Sunday, June 12, 2016

5 Essential Oils for Coping with Mass Tragedy

My heart is broken.

This weekend my hometown has been host to multiple shootings which have killed or injured so many people. We lost a great talent, Christina Grimmie, on Friday and countless others when a night club was attacked on Saturday. The worst shooting in US history. My heart is breaking for the victims, their families and my city.

Although I know that there are more good people and more love in this world than hate, violence and psychopaths-- it can be a scary place. There are no clear answer on how to stop this trend of violence, but one things is clear: we have a duty to be persevere. We have a duty to honor those lost.

Thankfully there are some natural ways to help strengthen ourselves and our resolve while allowing us to grieve the great loss and honor the victims of these horrible attacks.

5 essential oils to help cope with mass tragedy like what happened in #orlando recently. Prayers to the victims families. #chooselove

Unfortunately we are no stranger to violence anymore. We hear about mass shootings, bombs, terrorist attacks, school shootings and other horrible events much more often than we have in past years. Even if we are not directly impacted, it can take quite the toll on us, our children, and the people we love.

If you have been directly impacted, my heart goes out to you and I grieve with you. It is not easy supporting or losing someone who has been through a tragic event or being witness to such violence. As a survivor of assault, I hope that my perspective can help you.

I am writing this today because nothing has helped me through my own personal attack and through watching the violence in our country like essential oils. It may sound crazy, but it is the truth.

There are people who will say that I am posting this too soon or they will assume I am looking to profit off of a tragedy, but I know that I needed help years ago after a horrible event. It makes no sense to me to wait to help anyone just for the sake of appearances because if this helps you overcome this hardship-- then this was the right thing to do.

And for all the haters, stop hating and go love on someone.

Valor essential oil for courage in times of #tragedy
Gary Young created Valor at a time when he needed courage. I don't know about how you use Valor, but I have used it when I need courage and it has always helped me to feel more secure and able to take on things which I may be apprehensive about.

For example, I've had a major fear of flying since the terror attacks on 9/11. Valor is my go to for any air travel and it helps me feel like I will be okay. It has seriously changed my life!

Valor is one of Young Living's most popular essential oils so it is often out of stock. After all, you can't expect a company that makes products based on plants that are impacted by weather, soil, pests and other conditions to have an endless supply, can you? But there is also Valor II which is a great substitute and I found works just as well as the original.

Cypress to #release fear in times of #tragedy
Ah! My newest love! Cypress essential oil is a great oil to help cope with loss and grief, but to also find stability and comfort. It can help with emotional trauma and any feelings of anger towards the perpetrator, situation or lack of control that anyone can feel after a tragedy.

And, yes, we have the right to be angry but is our anger helping the situation? Is anger giving comfort to the victims and their family? Is it punishing the assailant or shooter? Or is it hurting us? Letting go of anger can be a critical part of letting go of our fear and allowing ourselves to heal so that we can ultimately win the battle.

Cypress also is a great overall essential oil to diffuse because it has a very crisp, clean scent and it can positively impact any environment.

5 essential oils to help cope with #tragedy
When something horrible happens in our world, like a mass shooting or the death of someone you care about, many people push down those feelings into the inner part of our souls. We want to protect ourselves and hide the sadness there until we are stronger to deal with it. But do we ever revisit the pain and deal with it?

We know that the more feelings that we hold inside, the more damage it can do to our minds, bodies and spirit. Acceptance essential oil helps us to open up and accept the things which have happened in a gentler manner. It gives us the power to overcome obstacles and accept what has happened.

One of my favorite ways to use this is in a bath.

Acceptance Bath Salts
  • 2-4 drops Acceptance
  • 1/4 cup of epsom salt 
Add to hot bath water and soak for 10-15 minutes.

