Re-Connecting: Working with Essential Oils within the Autism Spectrum

With Internationally renowned teacher: Jonathan Benavides (The Netherlands)

 

Autism is not a disease but a spectrum condition that needs to be understood, accepted and seen in real perspective. There are highly effective treatment and intervention methods available (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) that can help individuals with autism and their families to cope and address the symptoms and characteristics of this disorder.

Different interventions have been developed to help children and adults with autism, and this re-connecting technique, using aromatherapy, is one of them.

As autism is for life, the autistic signs in all stages, early childhood, middle childhood, teenagers and adulthood are different and as such, the use of aromatherapy must be not only personalized but adjusted to the life phase wherein the individual is at so that we can be able to support them, in their own right, in living a fulfilling life at home and immersed in society.

People with autism share common traits and symptoms but they are all different in their strengths and weaknesses and they have their own way to connect with their environment. In my opinion we don’t need to try to make them less autistic or even try to make them behave as non-autistic because autism is, especially for teenagers and adults with autism a fundamental part of their identity and we need and can support them in different levels.

Aromatherapy can be a wonderful way to support their development helping them to connect and re-connect with themselves and with their parents, siblings, family and others.

Themes we will be looking at include:

In these 2-full days course we will see

 

Theoretical Approach

  • What is ASD (autism syndrome disorder)
  • Different types of ASD
  • Causes and symptoms
  • ASD associated comorbidities
  • Essential oils and stimming
  • A typical autistic day
  • Being a parent of a child with autism
  • Being a child with a parent with autism
  • Supporting the family
  • Connecting and re-connecting in different levels
  • Aromatic interventions for baby and toddler with autism
  • Aromatic interventions for children, adolescents, and adults with autism
 
 
 

 

Methods used

  • Touch techniques
  • Aromatherapy components
  • Essential Oils for ASD
  • Blending for autism

 

Protocols and current safety requirements for:

  • Different ages and applications at home and private practice
  • Safety, precautions and contraindications

 

Practical demonstrations include:

  • Re-connecting techniques
  • Blending
  • Touching and massage

 

 

 

 

Who is this course for?

 

This course is for any health care professional, aromatherapist, medical personnel, health care student, parent, carer or anyone interested in learning to help cope with autism using aromatherapy within a health care environment, home care or private practice.

 

  • Aromatherapists
  • Massage Therapists
  • Acupuncturists
  • Social Workers
  • Psychologists
  • Mental Health Workers
  • and Individuals 

 

 

 

Meet Your Instructor: Jonathan Benavides

 

 

 

Before becoming a clinical aromatherapist Jonathan studied psychology and specialised in autism and communication disorders where, working at the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Child Psychology (Leiden University, The Netherlands) in vertical groups with an emphasis on short diagnosis and treatment of autistic children and children with developmental problems between 5-18 years of age, he got first in touch with aromatherapy while developing multisensorial therapies for autistic children.

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

Jonathan is also:
Reiki Usui Shiki Ryoho Master,
HEARTS (UK) Teacher (trained and certified by Ann Carter),

Anointer,
Coach,
Counsellor,
Trainer and Lecturer.

Since 2009 he has been working within the Palliative Home Care system in the Netherlands with the very sick and the dying. During this time, he has developed, used, trained and lectured different therapeutic interventions (conventional and non-conventional) 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 seance”, an energetic chakra harmonisation (2008)

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

“Integrative Reiki, Reiki Usui together with 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 Honouring 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)