Ruth has often said that the development of MindScent® was a "mind-boggling operational and expensive project" because of all the components involved (125 total), but was something she felt she had a responsibility to complete. Having a daughter on the autism spectrum motivated her to create the Smell.Discover.Connect tool kit for a population of people who she feels have often been misunderstood, underserved and ignored by the general population. "It was a project of passion and from the heart, and I have always felt as a fragrance designer, that the use of scent should be more than a delivery of freshness or communication of emotions for perfumes, household and personal care products, but should also act as a vehicle for wellbeing...in other words, scent therapy."
While designing this educational and speech communication tool kit, Ruth maintained the concept that the kit should be like any tool kit: An all-in-one easy-to-use product, so one of the components is a schematic that shows the placement of each of the distinctive scents (chocolate, campfire, grass, etc.,) in a platform/holder that is inserted within the outer packaging, if the SLP or Educator works remotely. Feedback from Speech Therapists who have used the kit say that they especially love the kit because it's "comprehensive" and adds a multi-sensory level to the therapy.
The kits can also be used to help guide storytelling, and the visual clue cards include fun facts such as the following 2 of 6 for The Smell of Watermelon: 1) There are more than 1,200 varieties of watermelon grown worldwide and 2) Watermelons have been cultivated in Egypt for more than 5,000 years.
The following is one review from a Speech Pathologist in Louisiana who was one of the professional testers during the development of MindScent®: "I enjoy using this kit with my speech-language therapy students. It cultivates various language opportunities from not only describing the actual scents, but also what it reminds us of. The possibilities for language opportunities are endless!" It allows us to use the sense of smell, which is something I've never been able to use in speech therapy prior. We can target things such a using a communication device or generating high level writing activities, which has been an exciting way to meet goals!"
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Throughout the years I'm proud to say that I have stayed on that course of thought and have been fortunate to have travelled from that little family farm in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas to New York, Paris, 3 African countries and as far away as Tibet. After I turned 55 and separated from corporate life in New York, I was asked to volunteer at the Hospitality Committee for UN Delegations at their office in the General Assembly building in New York and was thrilled to continue to meet more people from around the world who were with their missions in the United States. These experiences helped me enrich my life to a degree that is often mind-boggling. Even with my current work, I continue to meet people from every walk of life, educational and socio-economic background: Wonderful women and men from all walks of life who are serving people living with (what I call underserved populations) dementia as well as people with various learning or speech communication impairments.
All of us have choices for how we want to live our lives, and my choices have consistently been to expand my world and to help people in any way I can, and I know this mindset is due to my mother, who was Japanese from Hawaii--who was discriminated against by a racist group when we moved to that little town in the south, but she was strong, and stood her ground. Mother was the most forgiving and compassionate woman I have ever known.
So... in tribute to my mother (who is resting in peace) and all women in the world, I am offering a special International Women's Day (and weekend), promotion with 20% off of all products with a discount code, BEPOWERFUL2024 on my current website, The Scent Guru Group.
Below are links to that website and the same discount code can be used at our new website specific to our new brand, Scent Therapy-Hierarchy of Needs™ (Scenttherapies):
https://scenttherapies.co
https://thescentgurugroup.com/discount/BEPOWERFUL2024
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I have learned that I have the right to boast and if I don't shout the news out myself no one else will, so I'm extremely grateful that the CEO of Purgula interviewed me about the various scent therapies I've innovated and created for underserved populations--People living with memory loss (dementia), speech communication impairments (autism) and anxiety.
https://purgula.com/health-wellness/scent-therapy-for-a-healthier-home/
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Aroma therapy has a number of associated benefits for people with autism, including increased recovery, relaxation, anxiety relief, and hormone and mood regulation. When mishandled, however, it can also be a trigger for sensory or olfactory overload. Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body’s senses are overstimulated to a point where the individual is unable to cope, leading to irritability, anxiety, or emotional outbursts. Children with autism, in particular, often face sensory roadblocks that can make using options like aroma therapy challenging. A study found that 40% of these children have altered smell perception.
This doesn't mean that using aroma therapy is impossible, however. Below are three ways to make it more manageable so that you and your loved ones can make the most out of it.
