Olfactory therapist Véronique Marché answers your questions

Véronique Marché has been using scents in her medical practice since 2010. She perfectly knows how the sense of smell works and the benefits olfactory therapy can bring to people, such as those offered by Edeniste’s Feel-Good programme. The sense of smell is one of the first senses that a foetus develops in the womb. Olfaction begins at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy. A scent perceived during intrauterine life leaves a lasting imprint on the child's memory. The associated emotion, often well-being, can be reawakened in adulthood simply by smelling the olfactory molecules encountered in utero.

Summary :

1) What is the sense of smell for ?

• The link between smell and taste ;
• The link between smell, emotions and memories.

2) How are scents processed by the brain ?

3) How can olfactory therapy help you feel better ?

• Sense of smell rediscovery ;
• Emotional regulation therapy.

4) What are the main smell disorders ?

1) What is the sense of smell for ?

Did you know that the sense of smell ensures essential functions in daily life ? For example, it informs us of danger : a gas leak, the smell of smoke, or spoiled food. It ensures our safety. However, the links between smell, taste, emotions and memories particularly interest Véronique Marché :

The link between smell and taste

Véronique Marché believes that the term "gustation" is more precise because the sensation of taste arises from the link between these three elements :

• The tongue determines the flavour of food : sour, bitter, sweet, salty.
• The trigeminal nerve provides information about the temperature of food, texture, freshness, astringency...
• Smell, at last, ensures about 80% of the recognition of foods.

The olfactory therapist reminds us that the ability to smell food stimulates appetite. If trained, the sense of smell helps maintain the pleasure of eating. Awakening the sense of smell in elderly people directly impacts their health : they eat better in quality and quantity, which helps reduce muscle wasting, improve immunity, and maintain healing power.

The link between smell, emotions and memories

Scents can awaken distant memories and the emotions attached to them. This extraordinary capacity of the human body is what Véronique Marché leverages to help her patients feel better. Scents fully participate in the sensory experience of our environment. Being able to recall the memory of a scent, for example the sea during summer holidays or the forest during an autumn walk, can significantly improve an individual's overall well-being.

Getting to know how the brain processes scents helps us better understand their effects on our well-being.

2) How are scents processed by the brain ?

The limbic system is the first part of the brain to filter the olfactory message. This system includes the amygdala and the hippocampus, two structures with specific roles : the amygdala in the realm of emotions (particularly the basic ones: like/dislike) and the hippocampus in the realm of memories (know/don't know).

Véronique Marché emphasises the roles of the amygdala and hippocampus in the emotional resonance of scents :

• The amygdala helps associate certain smells with emotional memories, influencing behavioural and emotional reactions to olfactory stimuli. A pleasant smell contributes to joy or relaxation, while an unpleasant smell provokes feelings of disgust or anxiety.
• The hippocampus plays a crucial role in forming and recalling memories. Closely connected to the olfactory systems, it helps associate scents with specific memories. The smell of food, for example, can remind us of family meals and evoke nostalgia or comfort.

Analysing this process helps understand why the sense of smell is so powerful in forming memories and triggering emotional responses.

3) How can olfactory therapy help you feel better ?

Based on her patient's profile, Véronique offers olfactory therapy tailored to each specific case. Whether the aim is to re-discover the sense of smell or to regulate emotions, each problem has its solution.

Sense of smell (re)discovery

This primarily involves patients suffering from acquired anosmia (total loss of smell due to a medical condition), or hyposmia (a partial loss of smell).

Olfactory retraining therapy consists of several sessions:

• Evaluating the degree of smell loss based on the patient's history;
• Personalised exercises according to a protocol adapted to each person;
• Assessing the progress made.

Olfactory training involves regularly smelling a set of different scents, ideally twice a day for several months. This technique stimulates olfactory neurons and helps restore olfactory sensitivity.

Véronique's support personalises the therapy on a case-by-case basis. Scents are chosen based on the patient's personal history.

Emotional Regulation Therapy

This involves people wishing to address symptoms related to emotions. Anxiety, discouragement, depression, and loss of confidence are among these symptoms. Scents, thanks to their physiological link with emotions, perfectly address this goal. Well-chosen, a scent can trigger a positive emotion and truly enhance well-being. For Véronique Marché, the challenge is to help each person find the scent or scents that benefit them. Véronique calls these “resource scents”.

Emotional olfactory therapy involves:

• Understanding the patient's personality, present and past professional and family environment ;
• Identifying resource scents to use daily to boost well-being.

Véronique helps each patient determine their emotional needs. This awareness allows her to propose appropriate scents and a detailed care protocol. The exercises are personalised based on each patient's feelings, as in the following example.

Need for softness ?

In this example, the image of a sweet orange comes to the mind of her patient. The vision of this fruit reveals a need for something invigorating and sparkling like citrus, but also a need for softness and comfort.

Need for lightness ?

When the need for softness is combined with a need for lightness, Véronique Marché lets her patient express and evoke the image of a feather. For Véronique, it's about finding another resource scent and testing its effectiveness. If the patient evokes a seaside landscape, for example, it's the invigorating smell of sea spray that needs to be tested. If the patient instead speaks of a damp forest, it's the smell of moss that needs to be approached. Breathing and self-hypnosis exercises allow each patient to discover the scent that will soothe them best.

Each combination of scents is unique and varies from one person to the other. That's why Edeniste perfumes are particularly suited to olfactory therapy. The composition of the boosters and eaux de parfum actives allows optimal fragrance combinations to meet everyone's needs.

4) What are the main smell disorders ?

An individual's unique history can affect their sense of smell. The French CNRS ‘Odorant Odeur Olfaction’ research group estimates that between 5% and 20% of people have olfactory disorders, whether it's total (anosmia) or partial (hyposmia) loss of smell. These olfactory disorders can have various origins : a deficiency at birth, an infectious disease, neurological disorders, etc.

Olfactory therapy is a privileged path to feel better. With Véronique Marché, rediscover the power of your sense of smell. She respects your uniqueness and offers personalised support. Each olfactory discovery and rediscovery is a journey. Let the scents envelop you and help you find your own rhythm of breathing.

Read more :

- CNRS ‘Odorant Odeur Olfaction’ research group (in French)

- The Fifth Sense