Target Audience: General Public
By: Natalie Schrader Gilstrap
I believe that we can learn much about nature but also much FROM nature. Lavender is an incredible plant, and I have always been personally fond of it since childhood.
Not only does it satisfy your nose hairs by smelling divine & look atheistically pleasing to the eye, it is a great example of resilience as it withstands intense sunlight & is extremely drought-resistant. Lavender has been used throughout the ages by various cultures & communities for holistic medicinal purposes for the mind, body, & spirit or the whole person/the soul. There is a lot of research on lavender, and I have read that aroma therapy with lavender can have very similar neurochemical effects as valium (diazepam) on the brain without the negative side effects (Daniels 2013; Perry & Perry 2006, Strom 2015). Pretty cool! This really connects to the trauma piece for me as I think about the correlation between trauma responses, smell, & memory in the limbic system of the brain and how lavender could potentially help someone struggling with upsetting symptoms of trauma such as flight, fight, freeze, or appease (fawn).
Lavender symbolizes awareness, love, calmness, serenity, grace, refinement, & healing, among several other things (Crawford, 2020).
In choosing a sprig of lavender for my logo, I am visually reminding myself of all that lavender has to teach me and how I want to manifest that through my business and through my life.
Lavender has personally helped bring relief to my mental, emotional, & physical health. Lavender teaches me to give grace to myself as I grow and to others as they grow. Lavender has challenged me to become more aware of other’s needs and how their experiences affect them. Lavender prompts me to strive to be a person who brings the fragrance of completeness (peace) & calmness where I go. Lavender reminds me to long for change, justice, & healing for my community & this world and to be part of it. Lavender displays the resilience that was created inside all of us. For me, Lavender represents the essence of why Proximity LLC was formed- to cultivate trauma-informed communities of mindful, thoughtful, & hopeful people.
May we all learn from Lavender and apply its wisdom.
Stay Mindful, Thoughtful, and Hopeful,
Natalie Schrader Gilstrap, LMSW
Proximity LLC
Intellectual Property of Proximity LLC 2021
References:
Crawford, K. (2020, November 8). Lavender Flower Meaning and Symbolism. FarmFoodFamily. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://farmfoodfamily.com/lavender-flower-meaning/.
Daniels, D. (2013, January 21). Aroma therapy and Mental Health Disorders!! - the CCBI. Aroma Therapy and mental health disorders!! y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) Neurotransmitter in Mental Health Disorders & Essential Oils. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://theccbi.com/aroma-therapy-and-mental-health-disorders/.
Perry, N., Perry E. (2006). Aromatherapy in the Management of
Psychiatric Disorders: Clinical and Neuropharmacological Perspectives. CNS Drugs, 20(4), 257.
Strom, E. (2015, December 30). Trauma, the brain, and Essential Oils. mntraumaproject. Retrieved December 11, 2021, from https://www.mntraumaproject.org/single-post/2015/12/30/trauma-the-brain-and-essential-oils
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