About the Course

Learning H.E.A.R.T.S. is a wonderful opportunity for aromatherapists and other health care professionals to learn how to work with clients who are in pain as you will learn a multi-sensory approach to the treatment of pain. In addition to pain management, you will also learn in this 2-day course how to use this extremely useful therapeutic relaxation approach to unwind, calm and refocus someone dragged in emotional pain, anxiety, or distress. This course is for any professional, health care student, or anyone interested in learning to apply the HEARTS Process technique for pain management and relaxation.

 

What is the HEARTS Process?

H.E.A.R.T.S. is an acronym that stands for Hands-on, Empathy, Aroma, Relax, Texture, and Sound and it is therapeutically offered as the H.E.A.R.T.S. Process drawing on a range of natural skills and different sensorial experiences to be used in all kinds of clinical settings and private practices and home care as well.

 

H.E.A.R.T.S. was created and developed by Ann Carter and was primarily designed to be used where conventional massage techniques were inappropriate or difficult to perform. Within the aroma component of the process, two extra interventions using essential oils on aroma sticks and patches were researched and developed by Jonathan Benavides to be used during a H.E.A.R.T.S. session to try to help the patient switch their attention from pain to comfort.

“Train to the Light” (aroma and sound) and “Remembering and Honouring You” (aroma and texture) are two methods that are used for pain management in all kinds of settings within cancer and palliative care.

 

The class has an important practical element to it as participants will be practicing in class how to do the HEARTS Process.

 

Attendees will receive an international certificate, manual and complete training on the technique, as well as a CE certificate from Essentia Nobilis and the International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy.

 

Course content:

Theoretical approach

  · Pain concepts, management, and relief

  · Identify scores in pain scales      

  · Empathy vs. sympathy

  · Essential Oils and different sensorial experiences

  · How to choose essential oils

  · Benavides’s interventions, theory, and case studies

  · Designing a personalized aromatic intervention

  · Case studies

 

Methods of use:                                

  · Touch techniques  

  · Aromatherapy components            

  · Working with aroma and sound      

  · Working with aroma and texture

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Methods of use:  

  · Different ages and applications at home and private practice

  · Hospital and hospices applications

  · Safety, precautions, and contraindications

 

13 CEs

Fee: $450 

Register for this course and take online and complete the quiz by October 8, 2025 to earn your CEs and certificate. Once you have registered, we will send you the login credentials for the videos. You will need to sign up for a free Vimeo account. When you have viewed all of the videos, let us know and we will send you the quiz for evaluation for your CE certificate. To earn an international certification that allows you to practice H.E.A.R.T.S., you will need to complete two or three case studies (500 words each) within 6 months of completing the training. The course, the quiz and optional case studies for international certification must be completed by October 8, 2025.

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Jonathan Benavides biography

Before becoming a clinical aromatherapist Jonathan studied psychology and specialized in autism and communication disorders. Jonathan has always been involved in training, research, and developing different therapeutic approaches for complimentary and Integrative care.

 

He got first in touch with aromatherapy when working with sensorial therapies for autistic children in the Netherlands. He has participated in several seminars, conferences, and congresses in aromatherapy, complementary therapies, psychology, and music therapy.

 

Jonathan is also a Reiki Usui Shiki Ryoho Master, HEARTS (UK) Teacher (trained and certified by H.E.A.R.T.S. creator Ann Carter), Aromatic Sentinel Creator, Airmid Ambassador to The Netherlands, an Anointer, Coach,

Counsellor, Trainer, and Lecturer.

 

Since 2009 he has been working within the Palliative Home Care system in the Netherlands with the very sick and the dying. During this time, he has developed, used, trained, and lectured different therapeutic interventions (conventional and non-conventional).