RE: Now Educational Standards - Long

[Guest guest]

Dear Martin,

AIA is still a new organization in the at world. They are still learning

and growing the way that we are. I do not agree with everything that is

said or done but we have to start somewhere. I believe that most of the

people involved do want to do what is right and that things are changing in

that direction. You can not make things perfect nor right without making

mistakes. I have been in at for about 26 years now. Maybe if they ask you

should give them ideas on how to improve AIA. Sometimes we sit back and

judge when we should be making suggestions on how to improve things so that

they will grow in a productive manner. Loraine Kyle would be one of the

people to start with by contacting her and I am sure that Marcia knows

Loraine from her NAHA days. However, it is sad to see the talk of

communication in our industry but no real attempt to do so or for the other

side to attempt to solict the necessary feedback. I am afraid that we still

have too many healthy egos that don't wish to hear suggestions that you,

Marcia, and others can give in a healthy manner.

 

I remember when we only had Robert Tisserand's at book along with Jeanne

Rose's books in the mid-1980. Herb books were out there with little

information about esssential oils and their uses. These herbal books were

really of little use to someone interested in at. There was no internet as

we have it today. We, each had to go to the libraries, get on the phone or

write to someone who knew more than we did. Lest, we forget, we had to do

our own legwork. I ended up going into the area of growing, making and

manufacturing aged herbal infused oils as a result of not being able to

acquire needed information. (Even today most people don't understand the

aged herbal infused oils and how they work with essential oils and base

carrier oils.) It was early 1990 before I ever could find an at class in

the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area and then I had to travel to Austin, Texas

(4 hours away) to get additional training. That is when I found out that I

knew as much as many of my teachers so I went back to teaching myself and

told myself that I was glad that I had been to graduate school where I had

to really learn how to research information. When I took Kurt Schnbelt's at

class I was in heaven at what I learned to do and what not to do. When I

went on the internet in 1994-5 there were only about 10,000 at businesses.

I called and talked with many of them to learn as well as share

information. I found out that many of these businesses did not really care

about quality. They only cared about selling you something at the highest

prices for the cheapest prices that they could get. I joined NAHA in 1995

when I found out that it existed because where I live there are still only

about maybe 10 aromatherapists if that many. Our profession is small. We do

not still have the networking skills necessary to put together

organizations that are going to meet the needs of everyone. Several years

ago I kidded Butch about going to one of these meetings. I didn't think

that he was going because he had just returned from Turkey. My thought was

not so much to get Butch to attend but to get people to realize that unless

we take a stand (as you have done many times) that we can't expect

aromatherapy to move forward and produce the results of honesty, integrity,

quality, learning situations/schools, and the people that are needed for

the next generation of at. I, for one, am glad that you are out here being

" grumpy " and making people think but unless we can get the mindset of

quality, integrity, honesty, and education even more out here we are going

to be overrun with charletons, quacks, and crooks that are on the rise now.

 

I teach aromatherapy within a class called Vibrant Health and Longevity at

one of our community colleges. I find that I have to change up my class

each semester that I teach because of the new information that I learn from

this and other groups, books, and the internet. I have been teaching

aromatherapy since 1993 and I have always tried to change my information as

new information has been given to us. Many teachers do not changes their

information because it can be time consuming to do so. I am always looking

for new ideas and ways of presentation. I use my at module of my class as

the basis for the rest of my class. Aromatherapy is a living field that is

growing leaps and bounds each day. I wanted to have a school at one time

just to teach at but I have found that it is hard enough just to keep up

with the daily changes that are out here growing abundantly. There are

times that I wish I could move to Austraila and get a degree in at or go

to England to study but at 60 years of age I don't think so. I am learning

something new each day and year as I grow and work with plants, especially

roses, and make these plants into aged infused oils. I know my limitations

so I will not open a school but I will continue to teach at and hopefully,

instill into others the need to grow our profession through education. I do

think that there are many small scale teachers such as I who are also

trying to grow the future of at by teaching the best that they can. I often

put in 10 to 20 hours of research for my weekly classes just on the at

module. I like to use the KISS (keep it simple, sweetie) Method of at in

order to motivate my students. I assign projects and they respond with

interesting approaches.

 

Thank you for reading this email, Martin. I appreciate you, Butch, and

Marcia, and the others who are out here making a stand. We have to start

somewhere to be able to draw that line in the sand for honesty, integrity,

quality, and education.

Have a great week!

 

Rhavda Cooper Emison

Scents of Success (http://www.scentsofsuccess.com)

Soon new web site (http://www.visionaryproducts4u.com)

Arlington, Texas

 

 

Original Message:

-----------------

Martin aromamedical

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:03:18 -0000

ATFE

Re: Was: EO and pregnancy - Now Educational Standards

 

 

Marcia,

>Martin, first I want to apologize for my rudeness.

