea. I felt that I was past it all. But after that first session, I’ve never had a session session like that, since. I have had emotional sessions, but nothing that took me out the way that first session did. So people could have something that’s very emotional and very heavy. But then there could be other other sessions where they feel numb, so they feel nothing. And I’ve had sessions like that as well, where I literally have no feeling because numb is actually a protection, a defense mechanism from things that are scary or overwhelming or feel too big.
So there’s a whole range of how you can feel. Everything from nothing to a ton. I would recommend people just keep going and try six sessions three to six times even if you’re doing it on your own. Listening, reading the book or however you want to do it. But what happens is when you start letting go of all these things, even carrying around. You’ll have our baggage as soon as you start letting go of that baggage, you’re free and then you’re able to just have quicker sessions. A lot of sessions I hardly ever cry anymore. I don’t have stuff that really comes up or takes me out hardly ever. So over time it gets less and less and that’s not to say that you won’t have a big session like emotional session again down the road but for the most part you can expect honestly the gamut.
Meg: Wow. So interesting. Okay, so let’s talk a little bit about the one blend that you use during a session which was the Memory Release Sprint blend of Frankincense, Stress way and Lavender, what other oils are used throughout the AFT sessions?
Oils Used In AFT Sessions
Kristen: Yeah, so the first one was a Memory Release that you mentioned. An Inner Child, which is a Young Living blend. There’re so many beautiful oils. Citrusy and then Release is the other oil and there’s Transformation. I believe those are the main oils that he recommends. But then Trauma Life I swear by. TrumpS all my friend love some of the sessions a lot. Yeah, I use Highest Potential, I’ll use Rosemary sometimes. But any oil that you’re feeling drawn to.
When I did get trained through Dr. Benjamin Perkis, he did say you need to use Young Living oils. I know there are other brands out there as well, which his only disclaimer was it is that he can’t guarantee results from it.
Yeah just because he doesn’t know the quality or the purity and he doesn’t know the blend makeup. It is recommended to use those. But no one’s gonna hold anybody’s feet to the fire thing. Yeah, I would say have those blends.
Meg: Oh, my goodness, so my Inner Child I actually have here. And if you guys, the Young Living listeners out there, if you’ve never smelled Inner Child, it’s incredible. And when I first got it, I was wearing it like perfume. This was probably like two or three years ago. And someone in my life who I’m very close to I was Oh, you have to smell this oil. And she was like, it smells like feces. And I was like what? I think it smells like the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. How are we smelling the same thing? And she’s like, it smells like poop like a dirty diaper. And I was so confused.
I was just like, okay, she’s crazy. And then later that night, I realized she had a very, very traumatic childhood. And it just got me thinking all over again, about how essential oils and our sense of smell reaching where trauma is stored. How interesting that I smell these florals that make me really happy. And she’s smelling like something really traumatic. I just thought that that was so crazy to me. I’m sorry if I’m sharing a gross example. Sorry, but I just really feel like that shows that when you’re using pure, actual therapeutic grade oils, it’s not just Oh, that smells good. It is reaching our brain and doing different things to people with different experiences. I don’t know, I could talk for that.
Kristen: I know, it’s so true. It’s like that thing. They say if you hear it, I don’t know if everyone’s heard it. But that thing of if you smell an oil and you’re repulsed by it means you really need it. Mm hmm. And that happened to me a lot. When I first smelled Stress Away, it smells so good now, but when I first smelled Stress Away and Peace and Calming, I could not stand those oils again. For me. I love them now and I have a lot more peace and less stress in my life. So it’s interesting.
Meg: It really is. Okay, so we’re gonna do like a little mini reset, because we can’t, we were talking and we figured we shouldn’t do a whole AFT session on the podcast, because then we wouldn’t be able to talk about what it is and get the questions. But we’re gonna do a little reset. And so before we do that, can you just tell us, I know you’ve touched on it, but just what it is, what we would need to jump into it. I know a lot of people listen to podcasts, like while driving or so just set the tone of what would be needed for us to participate in this.