Recognizing the diverse sensory preferences of individuals with autism is crucial. Offer a variety of essential oils or scents and allow them to choose what resonates with them. Additionally, consider diluting oils or using subtle diffusing methods to control the intensity, which can prevent sensory overload. Tailoring the experience according to an individual’s comfort level ensures a more inclusive and effective approach to aroma therapy.
Establishing a dedicated and sensory-friendly environment for aroma therapy sessions is vital. A diverse and inclusive wellness environment that considers factors such as lighting, noise levels, and overall ambiance allows individuals with autism to feel safe and encouraged to engage with aroma therapy without additional stressors. If you aren't having these sessions in a professional space, working with a healthcare professional as well as an aroma therapist who specializes in autism can also provide guidance and support in creating a sensory-friendly environment at home. Having an inclusive setting promotes a pleasant and warm experience that can lead to using aroma therapy as part of a wellness and self-care routine.
Introducing aroma therapy in a gradual manner can help individuals with sensory sensitivities acclimate to new scents. Begin with mild fragrances and short exposure times, and then slowly increase both as the person becomes more accustomed. Additionally, when introducing aroma therapy into a routine, having items that provide a sense of calm and security, like a weighted blanket or favorite pillow, can make an individual feel safer. This step-by-step approach allows for a more comfortable and less overwhelming integration of aroma therapy into their routine, fostering a positive association with scents.
In order to reap the therapeutic potential of aromas for individuals with autism, embracing flexibility, understanding, and personalization is essential. By tailoring scents to individual preferences, introducing aromas gradually, and creating a safe haven for sensory exploration, we pave the way for a more inclusive and manageable aroma therapy experience. All in all, these strategies empower individuals with autism to harness the benefits of aroma therapy, allowing it to align perfectly with their unique sensory needs.
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https://mediacoverage.com/
https://beststocks.com/aroma-alchemy-crafting-scents-that-resonate-with-a-universal-audience/
Life can be like a rose in full-bloom, but its life also ends. The time on my retreat taught me that with each passing day, I will embrace and cherish the people and things that are the most meaningful to me--those that fill my life with positivity: My loved ones, my faith in god, and paying it forward as much as I can. The world can be very, very cruel place and I am grateful every day I have on this earth with good health, security, food, water, love, and freedom to be me.
]]>On storytelling and memories: I just published a new Linkedin post about a special friendship and a connection to a Guess! Men's Fragrance, its creator, Francis Kurkdjian: How insomnia keeps me up at night but brings back some great memories.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ruthsutcliffe_storytelling-activity-7110697962053238784-fWXx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
]]>With an order of "Water" you can also get 20% off of the new Essential Awakenings® Garden Collection that includes the scents of Rose, Mint, Grass, Strawberry, Grass and Rosemary.
https://thescentgurugroup.com/discount/%2523WATERGARDENS
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Why Memory Monday?: Many of our memories are triggered by scent. Perhaps you have heard of the "Proustian Effect" which is a reference to the recovery of the lost past and stimulation of unconscious memories--often triggered by scent? The term came to be through passages in the Marcel Proust novel, "Remembrance of Things Past"-- translated from French-- "A La Recherche du Temps Perdue" when Proust describes moments with his aunt while dipping a biscuit in tea. So if you have had moments when an aroma is carried in the breeze, captured by your nose that instantly triggered a memory...the Proustian Effect is exactly what you experienced.
Back Story of Featured Image: The photo is from the 2005 Celine Dion fragrance "Belong" held at Cesar's Palace in Las Vegas. "Belong" was the second major fragrance launch for the Canadian Superstar Celine Dion, and she is surrounded by me and some of the marketers who worked on the brand at Coty Beauty. At that time, Celine was already performing at Cesar's Palace.
