How Aromatherapy Can Aid Grief: Healing Through Scent

How Aromatherapy Can Aid Grief: Healing Through Scent

Grief is a deeply personal journey that affects the mind, body, and spirit. Whether you are mourning the loss of a loved one, navigating anticipatory grief, or processing collective loss, emotional support practices can make a meaningful difference.

Aromatherapy for grief is one such practice—using therapeutic essential oils to create moments of comfort, grounding, and gentle emotional release.

At Moongazer Ceremonies, we integrate aromatherapy into grief rituals, remembrance ceremonies, and healing workshops, including collaborative experiences with Neal’s Yard Remedies, known for their ethically sourced, high-quality essential oils.

In this guide, we explore how aromatherapy supports grief, the best essential oils for emotional healing, and ways to incorporate scent into your personal or ceremonial practice.

Why Aromatherapy Helps with Grief

Our sense of smell is directly connected to the limbic system—the part of the brain responsible for memory, emotion, and nervous system regulation. This is why scent can instantly evoke feelings, memories, or a sense of presence.

When used intentionally, aromatherapy can support:

• Emotional regulation during intense grief waves
• Nervous system calming and anxiety reduction
• Sleep support and relaxation
• Grounding during dissociation or overwhelm
• Ritual and remembrance practices

Rather than “curing” grief, essential oils provide sensory comfort—helping you feel held while processing loss.

Essential Oils for Grief and Emotional Healing

Below are some of the most supportive essential oils used in grief aromatherapy, many of which we work with in Moongazer Ceremonies workshops alongside Neal’s Yard Remedies products.

Lavender — Calming & Sleep Support

Lavender is widely known for its soothing properties. It can ease anxiety, quiet mental restlessness, and support restorative sleep—often disrupted during bereavement.

Best uses:

• Bedtime diffusers
• Pillow mists
• Grief support baths
• 
  

Frankincense — Spiritual Comfort & Reflection

Used historically in mourning rites and sacred ceremonies, Frankincense supports deep breathing, meditation, and emotional processing.

In Moongazer Ceremonies, it is often used in remembrance rituals and candle ceremonies.

Best uses:

• Meditation practices
• Memorial altars
• Breathwork sessions

Rose — Heart Healing & Compassion

Rose oil is strongly connected to the emotional heart. It encourages softness, compassion, and the release of stored sorrow.

It is frequently incorporated into self-love rituals and grief workshops with Neal’s Yard.

Best uses:

• Anointing oils
• Heart-centred meditations
• Self-care ceremonies

Bergamot — Light in Heavy Moments

Bergamot offers gentle uplift without overstimulation. It can help ease depressive feelings and restore emotional balance during prolonged grief.

Best uses:

• Morning diffuser blends
• Mood support inhalers
• Emotional reset rituals

Sandalwood — Grounding & Nervous System Support

Sandalwood’s warm, woody aroma helps anchor the body during emotional overwhelm. It is especially supportive when grief feels destabilising.

Best uses:

• Grounding meditations
• Journaling rituals
• Evening wind-down routines

Aromatherapy Rituals for Grief

In both personal practice and Moongazer Ceremonies workshops, aromatherapy becomes most powerful when woven into ritual.

Here are accessible ways to begin:

Remembrance Ceremonies & Scent

At Moongazer Ceremonies, aromatherapy is often woven into:

• Grief circles
• Full moon remembrance ceremonies
• Ancestral healing rituals
• Funeral and memorial support services

Scent becomes a bridge—connecting memory, presence, and honouring.

Participants may choose oils that remind them of their loved one or create new ceremonial blends symbolising release and love.

Workshops with Neal’s Yard Remedies

We are proud to incorporate Neal’s Yard Remedies essential oils into our grief and healing workshops.

These sessions explore:

• Aromatherapy for bereavement
• Blending personal grief oils
• Ritual creation using scent
• Nervous system regulation techniques
• Seasonal and lunar grief practices

Neal’s Yard’s commitment to ethical sourcing and therapeutic quality ensures participants experience aromatherapy safely and effectively.

Workshops are suitable for:

• Individuals navigating loss
• Therapists and doulas
• Funeral professionals
• Holistic practitioners
• Anyone called to grief work

Safety Guidelines for Aromatherapy

For safe use:

• Always dilute essential oils before skin application
• Use carrier oils (jojoba, almond, coconut)
• Patch test before use
• Avoid eye contact
• Seek medical guidance if pregnant or under care

Aromatherapy complements grief support but does not replace counselling, therapy, or medical care when needed.

Final Thoughts: Scent as a Companion in Grief

Grief is not something to “move on” from—but something we learn to carry differently.

Aromatherapy offers gentle companionship along the way:

• A breath when emotions tighten
• A moment of calm before sleep
• A ritual of remembrance
• A sensory connection to love that remains

Through our work at Moongazer Ceremonies, and in collaboration with Neal’s Yard Remedies, we witness how scent can open spaces for healing, reflection, and transformation.

If you are navigating loss, may you find softness, support, and sacred pause in the power of aroma.