Conversations Over Tea: Hope Gillerman

Conversations Over Tea is an ongoing series of interviews between our founder, Rose Goodman, and people who inspire her.

with Hope Gillerman

Hope Gillerman created her eponymous line of pure and powerful essential oils, H. Gillerman Organics, after experiencing the healing power of essential oils in her own life. She has been practicing the art of aromatherapy for over 35 years and makes therapeutic blends designed to calm the nervous system and enhance wellness, happiness, and vitality.

Tell me about your path to healing.

I started dancing when I was a kid and that just took over my life. After college I ended up in New York City as a choreographer.

Then I got chronic sciatica and I couldn’t dance. I had chronic pain that was very connected to depression because I wasn’t doing the thing that made me happy.

This was before there were a lot of alternative methods out there and the doctors just told me to stay in bed. I realized I had to heal my body with holistic medicine in order to keep dancing and one of the modalities was aromatic healing. It got me out of my emotional state. It’s how I healed my back.

Amazing. Is aromatic healing the same as aromatherapy?

Yes. Essential oils work even if you have no sense of smell at all, so I prefer the term aromatic healing.

What drew you to essential oils?

I was already somebody who lived to smell good things. My mother had to go to Paris a lot and I would go to the the perfume department at Galeries Lafayette. I loved the perfumes, but I could smell the toxins and the preservatives. When I started using essential oils it was like, “Ah, I can breathe again! This is what I’ve been looking for.”

How do essential oils work?

Aromatherapy is the most concentrated essence that you can extract from a plant; it’s a very powerful form of herbal medicine. It works very much on the psyche. If it’s working well, it will feel good.

They’re subtle but powerful.

They’re attracting you the moment open up the bottle. That’s what they do, they attract bees. Monkeys sit in a forest and rub citrus rinds on the back of their neck to ward off bacteria. We love the smell of an orange. We love the smell of rosemary. We love the smell of sage. We’re already predisposed to reach out for this stuff. So, the key is not if you should get involved with aromatherapy. The key is how.

Where do essential oils have the biggest impact?

Stress has a huge impact on our health and well being. That’s the primary reason why I think people need essential oils: You need something to do that’s enjoyable, luxurious, and positive.

What do you see as the future of essential oils?

I’m not presenting aromatherapy as an alternative to modern medicine. I’m presenting it as a whole new way of being healthy. Modern medicine will be there if and when you need it.

What are your thoughts on chronic pain?

Pain itself is emotional, psychological; it can jump from one nerve to the other. It’s sometimes impossible to even find the source of pain when you have chronic pain. The source of the pain could be an injury that’s completely resolved, but your brain is still programmed to to simulate the pain.

What creates rapid healing?

The single most effective thing to get your body into healing mode is take hold of the reigns. That’s it. Self care reigns supreme.

Feature photo courtesy of The Local Rose