Why Is This Photo So Important?: When I was digging through archives the other day, I found this photo that automatically triggered memories of some of the meetings I had with Celine during the creative development period for her perfumes licensed through my company, Coty Beauty. Part of my job as the in-house "nose" -- Sr. Director and Fragrance Designer was to give a brief 101 understanding of fragrance notes, classifications, talk about fragrance trends, and present examples of different fragrances in order to receive feedback to help determine my clients' sense of being and their olfactive preferences. Communicating with Celine was so easy. She was open, humorous and so gracious with her involvement on the projects. Through our sessions, I got to know her pretty well - at least from a "taste" standpoint. I observed what particular aromas resonated with her emotionally and much of what she shared with us always went back to places and moments in her life. For the discussions for the Belong fragrance, Celine talked about how much she loved the smell of Hinoki, a Japanese Cypress that is commonly connected with Buddhist temples. Being half Japanese, I automatically got hooked onto Hinoki as a centerpiece of a fragrance concept, and requested that all perfumers from several leading fragrance supply houses incorporate the aroma of Hinoki into their creations. The process for development can be quite lengthy depending on the scope of competition and needs for optimizing the formula, but I recall that when I smelled Paris perfumer Christophe Raynaud's formula, I felt it was "the one": Christophe formulated a fragrance that weaved the soft soothing zen-effect of cypress, skin musk and sherry baby orchid mingled with a light hint of spiciness. The fragrance was so well-blended that none of the "notes" projected over the others and wore beautifully and elegantly on the skin, as if they were moving to the rhythm and harmony of Celine's voice while singing a soothing ballad of love.
What I Believe Was The Key to My Successful Career: In retrospect, I believe many of my colleagues would say that I had an ability to work with a variety of people at all levels of the corporate hierarchy: The R&D scientists, creatives, marketers, sales, purchasing agents, editors, retailers and of course, my clients. I was sometimes an "over-communicator", but I had a good ear; an "active listener", and observer with the ability to analyze characteristics of people. Most importantly, I respected all of my clients for who they were as human beings and treated them with the utmost respect. I was the provider of wishes and dreams with an objective that the fragrance being developed fell into sync with the overall concept, color, bottle design and that the storytelling connected emotionally and culturally to consumers around the world. I was the curator of a unique experience brought to the world through scent.
About An Editor Who Took Away My Fear: I was nervous at this press event to speak in front of beauty editors from around the world! It was only my second public launch event and the audience was very large. It also included some of my company's key global executives so when I was up at that podium, I almost froze. I took a deep breath, looked out at the audience from the left of the room to right, and down to the beauty editors in the front row where my eyes locked with the bright blue eyes of Cheryl Kramer Kaye. I can't recall the magazine she worked for at the time, but if you know Cheryl, you know of her signature long red curly hair, beautiful big blue eyes, porcelain skin and her radiant bright smile. Her smile gave me encouragement, and I smiled back and I felt immediately more confident. Cheryl was my security blanket that day and from that day on, whenever I gave any press events, I always looked for Cheryl in the crowd, and smiled. I am forever grateful to Cheryl.
In closing this blog, I think about Celine almost every day and pray that she heals from the disease that she is suffering from. We need her to feel better, sing again, and keep bringing love to our hearts through her beautiful voice and music.
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One year ago today I took this photo of jasmine that grew in the garden of the home where I was staying in a village outside of Paris. The smell of jasmine has held a special scent memory for me because it takes me back several decades as a young woman who travelled from a farm in Arkansas to New York and landed a job in the perfume business. But why jasmine? At the time, jasmine and rose oils were key ingredients in many fashionable and aspirational perfumes such as Joy and Chanel 5. Furthermore, when I was being trained as a "nose" I had to detect the differences of jasmine from various parts of the world.
This was my own personal scent memory story so you might be asking why I selected it as 1 of 6 fragrances for Essential Awakenings® Smell and Memory kits. Here is my reasoning:
Fact: Jasmine is known for having a calming effect and, according to the Journal of Health Research, inhalation of jasmine affects brain activity and mood states and participants in recent studies have reportedly felt more positive, energetic and romantic.
Who wouldn't want that?
I hope your summer is going well and that you continue practicing "mindful smelling". Don't forget that the sense of smell triggers memories faster than any other sensory function we have, so let's keep the summer of 2023 scent memories of beaches, farmer's markets, walks in the park, family gatherings and jasmine going forward to the future.
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Amy lost her sense of smell due to COVID19 in 2020 and her boyfriend, who I know from my employment at Coty contacted me because he saw my Facebook page announcing I expanded the uses of Essential Awakenings® and MindScent® sensory kits for smell training. Being the first company in the world offering a complete Smell Training Kit was daunting, and I knew I had to create an educational guideline for consumers to help better understand this relatively unknown condition called "anosmia", I contacted neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz who I had met several times during my decades-long career to develop an Essential Awakenings® Smell Training Guide.