You should know after all these years that I enjoy that

 

You also know that way back I offered to help NAHA until I realised what

the organisation was really about and withdrew my support the same as you

and others did. I just see with the AIA another aromatherapy organisation

spouting off marketing hogwash. We have already discovered that the quality

control of AIA approved courses is inadequate to say the least via the

student who bravely posted here.

 

If people want to establish a reputable organisation you do not go putting

the cart before the horses by signing up schools before carefully vetting

their materials. My guess is that no one in that organisation is capable of

vetting the quality of aromatherapy/essential oils information being taught.

 

Martin

 

ATFE , " Marcia Elston " <Marcia wrote:

>

> Martin, first I want to apologize for my rudeness. I certainly could have

> made my point without it and behaved in much the way I was criticizing you

> for behaving, which in retrospect is perhaps funny, but embarrassing,

> nonetheless. Your book reviews, articles, Plant Aromatics, advice and

> counsel for these almost 20 years have been invaluable to me with enormous

> influence and I greatly appreciate it. I've included some links for those

> who might desire to explore further the development of aromatherapy

> education here in the U.S.

>

> Martins further comments only too painfully remind me of past history and

> further developments with NAHA and the fact that they are still perhaps

> respected by the uninformed in spite of their many failings and

> deterioration. Anyone can explore NAHA here

http://www.naha.org/index.html

> Martin could be right that AIA is just another one of the same. I'd like

to

> give them the benefit of the doubt, and will allow time and observation.

> Whether the transparency I might hope for here on AFTE from any

> representative of AIA also remains to be seen, as well as how they might

> take and respond to criticism here. If interested, AIA can be found here

> http://www.alliance-aromatherapists.org/

>

> It is disheartening to see that most of the comments in this thread have

> been negative with regard to personal AT education. The question I have

> asked Lora relative to availability of named textbooks and annotated

> research materials for any approved educational program still remains, and

> it is probably a good suggestion to any prospective student to request

this

> information from any educator or school in which they are looking to

enroll.

> Since this discussion has come about, I've taken a look at about 10

leading

> aromatherapy educational institutions and I have yet to find one that

> provides a comprehensive list of texts or referenced research materials

> used. Nor do I find complete academic credentials or biographical

> information for most of the instructors. This certainly is a problem for

any

> prospective student and one of the things, if required, that could begin

to

> elevate standards. One who has been approved by both NAHA and AIA calls

> herself a clinical aromatherapist, but does not supply details of her own

> educational credentials.

>

> For a look at the history to date of the development of AT education in

the

> US, here is the ARC (Aromatherapy Registration Council) website.

> http://www.aromatherapycouncil.org/index.html The faq has a fairly

complete

> history, along with lists of texts that were used by the Steering

Committee.

> I found it interesting that one educator (not approved by either NAHA nor

> AIA) is claiming to be a Registered Clinical Aromatherapist, but do not

see

> a designation beyond Registered Aromatherapist on the website.

>

> If there was a conclusion here, and I am far from it, it would be that

there

> is good reason for a continued critical look. Darren's analogy of the

> dripping water is somewhat fitting. The longer we wait for correction,

> however, the more damage will result from the wrong path.

>

> Be Well,

> Marcia Elston, Samara Botane/Nature Intelligence

> http://www.wingedseed.com <http://www.wingedseed.com/>

> http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com <http://www.wingedseed.blogspot.com/>

> http://www.aromaconnection.org <http://www.aromaconnection.org/>

> " We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. " -

Winston

> Churchill

>>

> _____

>

> ATFE [ATFE ] On Behalf Of

Martin

> Saturday, February 06, 2010 2:58 AM

> ATFE

> Re: Was: EO and pregnancy - Now Educational Standards

>

>

>

>

> Marcia,

>

> I used to know Maria and she visited me years ago when we were in

agreement

> with the trash being taught in aromatherapy. I don't have her book, but

have

> no doubt it contains some excellent information. If I had the time I would

> do a review of it, but I have other more important battles to fight at the

> moment over the UK impending regulation of herbalists. I would though say

> that a lot of her work has involved experiments on pieces of isolated

animal

> tissues which I have grave reservations about how applicable that is to

> aromatherapy.

>

> I would just like to reply to a couple of issues raised by various people

> here.

> 1. I certainly do not think I am the only one in the world capable of

> assessing the quality of courses. We have had many students over the years

> but very few indeed bother with newsgroups where by and large they know

they

> are wasting their breath. That also applies to the REAL experts in

essential

> oils, plant chemistry and all the sciences surrounding aromatherapy. It

has

> become clear over many years that those who try to tell it like it, is

> rather than what people want to hear, are sidelined and castigated and

drop

> out.

>

> 2.It is also clear that members of associations such as the AIA do not

want

> to hear criticism of the organisation. That applies not just to them but

to

> many others. All I see here are constant references to the structure and

> function of that group. Nowhere do I see the slightest concern that the

> teachers they are approving know their subjects. I would dispute that they

> do as evidence by their own web sites.

>

> Martin

>

 

 

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