CREATING SCENTS IN THE CENTRAL DESERT
During a recent visit to our Central Desert region, I had the honour of facilitating a therapeutic workshop with a group of Aboriginal women and their children. I worked collaboratively with my daughter, Georgie, and her colleagues at Women's Safety Services of Central Australia (WoSSCA) to design a trauma informed and strengths based activity to invite healing for their clients.
Our aim was to help participants develop skills to recognise and describe emotions, understand the link between our senses and emotions and promote emotional awareness and mindfulness through the use of essential oils.
We introduced participants to the benefits of essential oils and discussed how scent can create an emotional response. Each woman and child was given the opportunity to sample a number of scents and to describe how it made them feel.
A ‘Words for Feelings’ map and and a beautiful set of cards created by the Uti Kulintjaku Project – a mental health literacy program – helped guide and encourage conversation around emotions and feelings. Uti Kulintjaku means ‘to think and understand clearly’ in Pitjantjatjara.
English language cards were also created with feeling words to help participants further develop their own modes of expression around this topic. Conversation around emotions flowed naturally and the women freely discussed how they felt in different places and situations.
Georgie explained to me that the women and children we were working with may have experienced significant trauma. It can be difficult for them to engage in an activity. However, every woman and child who joined us became interested in experiencing all the different scents and were excited that they could create their own personal spray to keep.
The activity took on a slow, calm and reflective pace. I felt my own energy slow down as I tuned into the mindful, gentle nature of these women. Stories were shared and the naturalness of sitting in silence made me feel like I was the one learning the most. I felt such a strong sense that I was amongst women who lived in a world that we have lost. A world where women’s circles were an everyday way of life and the idea of living in the moment was their natural way.
Each woman and child put great thought into the scents they would choose and what they would call their personal spray. One woman referred to her mother’s Ngarrindjeri language dictionary to decide on a special name for her spray. This dictionary was well worn as she was trying to re-learn a language that she had lost over time, having been separated from her country and family.
We finished the activity with a discussion on when and where they would choose to use their sprays. It was such a pleasure being in the company of these women and experiencing their calm, yet powerful and resilient nature, even in a time of crisis. I thank WoSSCA, Women’s Safety Services of Central Australia, for inviting me and making me feel so welcome and valued.
I have since learned that one spray bottle has now traveled with a woman back to her home country in South Australia, providing her with comfort and grounding as she reconnects with her family. Another bottle is currently being carried in a little girl's handbag to school with her, which she proudly sprays for her friends and teachers. She calls it an 'uplifting' perfume spray that she made for herself.
I would love to return and continue offering this activity on a regular basis, working and learning from these women. I have been searching for a way for nunchi to give back to community … I may have found it.
Di xx