Anosmia (lost sense of smell) can occur from viruses, as well as head trauma, such as accidents and aneurysms. Several SLPs and OTs I've met at ASHA (Speech & Audiologists) & AOTA (for Occupational Therapists) conferences had also suggested I extend the uses for my sensory kits for coma therapy.
The mission for The Scent Guru Group has always been to help people through the use of scent, and I will continue to stay on path. Below are points to consider as published by IFRA, the global representative of the fragrance industry promoting the safe use of fragrance with links to their website as well as to the NIH page dedicated the sense of smell and taste:
1. Memory and emotions: Fragrances have a powerful ability to evoke memories and trigger emotions. Certain scents can transport us back in time, reminding us of specific people, places, or experiences. They can evoke feelings of joy, nostalgia, comfort, or relaxation. Fragrances can have a profound impact on our mood and emotional well-being.
2. Sense of identity: Fragrances can be a form of self-expression and help shape our personal identity. Many people have a signature scent or a preferred fragrance that they wear, which becomes associated with their presence. The fragrance we choose to wear can reflect our personality, style, and even cultural or social affiliations.
3. Aesthetic pleasure: Fragrances can be aesthetically pleasing and enhance our sensory experiences. Pleasant smells can create a positive environment, whether it's the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, blooming flowers, or a scented candle. Fragrances add depth and richness to our surroundings, making them more enjoyable and inviting.
4. Sensory enjoyment: Our sense of smell is closely linked to our sense of taste. Fragrances contribute to the overall experience of food and beverages by adding an additional layer of sensory pleasure. The aroma of a delicious meal or a flavorful drink can greatly enhance our enjoyment and satisfaction.
5. Environmental cues: Fragrances can serve as environmental cues and provide information about our surroundings. For example, we often associate certain smells with specific locations or situations. The smell of freshly cut grass may indicate the presence of a park, while the scent of chlorine can signify a swimming pool. Fragrances help us navigate and make sense of our environment.
6. Personal well-being: Fragrances are also used for their potential therapeutic benefits. Aromatherapy, for instance, utilizes essential oils and their scents to promote relaxation, reduce stress, improve sleep, or provide a sense of calm. Certain fragrances are believed to have mood-enhancing or energizing effects, contributing to our overall wellbeing.
Overall, fragrances are essential to us because they have the power to evoke emotions, enhance our sensory experiences, shape our identity, and provide us with aesthetic pleasure. The sense of smell is deeply intertwined with our memories, emotions, and perceptions, making fragrances an integral part of our daily lives.
Finally, start a practice for what I call mindful smelling, and the nature of your world will surely expand!
https://ifrafragrance.org
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/smell-and-taste
**Note: The official Essential Awakenings® Smell Training Guide was originally complimentary with the purchase Essential Awakenings® but is now available for purchase separately.
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Scent Therapy Calm™ is a customized 100% natural fragrance oil and is a vegan formula. Every product I create is carefully evaluated for efficacy, performance and quality so, after a year of research and experimenting with different diffuser systems, I'm good to go! Customers coming to The Scent Guru Group website will receive a 20% discount using the code below and will launch 6/14/23, also known as 🇺🇸 day here in the US. The code will be good until 7/4/23, our Independence Day 🇺🇸.
The code: CALMDIFFUSION
As always, I believe in transparency of information, and I'm including the ingredients in this post:
Olibanum, lemon, orange, eucalyptus, spikenard oil, basil, cistus ladaniferus resin, ginger, geranium, coriander, patchouli, sage, sweet almond oil, elettaria cardamom seed oil, vetiveria zizanoides root oil.
There is no alcohol in this formulation, but as with any product that contains small parts, or liquids of any kind (other than those that we can ingest), please keep out of reach of children under the age of 6.
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Having a new year around the sun doesn't slow me down. I may not have clocked as many hours in front of my computer, nor taken the daily Metro North into the city for work, because I have chosen to change the way I lived for the better. As life has gone on, I realize that my self-care, self-worth and self-esteem is more important than money and things. In fact, George Carlin's 1981 monologue "Stuff" is one of my favorite monologues of all time as his humor makes fun of our neurosis, materialism, and this monologue is timeless. If you have not heard it, find it on YouTube. For me, it was a call to action, and when I left Connecticut for Atlanta in the spring of 2021, I got rid of stuff. Not just material things, but things that were occupying my mind, and absorbing my energy - and I'm still getting rid of things I don't need, want or care about anymore. I had gone from that caterpillar who inched its way across a leaf and when the right time came, transitioned into a butterfly and fluttered away to rest on flowers and enjoy its freedom.