How To Prepare For An AFT Session
Kristen: Yeah, so definitely I would recommend to not be driving. So if you can maybe pause if you’re driving and come back and listen to it another time. If you wanted to somewhat breathe in or try it while you are but obviously don’t close your eyes. I don’t know how it would actually work without doing that though. So yeah, definitely while you’re driving, just pause and come back.
So this is a reset, this can be done in the middle of my kitchen with kids screaming all around, you know, noise going on. To get myself grounded and centered. It is helpful for if you’re feeling any feelings of overwhelm or some emotion that’s feeling a bit negative that you’re wanting to process or move through. I will say that this is something that’s typically done in between an Aroma Freedom Session or a Trauma and Memory Release Session. Almost like a refresher or just to keep you keep your energy up, keep your frequencies up, your mind, your heart, all that.
If you are doing a reset for the first time, you may experience strong emotion that you may want to go back and do an Aroma Freedom Session or a Trauma Session, if it feels like something that you’re not able to move through, but for the most part, we’re not going to bring up to create the other thing,
If you find yourself feeling a lot of emotion, try to get an AFT session or trauma session in to help you move through that. But this is going to help shift your energy and shift the emotion so that it doesn’t have such a strong charge.
Meg: I’m so excited. I’m nervous. But in a good way, in a good way.
Kristen: It’s actually really simple. This is a simple one. Don’t be nervous, okay. Nothing too crazy, I promise you, you won’t have snot and
Meg: I know I’m here with a microphone. I will say that it is good to have a notebook and Notepad or something nearby if you can just write whatever comes up for you if you want. If you have tissue, you can have them around. And that’s it, you would need Frankincense, Stressed Away and Lavender. And those are the only oils that we use for reset. If you don’t have Frankincense, Stressed Away, Lavender, you can grab any oil that you’re feeling drawn to any of the emotional animals like the blue and the purple oils. Or any oil that you have on hand. I will say though, please make sure that it is of a Young Living quality, not something that you’d get off of a store or something for that. There’s a lot of toxins in those and I don’t want your brain.
Meg: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, and this would be perfect to you guys. For listeners you can save a link to a podcast in the notes in your phone. And note the timestamp of when Kristen is doing this reset. Like she said she does this in the kitchen when her kids are being crazy. So you can if you save the link, you can just reference back when you need a reset. And maybe if you’re finding that you need it a lot to maybe do a session with her.
Kristen: I’ll give you the link if they want to. Are you putting in the notes or something? Definitely come back and reference this and it’s great. You’ll love it. It’s a great little tool to have. Yeah. Okay.
Reset Session
So the first thing you’re going to do is identify the situation or the thing that you’re thinking about that is causing you to feel a certain way. So if there’s a situation happening or something in your life right now that is causing overwhelm, or usually a negative emotion or thought.
So when you have that you don’t have to necessarily say it out loud or tell me you can just let me know when you have it.
Meg: I have it.
Kristen: Okay. So when you think of that, memory or thought, what is the emotion? Or how intense is it feeling for you, when you think of it on a scale of zero to 10?
Meg: I’m probably at a five but I feel like I’m at a five because I’m being recorded. So I feel like I’m putting up a wall a little bit. So yeah, it could feel more intense. Should I answer or no?
Kristen: Yeah, yeah, you answer. I’ll walk you through it. And then, if someone’s listening at home, just do the same thing. So okay. And
Meg: Yeah. Okay, that sounds good. Yeah, I feel it’s like a five, six around there. Okay. And so the key here too, is to go with that very first number that comes up and just trust your intuition. You can write that number down if you’re at home. Just so you can reference. You want to get that number down low so that that’ll just be our guide for you, or for whoever’s doing the session.
Okay, so now that you’ve identified how strong it’s feeling, now, can you identify what the emotion is? So when you think of the event or whatever you’re thinking about, what is that one word emotion and that comes up when you think of it
Meg: I would say fear.