Sacred Mountain
5 essential oils to help cope with #tragedy like what happened in #Orlando recently
How do you feel when you look at a mountain? I don't know about you, but I tend to think of strength and protection. I feel secure in the mountains and there is peace about me that I never knew existed. That is exactly why I'm moving to the mountains next month!

Sacred Mountain essential oil invokes many of the feelings that we have about mountains like strength, empowerment, grounding, and protection, but it adds a spiritual aspect that keeps our hearts open to love and opportunity. In my opinion, it's a very optimistic essential oil and it's a much needed essential oil during a tragic time.

My favorite way to use Sacred Mountain for emotions is to diffuse it or to put it on the back of my neck. A lot of people also make room sprays or perfumes because of it's beautiful scent.

Grounding Essential Oil and others to help cope with mass tragedy
One of my favorite essential oil blends in the entire world is Grounding. Often, when we are hurting-- we retreat. I don't know about you, but part of me wants to lock myself in my house when I hear about a mass shooting or terrorist attack. It is easy to seek escape because we are afraid of the unknown. Grounding helps to anchor us in reality and to release fear that may be holding us back.

To find out more about essential oils, click here

Other Ways To Cope With A Mass Tragedy

If You Have Been Directly Impacted By Tragedy

When we are witnesses or survivors of an event, it can have a lasting impact on our lives. I was a victim of sexual assault which has haunted me for over a decade. Essential oils have been a great help to me to overcome many of the feelings I had as a survivor. I hope they can help you too.

These essential oils are very powerful and can cause huge emotional release. Some people will start to cry, have an outburst or another reaction simply by smelling the bottle. Others may feel relaxed, calm, or more centered. Start using them slowly and work your way up to see how you respond! If anything becomes too much, then slow down or take a break! 

5 essential oils to help cope with mass tragedy and violence #chooselove

This is a great essential oil for survivors of traumatic experiences. It can help unlock them so that we can past those events. I highly recommend this to be used in conjunction with therapy because of how powerful it can be. For me, working with a therapist while using essential oils has been one of the best things I have ever done.

SARA is a blend of  Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Lavender, Orange, Blue Tansy, Cedarwood, White Lotus, and Rose. It does contain Almond Oil so if you're allergic to nuts, you may have to avoid this one.

Trauma Life
The emotional consequences of being part of a trauma can be devastating. It implants deep into the hidden recesses of our mind and can impact every part of our lives. Being able to release those dark parts of ourselves can help us to regain our lives and control over our future.

Trauma Life is a powerful blend of sandalwood, frankincense, valerian, spruce, davana, lavender, geranium, helichrysum, citrus, and rose that helps to combat stress, improve sleep, and release anger. It is absolutely amazing to use in conjunction with therapy and I recommend it to everyone.

Closing Words
Mass tragedies like the shootings this weekend in Orlando are horrible events, but they are not what define us. Our reaction to them is what defines us and what will drive the world towards healing or fear. Please remember that you can be a symbol of resilience and strength in your community by choosing hope and love over hurt and anger.

We can make the world better, but we have to do it together. #chooselove

If you or someone you know is thinking of hurting themselves or others, please contact National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK or emergency services 911. 

If it is non-emergent situation, you can email and you have a question about using the laws in your state to get someone you know into court-ordered treatment, email info@treatmentadvocacycenter or visit this website
Sherri Griffin
Sherri Griffin



  1. I can't think of a better day for this message of hope and healing.

  2. Greetings,
    Thank you for this article and recommendations of YL Essential Oils usage. Your words are soothing, therapeutic and gives the reader permission to breathe.
    To All Who Read this: Pass the words on...about healing, learning to operate from a love-base, and remembering "oneness".

  3. Greetings,

  4. Your words offer the reader comfort, a therapeutic option, and the ability to breathe deeply. Thank you!
    To All Reading This Article : Operate from a love-base, continue to uplift our consciousness, and remember we are "oneness."