A few months ago I launched a new brand called Scent Therapy Calm™ that I had wanted to market back in 2019, but the pandemic interfered with my plans, as it did with everyone else's I'm sure. When I started receiving calls and messages on Linkedin from people in the holistic medical and well-being spaces about how scent can be used for wellbeing, I had another call to action and revisited the 100% all natural perfume formula that I had stored for several years in my closet back in Connecticut and transported it with me when I moved. The 2018 formula was developed for me by a master perfumer who specializes in natural perfumery and holistic Ayurveda formulations was a "must keep" when I sorted through all of my stuff in my over stuffed closet full of various formulations, packaging materials, research and other stuff. Sometimes, it's really the simple but special, things that matter the most.
You have heard the idiom, "timing is everything" and I decided to make 2023 another year of change and take action on some ambitious and challenging initiatives that I have kept stored in my mind for years. Time ticks by and I'm not going to go away until I feel my journey is complete. Thinking back to 2022 when I was still trying to find my way through what friends said was a "brave" thing to do, I went on a month-long solitary sejour to a small village outside of Paris with a goal to pull myself together. Some days I did not even talk to anyone. I practiced mindfulness and yoga; I listened to a lot of music - everything from Led Zeppelin to Chopin, some blues and jazz; did creative cooking using whatever I had in the refrigerator; took many photos experimenting with the still-life-of-things considered boring or dull in order to give them life; took many walks within the village with the scent of redolent roses that created a halo over the village; wrote in my diary - and - I pulled together yet another fragrance concept that had lingered in the back of my mind for decades based on a very popular psychological concept that studied in college: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.
If you have read this blog until here, then kudos to you, you are in the "know" for my next project: Scent Therapy - Hierarchy Of Needs™. As with the concept, there are five layers in the shape of a pyramid, so there will be five fragrances being introduced with the first to come very soon. Scent Therapy - Hierarchy of Needs™. The first to come out will be "Water" which is the basis of life, for without water, there is no life. "Water: will be followed by "Sanctuary" representing the need for security and safety; "Love" represents the need to belong, to love and be loved and for connectivity with each other. "Freedom" needs no explanation, as we should all be free, and finally, "Full Bloom" for self-actualization. Full Bloom came to me when I was in that village and became that Eureka! moment. Yes....I know...it is a general "rule of thumb" that companies do not talk about their launches in advance of a press release, but what I do and create isn't considered mainstream anyway. I go against the usual grain, I've survived so far, and I am happy.
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Scent as a therapy is a "niche" category that will certainly grow within time. It's an area I decided to focus on after my mother died of dementia-related causes in 2016. Through research and my own experience as a scent designer, I connected facts and dots and I started the development of Essential Awakenings® Smell And Memory Activities and kits: Scent recalls memories, memory-recall facilitates stories, and stories being shared with others create social interaction. By doing some research on dementia and Alzheimer's, and speaking to neuroscientists, Dr. Ottavio Arancio of Columbia Medical and Dr. Rachel Herz of Brown University, I clearly understood the connection of scent and taste being the same sensory function and that sweet and salty were the last of the elements of taste to be experience for someone with the disease. This was proof in my own mother who only liked sweet or salty foods. Without a good sense of smell, your taste buds are not as sharp either, and I love food. If I can't smell nature, flowers, the world around me, and even danger that triggers the fight or flight instinct, I do not feel "whole". If I cannot enjoy food, life is dull and I would be an absolute emotional mess.
For my Milan trip, I packed a light weekender, a 2-inch file of research and notes and of course, Essential Awakenings® and MindScent® kits. I arrived on a sunny, beautiful day 2 days before the panel discussion so I could take walks, clear my jet lag and focus on the discussion. Milan, like other Italian cities I've travelled are a feast for the eyes, and I am a lover of ancient architecture--especially churches-- but I got my first orientation in the neighborhood where Esxence was located, and saved the ancient portions for after the panel.