Kristen: Okay, and where are you feeling that fear in your body?
Meg: Definitely like my belly.
Kirsten: Okay, good. And what if you’re listening at home? Sometimes people are Well, what do you mean by? Where do I feel it? That’s weird. And usually it’s like a tightness or a sensation, maybe even a tingling. Just sometimes you may need to close your eyes and just feel like where am I feeling sensation or tension in my body?
Okay, you’re feeling in your belly?
Meg: Yes.
Kristen: It could be in multiple places for those listening. So you could be in your belly or your wherever. So wherever you’re feeling it in your body. And then what is the thought that comes up? You don’t have to share it out loud if you don’t want to share it here, but just what is the thought coming up? As you think of that memory, and you can tell me whether you have it or if you want to share it?
Meg: Okay, I have it.
Kristen: Okay, good. So now you’re going to grab your Frankincense, Stress away, and Lavender, and then just put that in your palm, hold it there for a second, you’re going to just drift back to another time where you felt that same way. Okay.
Just go with that very first memory that comes up.
Meg: Okay, got it.
Kristen: Okay, so you’re gonna keep your hands up your nose and your mouth is gonna bring it in. And just breathing into that emotion. breathing into the sensation in your body, if you just keep your hands there, just closing your eyes. Just staying present. And just breathing into that, feeling that emotion. Okay, allowing any feelings or thoughts to come up if you need and we’re going to do is, you’re going to breathe in until you feel a shift or change in some way.
Meg: So feeling I can lessening?
Kristen: Like the charge is somewhat shifted in some way. Yeah.
Meg: I felt almost like an understanding, for lack of a better word.
Kristen: Yeah, okay. If you’re at home you may need more time, you may need less time, whatever you want to do, and just breathing in. And you want to just keep doing that a few more rounds. So you’re going to just think about the emotion or event that you are thinking about. What’s bringing up the emotion? And then when you think about it, how intense does that feel free now when you think of that?
Meg: I feel like it’s at a three, four around there. I feel like when I first said five, maybe I wasn’t like committing to the feeling, if that makes sense. And once I did, it definitely got more intense. So I definitely feel lighter and all of that even though it’s only at a four three, if that makes sense.
Kristen: Yeah. Sometimes your number will go up and it’ll feel more intense and then eventually it’ll go back down. And you just go with whatever’s coming up for you. So let’s do one more round. And I just realized when I did this with you that I had you pull up a memory but we’re not actually this one. A reset, we don’t pull up a memory. And I had you do the wrong thing.
Meg: Okay, okay.
Kristen: I was Oh, wait, we’re not, that’s an AFT that I just brought you do. I Alright, so Let’s do that. So let’s do it again. Okay, sorry.
Meg: You’re totally fine. That’s what I actually do love about live videos, you’re stuck like me up. And I love to be nope.
Kristen: Okay, now you’re going to put a drop in your hand, you’re going to breathe into that emotion and that sensation in your body until you feel it lessen. Okay, do you want to start there? Yeah. Should I say that? Okay, so um, okay, so you can grab your Frankincense, Stress Away and Lavender and then just put a drop in your palm. You already did that. Did you already put those Frankincense? Yes, we love your palm.
All right, so you’re gonna grab a drop of Frankincense, Stress Away and Lavender. And if you are doing this at home, like you’ve mentioned, you can put them in a premade roller and just do equal parts. So you can do 20 drops frankincense, 20 drops stress away 20 drops of lavender.
I put one of those roller filaments on and I just roll it around. But yeah, once you have that, you’re going to put in your palm. And then bring your hands up to your nose around. And then just breathe into that emotion. So you’re going to breathe into the feeling with your eyes closed. Just feeling, breathing into that sensation in your stomach, or wherever you’re feeling. And breathing into that thought that you had when you thought of the event.
Just staying present with your breath and just breathing in. just noticing any changes. You’re just gonna stay present with your breath until you feel a shift in some way.
What did you notice?