    1. Thank you so much, Natalie. {hugs} I love what you said!

  5. The world looks on in shock and horror and mourns with you Sherri as we in Australia watched the terrible tradgedy on the news. What you say in the end of your article is very true, these events don't define us. We will live on to be a stronger community. Thank you for the great article on how to cope.

  6. Sherri, I just found your site, it's absolutely wonderful, and the only real antidote I can think of for the tragedies that humans seem to constantly have to create is a site like this where DIY'ing out of love is exemplified. Thank you. You went right to the core of the problem: hate. How do we remove hate from humans? I don't know, but I do know what you're doing here is important and useful and helpful - very helpful, in fact, because here you empower others to also act in the spirit of loving life, loving ourselves, loving each other.
    In the spirit of your blog, may I ask for some advice?
    I am developing a skin lotion that is actually a transdermal for helping people absorb cannabidiol therapeutically; much more can go in via the skin than taken orally, and CBD is so expensive a better route of delivery is important, especially for people suffering from serious illnesses.
    I am using essential oils to give it fragrance and also to add to its healing qualities; my primary blend, in order of least to most, is: Jasmine, Frankincense, Rose, Chamomile, Lime (d-limonene; for helping dissolve the CBD and carry it through the skin). The fragrance is sweet and "rosey", but a bit on the "heavy" side - I'd like to brighten it up a little, or add notes that reinforce the calming effects of the Chamomile (the Chamomile is there more for the therapeutic effects than the fragrance). The main carrier oil is Jojoba, other oils in the blend include coconut, apricot and argan - and there is alcohol and DMSO as well, and other things in very small amounts, all for helping it work as a transdermal for the CBD.
    What fragrances / essential oils come to mind for you that you might suggest I try adding, to "brighten" or "lighten" the scent, and to reinforce in fragrance the calming effects of the Chamomile?
    Very Best Regards, in Christ's Love, Dr K

    1. Dr. K. Thank you so much for your kind words and uplifting attitude. I love that you are working with CBD-- it's wonderful! As for uplifting essential oils, perhaps balsam fir. I tend to love how the florals compliment the woodsy smells. I find it very uplifting, plus Balsam is very spiritual and can help increase our natural vibrations to a higher level.

  7. Sherri, thank you for this blog - it is wonderful, I just discovered it, and I'm delighted - and you are exemplifying the only solution there is, I think, to these kinds of tragedies: acting in the spirit of love. To me, that's the spirit of DIY'ing; loving ourselves and treating others in the same loving way. When Christ said "The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand" that's precisely what He meant: we can have Heaven on earth any time we want - it only requires love. The creativity of DIY'ing springs out of the spirit of love itself. It is the opposite of hate, and I appreciated how you saw that this tragedy, along with all the other tragedies humans seem to have to keep creating, arise out of hating. Anyone who is taking action to bring loving creativity into the world, as you are doing in this blog, is helping to create a new world where hate can be let go of - for hate is simply the absence of the experience of love in someone's life.
    In the same spirit - I found you because I was searching for ideas on how to improve a fragrance - I'd like to ask you for suggestions. I am developing a lotion that is a DIY transdermal for helping people absorb CBD through the skin - CBD is expensive and very precious, very valuable to people suffering from a number of serious illnesses - and a skin lotion that smells nice and also helps absorb CBD would be useful.
    For fragrance and at the same time to help the healing qualities of the lotion, I added to the base oils and transdermal agents the following fragrances in order from least to most: Frankincense, Jasmine, Rose, Chamomile, d-limonene (one of the agents for dissolving the CBD and helping carry it through the skin; it has a mild Lime or Lemon fragrance). The scent is a bit heavy; I'd like to "lighten" or "brighten" it, and at the same time, in terms of fragrance, perhaps reinforce the calming effects of the Chamomile (which is there not for its fragrance, but for its therapeutic effects).
    I'd appreciate any suggestions you might like to give me.
    Very Best Regards, in Christ's Love, Dr K




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