My co-panelist was Marta Siembab from Poland spoke largely about the research being done in Europe, with much focused on conditions such as anosmia, parosmia and issues how scent is being used to help people not only induce an appetite to gain weight and be nourished, but to loose weight. A lot of research is also being done on how the environment can cause issues with our sense of smell. In added that there are also tests done in the US on the environment's negative effects on health and some possible correlations to Alzheimers. The audience was most interested in hearing about my efforts giving Essential Awakenings® Smell and Memory sessions at assisted living communities in the NY metropolitan area and now at Respite Care Atlanta where I now live. I also included why Speech Pathologists are now using MindScent® for an added sensory stimuli in their work with people who have developmental and speech communication impairments and shared a video from my YouTube Channel (the link will be below). Some of the MindScent® methods for use were discussed and include: Increased engagement, establishing rapport, stimulating the appetite, teaching vocabulary, increased length of utterance, increasing socialization of peers, increased use of descriptors, and presenting smell during coma therapy to induce arousal.
Scent as a therapy will grow, but it will take time as we are just now exiting out of a global pandemic where activities and in-person therapies were discontinued. There were times in the past few years when I thought I'd have to give up on my mission, but having the support of friends, speech pathologists and recreational/program directors has surely kept me going. Here are some of my favorite quotes that have also kept me going:
From the children's book, Little Engine That Could: "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I know I can."
Babe Ruth: "Never let the fear of striking out get in your way."
Martin Luther King, Jr: "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
Below is a link to a video on my YouTube Channel shown at the Esxence Exhibit in Milan, April 1, 2023 of seniors living with dementia singing the Marseillaise after talking about the smell of baguettes in France:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj9pAh7UnIE
A video using the aroma a bread by Speech Pathologist, Angela DeRuvo of New York:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/yK6vFgb6os0
Enjoy your weekend everyone! If you have any questions about how you can use Essential Awakenings® or MindScent® for people who you love, treat, or service, my email is on my website! - Ruth
https://thescentgurugroup.com
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Neurodiversity Celebration Week just ended a few days ago, and I'm flashing back to a February 2020 photo of the assembly and pack out for MindScent® just weeks before lockdown. I make a concerted effort to support and empower people with learning and speech communication impairments such as Autism and Down Syndrome, and the photo featured for this blog are a few of the gentle sweet young adults from Abilis (a 501c based in CT that services people with learning disabilities). Abilis was also the first non-profit of its kind to purchase Essential Awakenings® (2018) for all their group homes.
Why is the week important to me? Correction!: It's not simply only the recognized week, but it is every day of my life because I have a daughter who was diagnosed ADHD, speech communication impaired, neurologically impaired, but never Autistic. When she was young, we weren't even talking about Autism. She, by the way, could beat anyone in Jeopardy and does all of my research! I watched in pain as my daughter grew up in emotionally battered because was bullied in school leaving her stressed and reluctant to go to school. She's getting better socializing in a larger group of people, but is comfortable with almost anyone one-on-one, is charming and absolutely beautiful in and out. It hurts and angers me when some people make fun of, or treat people who are different, disabled, or neurodivergent in a cruel way. It is about time that we acknowledge and celebrate people who are different than ourselves or what some seem to consider "normal" behavior or mentality. What's normal anyway?!!
So what is Neurodiversity? According to Psychology Today (online), "the concept that differences in brain functioning within the human population are normal and that brain functioning that is not neurotypical should not be stigmatized. Neurodiversity is the idea that variation in brain function exists across the population. Differences such as autism and ADHD have existed throughout human history and are not due to faulty neural circuitry. Rather than viewing them as such, neurodiversity embraces autism as a different way of thinking and behaving."
From Wikepedia: "Neurodiversity refers to the diversity in the human brain and cognition, for instance, in sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. It gives an inclusive view of cognitive diversity, highlighting the differences at a neuro-biological level while considering the socio-cultural contexts of a human's lived experience."
It is good to know that there are organizations like Abilis and people like Siena Castellon of the UK who founded Neurodiversity Celebration Week in 2018. My hopes are to help raise awareness and always give support to neurodivergent individuals. Without them, we probably would not have some of the best inventions in the world.
- Ruth
]]>The Zoom on 2/8 was a success & I'm sharing feedback sent to me by the New York City Chapter who sponsored the event where I donated Essential Awakenings® kits to all attendees:
"I can't wait to use this with my Dad this weekend. He is at Atria on the Hudson. How might we do a program there?"