Meg: I felt lighter, almost. Yeah, it just feels, I want to say beautiful. But that’s not a feeling. But I just feel almost like seen and understood. Even if that’s by myself.
Kristen: Yeah it’s good. it lessens the charge of whatever. It takes the heaviness out of just latency does.
Meg: And I will say, I feel like with meditation, sometimes it’s so hard for me to focus with meditation. And I feel like with that reset that I can actually listen to what you were saying and stay on task to what you were saying and what you’re asking of me because of the central oils, like smelling them really grounded me into your words. It gives you an action to do right.
Kristen: Yeah. So let’s do another round for those at home if they want to replay this back. Okay. Where are you at now on a scale of one to 10? Remember 10 being this feeling or whatever you’re thinking about is feeling really intense and zero being not at all?
Meg: I would say three, four. Now, I feel even though I said a five, I do think the feeling is more like six, seven range. I think I just had a guard up being recorded, but I do feel an intense shift down to three, four range.
Kristen: Okay, good. All right. So let’s think about that image again, or that thought or whatever it is that’s causing you upset and then identify what the feeling is now. So when you think of it, how does it make you feel?
Meg: Should I tell you?
Kristen: Yeah, you just tell me okay.
Meg: I feel like now it’s almost like content.
Kristen: Okay, so you’re feeling good. You don’t have a negative feeling when you think of it.
Meg:Yeah, it’s more like content. There is still a little fear.
Kristen: But okay, so then let’s go with that. We want to get anything that’s keeping us at a three or five, not Oh, I feel totally fine. I’m good. Go with that thing. So if it’s fear again, that’s absolutely fine. Okay, we’ll stick with that. And just again, trusting that first emotion for whoever’s at home listening, and just go with that very first emotion that comes up, even if it seems unrelated.
Okay. So then, now that you have that fear identified, again, just checking in again, it may still be in your stomach, it may not, but just do a quick inventory and see where you’re feeling fear in your body.
Meg: I feel like now it’s in my chest for me.
Kristen: So now you’re going to grab your Frankincense, Stress Away and Lavender again, or any oil that you’re feeling drawn to. If you want to do that you’re welcome to play around.
Meg: And if people don’t have all three, let’s say they just have two, just use the one or two that they have?
Kristen: You can definitely play around and try and see how it works. I definitely recommend it to use the blend. If you can. Yeah, by all means, if you have just the one don’t not do it because you just have that one. It will still help you.
Okay, so you’re gonna breathe in. Again, just closing your eyes and just letting yourself just breathe into that emotion. checking in with yourself breathing into your chest, or wherever you’re feeling the emotion now. breathing into the thought that’s coming up as you think of the upsetting event or whatever is on your heart and mind. To stay present to it, and just noticing what’s coming up for you almost like watching clouds float by or watching a movie, you’re just going to observe and notice. Keep breathing in until you feel a shift or change in intensity in some way.
Meg: Wow. Yeah, I feel like for me, it’s like moving up my body.
Kristen: It’s good, too. It really grounds us and gets us present in our body. So it’s good that you’re able to identify. Sometimes it’s a little tricky. So if you’re at home listening, sometimes it can be that we are programmed sometimes to be so disconnected from our emotions and so disconnected from our bodies, that it can be hard for some to identify the feelings. But I promise you, the more you keep trying and keep coming back to this, eventually you’ll be able to identify and be okay, I feel this here. I’m feeling this emotion. And men sometimes have a harder time because I feel like they were conditioned a little bit more to not feel so much so this is a little easier for it. But keep practicing and I love how intuitive you already are. Which you know. But for someone at home they may be struggling and that’s okay.
Meg: Yeah. Yeah, definitely don’t feel like you’re doing it wrong or anything.
Kristen: You’re not feeling it. So first of all, thank you for that. That was your so are you feeling now so we did that and how do you feel when you picture the image? Do you feel a charge at all?
