Pg. 28-35 10 minute read
Summer is upon us, and we have another great interview to highlight in our Summer issue 11.2 of Aromatika magazine.
Gergely Hollodi had the pleasure of interviewing Dr Dietrich Gumbel for our "Giant's" column. His motto is: "Don't fight illness—strengthen health." Based on scientific studies, as a pioneering biologist, Dietrich explains the synergistic effects of herbal essences, colours, tones, and gemstones through simultaneous sensory stimulation in his latest book, Healing through the Senses—Sensing the Spiritual World (2019).
How did you initially get involved with aromatherapy, and what made you start working with essential oils?
In 1979, my studies of the Gospels of John led me to Mary Magdalen's application of the Indian Nard (Nardostachys jatamansi) to Jesus (John, 12,1–11). I wanted to know what healing effects this plant has. This was my start in investigations into the healing effects of aromatic plants. I studied the development and growth of the Indian Nard as my first aromatic plant and found out something extraordinary: the root is a rhizome (unification of root and sprout), but the flower shoot is not coming out from the top of the rhizome as usual, but separately from the posterior part of it. So, I called the Indian Nard a "blooming root". That means all three parts of a plant, root, sprout, and flower, are united like heaven and earth in one.
Who was your inspiration or the most influential person/people in the essential oil/aromatherapy field, and why?
My primary inspiration was reading books from different aromatherapists like Dr. Jean Valnet and Robert Tisserand. But it was not one person; it was the plant that inspired me – also as an artist in painting, drawing, and writing. At this time, many aromatherapy books were on the market describing the healing effects of common aromatic herbs, but they contradicted each other in their statements, sometimes completely, which was really confusing. The question was, on what basis did they conclude about the healing effects of the related essential oils? Of course, one can cite the chemical ingredients as the scientific basis. Still, aromatherapy would remain an intellectual doctrine that laypeople cannot grasp, and as clients, they would be completely blind and dependent on the therapist's recommendations. For me, the question was to find a holistic and scientific relation revealing a true reference element. This element is, for me, the human being built in the image of the Creator in comparison with a plant.
What was the biggest challenge and the greatest achievement in your aromatherapy career?
The biggest challenge for me is to come to a new level of treatment, not to manage or guide clients but to teach them self-care by self-reliance. Most of the clients expected treatments through the onesided recommendation of the therapist for a corresponding essence, which referred to their dysfunctions without even having smelled the oil before being applied. People often wanted to enjoy the treatment passively. But this leads away from self-responsibility for a self-determined life.
How do you envision aromatherapy in 10 years? And 20 years?
Everything is based on vibrations, such as aromas with high scenting vibrations of citrus fruits or low vibrations like Vetiver roots, corresponding to a scale of tones. If we look at a fan with its blades rotating faster, their contours become blurred. But as they rotate faster, they become transparent, and finally, at maximum speed, they become completely invisible – like air. You can see through them as if these rotating blades were not made of dense matter. In quantum physics, they stated, 'there is no matter at all – only different scales of vibrations'.
As I say in one of my poems:
All Creation is vibrating Light
Light is Touchable with your hands,
Tastable with your tongue,
Smellable with your nose,
Audible with your ears,
Visible with your eyes,
United in your heart for a unification of being and body, spirit and matter,
Male and female,
Heaven and earth.
The Summer issue of Aromatika Magazine is packed with heartfelt and inspiring articles. To read the complete article, order your copy of our Summer issue of Aromatika Magazine (11.2) or subscribe to our beautiful E-Journal yearly subscription by following the link in our bio or simply copy and paste the link here: https://www.aromatikamagazine.com/.../aromatika-magazine...
Dr. Guembel can be reached at www.cosmotherapy.de
Over the 125 colourful pages in our Summer issue, we have some of the most knowledgeable aromatherapists and educators from around the world.
We thank you all for your continued support and hope you'll enjoy the fascinating chapters of our SUMMER e-journal.
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