Can Aromatherapy and Reiki Help with Terminal Illness and End-of-Life Care? An Interview With Heather Michet, Part One

Today SevenPonds is speaking with Heather Michet, a Registered Aromatherapist, Essential Oil Therapist and Reiki Master from Sandy, Oregon. The owner of Iris Healing Arts, Heather is a former civil engineer who transformed her personal interest in natural healing into a thriving holistic practice. Using a combination of natural solutions, energy healing and aromatherapy, Heather helps clients from all over the world lead more balanced and healthier lives.

An accomplished vocalist, Heather also performs at memorial services, blessings and funerals, using the soothing vibration of a cappella music to create meaning and connection for the friends and families of those who have died.

Kathleen: Thanks so much for speaking with me today, Heather. I’d like to start our conversation by admitting that I’m not very knowledgeable about aromatherapy or Reiki. Can you tell me a little bit about what you do? 

Heather: Certainly! My practice is based on the concept that the root cause of all illness is congestion, or blockage, in the flow of the body’s vital energy — what the Chinese refer to as “chi,” and the Japanese call “ki.” In fact, in Japanese, the term “Reiki” is a combination of the words “rei’ and “ki,” which translates to “spiritually guided life-force energy.”

I am not a physician, so I do not diagnose or treat disease. What I do, instead, is assess, assist and suggest ways to help my clients live healthier, more balanced lives. I evaluate each person based on a number of things — for example, their medical history, physical appearance, food intake and degree of self care. I also practice “deep listening.” That is, I have conversations with my clients and really listen to what they have to say–what their lives are like and what challenges they face.

With all of that information I develop a profile–a picture of the client’s physical, emotional and spiritual health. From there, I develop a list of suggestions that address the needs of the whole person, which I call a “vibrant health plan.”

Kathleen: Do you work with many people who are facing health challenges, such as a terminal illness, or those who are at the end of life?

Heather: Absolutely. I work with people at all stages of wellness. Some of my clients are dealing with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, and some are terminally ill. I also work extensively with caregivers, who are often so enmeshed in meeting the needs of their loved ones that they fail to properly care for themselves.

Kathleen: Can you explain a little bit about how aromatherapy works?

Heather: Aromatherapy is a powerful means of stimulating the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotion and memory. For most of my clients, I create a custom blend of essential oils that they apply in two ways — around the nose or as a spray to stimulate the olfactory system (the sense of smell) and as a topical cream or lotion, which delivers the essential oils directly into the bloodstream. Each blend is tailored to meet the client’s specific health needs. For example, some blends help calm the nervous system and decrease pain. Others stimulate the immune system.

Kathleen: So all of your aromatherapy blends are tailored to the individual client?

Heather: Generally, yes. Aromatherapy is powerful “plant derived medicine,” and like any medicine it can have significant side effects if it is used improperly. As I tell my clients, “You cannot have a highly effective medicine and have it be benign.”

With that said, however, I do offer a number of very effective blends for the general public on my website. For example, my Tranquility Blend is excellent for caregivers, those who are grieving and people who are at the end of life, and Fresh Air Fare is great for boosting the immune system and fighting fatigue. That’s very important for caregivers and people who are living with chronic illness.

Kathleen: Do Reiki and aromatherapy complement each other? Do you typically use them together to address your client’s needs?

Heather: Yes. The modalities I use are based on four universal, complementary elements: air, earth, fire and water. Reiki represents fire–the natural energy of the universe. Aromatherapy, because it is derived from plants, represents earth. My singing represents air. And water, well, water makes up about 70 percent of our bodies, but in our society almost no one gets the amount of water they need. In fact, most people I encounter in my practice are chronically and severely dehydrated, which affects every aspect of their health.

As much as possible, I integrate all of these elements into each client’s vibrant health plan.

Heather performing reiki
(Credit: Sandy Post: Photo: Kylie Wray)

Kathleen: How interesting! I’d like to go back to the water aspect in a moment, but first, can you tell me a little bit more about Reiki — what is it and how it works?

Heather: Sure. As I said before, Reiki is Japanese for “spiritually guided life force energy.” It is somewhat similar to the disciplines of acupuncture and acupressure in that it helps to redirect energy flow. But there is no manipulation: I simply direct energy by placing my hands gently on the client’s body. In some cases my hands never touch the client at all.

Kathleen: So you direct the energy in the client’s body in a way that promotes healing?

Heather: Not exactly. Think of me as a conduit between the client and the universal energy that surrounds us all. I tap into that universal energy in much the same way an electrical cord taps into the power in a wall outlet. I then transmit that energy to the client, and his body/mind/spirit responds in the way that’s appropriate for him.

After a session, clients often tell me that they experienced deeply felt emotions that they were previously unaware of, such as sadness or grief. As those kinds of internal barriers break down and energy flows more freely, profound healing often occurs.

Make sure to check back next week for part two of our interview with Heather.