Meg: Yeah, definitely way more content where before it was ooh, I don’t want to even want to go there type thing. So definitely more content and almost like I have more control over the situation or my feelings or something good.
It was weird to go from my stomach to my chest and then almost I could feel it in my throat almost. And I will say for people listening. I’ve tried to do that. Feel it in your body before and I struggled with that the first time so I just Yeah, I don’t want my having it come easy to me to find the physical part. Sometimes that is hard.
Kristen: So I just wanted to say that clarity oil I will say is helpful with that as well. Okay are feeling struggle or stuck a drop of clarity and just checking in sometimes can help as well. Even knowing that numbness is a feeling and feeling nothing numb is an emotion. So, breathe just breathe into that and just breathe into I’m feeling closed off and feeling numb, I’m feeling disconnected. And then the oils will help you process how you can break through that barrier.
Meg: Wow. Okay, so how can people like get a session with you? How can they get into Finding Freedom, your community group? Tell us like all the details on that?
Kristen: My website is KristenMaple.com so they can contact me there for one on one sessions. I also have a link there to my finding freedom membership where they can join the community and do live sessions with me twice a month and then listen to the audios every day if you’d like. And I’m happy to share a link for you if you want to put it in the notes. I’’m on Instagram at Grayson farm and on YouTube as Kristen Maple
Meg: Okay, so let’s do some rapid fire before we hop off unrelated to our topic so rapid fire. What is your enneagram number?
Kristen: I’m a seven. I’m a six aren’t you?
Meg: Yes. Yeah, it’s mind blowing to learn. And like oh my gosh, that’s why I do that.And I feel like this Like this crazy person when I meet someone who hasn’t who doesn’t know their enneagram I feel like I need to like hold myself back because I’m just oh, you have to learn and I just I just feel like Okay, calm down so you don’t but it is so good.
Kristen: It’s helpful in your relationships to to understand the person and my husband’s like Oh, now I understand why you’re like yeah okay,
Meg: I wish fill in the blank for this one I wish I could tell my younger self blank
Kristen: I wish I can tell my younger self to just not worry so much about the outside and what people think or know that I have is enough you know yes that I had all it takes that I have everything I need to you know we do we have it all in us each and every one of us has everything that we need to we’re already enough as we are right now. No need to add anything more.
Meg: So good if you’re listening and you are not your younger self, but your current self needs that I hope you take it Okay, what is your late night Guilty Pleasures?
Kristen: Okay, well, I have to say last night before I was very strange. I don’t normally do a huge stacker before at night but I love and I grew chips I don’t know what it is like the Trader Joe’s vinegar chips like potato vinegar and salt. But my all time guilty pleasure is honey. Mama’s girl cute. I haven’t
Meg: What is that?
Kristen: Gosh, they are so good. It’slike a sweet, chocolatey. Just goodness, but it’s all healthy. So there’s coconut almond dates and honey. And I think that’s about it. Maybe him Yeah, and that’s it, but it tastes like the best cake fudge. I only need a small little bit and you’re satisfied. Yeah. satiable craving that sugar thing that happens when you eat sugar. It’s just my husband bought me I think about 12 of them for my birthday. They love honey mamas.
Meg: I’m gonna have to look this up.
Kristen: Yes, God, you can only get them online or certain health food stores but they are able to change your life.
Meg: Oh, okay. It’s amazing. Well, thank you so much. This has been so good and I like essential oils have always been so interesting to me. But this was like a home run. Just some plants are so rad. So thank you for doing the work that you’re doing and for coming on the show. And you guys I will put Kristen’s link to her website and how to get in touch with her to have a session or her community group right in the show notes for you. But so thank you so much for being here.
Kristen: Oh, thank you for having me on. And thank you for sharing this with people because just getting this out there. It’s just doing such a beautiful work and I can’t wait to I just I love the thought of lives being transformed and changed with these beautiful gifts that we all have right at our fingertips. And yeah, it’s going to open up a whole new world for people so I’m excited to share it and people know about it now. Yes. Thank you