"When I was a little girl (65 years ago) my Mom used a Spanish soap called Maja. Till this day I buy the same soap and I always think of my Mom. It's a happy, peaceful memory.This is such a wonderful program! Thank you"
"Thank you for this new way to share thoughts and memories, and even just talk about what scents are enjoyable in the moment even if she can’t remember certain specifics. Conversation and connection is important."
"I have to leave but wanted to thank the Alzheimer's Association for this offering and Ruth for using her knowledge and talent for this program. This is brilliant!"
"This is so wonderful for engaging our loved ones. Thanks!"
"I cannot wait to use this. Thank you"
"This was such an amazing and innovative program. More, please!"
I am always grateful for feedback and I love what I do. Thank you to all caregivers who will be using Essential Awakenings® in their activities with whom they take care of. You shine the light onto the lives of people who you help! - Ruth Sutcliffe, Founder, The Scent Guru Group, LLC
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The scent memory associated with the photo of my daughter (her birthday is today) is now published on The Scent Guru Group website. This ad was for the Unilever Signal toothpaste brand and recalls the smell (and taste) of chocolate the crew gave her in order to coax her into posing. I don't recall how many chocolates she ate, but when she was finally ready to pose, the crew then had to take away the platform she refused to stand on (she was the youngest model that day), cut the flag pole and adjusted all the lighting for her height. They took just one role of film and used hers in the national ad campaign. Claire still loves chocolate, so that's what we are indulging in today to celebrate another year for her on this planet and I will need to go on a hunt for After Eight Mints for the chocolate-combined-with-mint memory!
Claire was born in France where I discovered brands like Nutella, Toblerone, Lindt and some of the best bricks of dark chocolate ever. I also discovered one of my favorite breakfast treats, pain au chocolat (a croissant with a strip of dark chocolate inside) and when I go to France, I will always make a special trip to a patisserie to engage all senses: Sight, sound, aroma, texture and flavor presented to me by this special treat.
When I started the development of Essential Awakenings® Smell and Memory kits and activities for seniors living with dementia, I tested about 65 distinctive scents with seniors, and quickly realized that the chocolate scent was always connected to positive scent memories. Stories told by my attendees were often sweet and some comical (like Joe at Atria Stamford who said he wanted to date the woman who wore a chocolate scented perfume) to fond memories of chocolate bunny rabbits at Easter time, boxes of chocolates given on Valentines Day, and birthday cakes.
My sensory kits are purposeful with the mission to improve lives through scent because scent triggers memories, memories trigger conversations, and conversations lead to increased socialization--a basic human need, but often absent in many peoples' lives.
How does scent trigger memories? Here's just a few facts as pointed out in Dr. *Rachel Herz' Smell Training Guide developed for Essential Awakenings® Smell. Recall.Connect sensory kit:
1) Our ability to smell begins inside our nose with two patches (one in each nostril) of mucus tissue called the olfactory epithelia.
2) When scent molecules are inhaled and land on the epithelia, they stimulate the odor receptors causing a signal to travel into the olfactory bulb in the brain, and then decoded as a certain scent.
3) From there, the scent signal is relayed to the areas of the brain (Amygdala and Hippocampus) that processes emotion, memory and learning
4) According to Dr. Herz, the sense of smell is the only sensory system directly linked with the neuroanatomical substrates of emotion, learning and memory.
If you would like to have a free copy of a presentation that goes more into depth about scent, memory and communication you can write directly to me at the email address on the top of the first page of this website. You can also order a Smell Training Guide on the "products" page if you want to do some smell training with any of my available sensory kits. Please note that these materials are considered intellectual property and should not be copied without my written permission.
To close this blog, remember to keep your sense of smell stimulated and practice mindfulness: The sense of smell is vital to our emotional wellbeing and gives us a sense of place and can also save our lives.
*Dr. Rachel Herz is a neuroscientist and expert on the psychology of the sense of smell and taste, Ted Talk speaker and faculty member at Brown University.
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While in New Orleans for the American Speech Hearing Audiology Conference (ASHA) in November, I'd pass the WWII Museum Store each day on my way to the convention center and noticed it wasn't like many museum stores: Everything in the window featured vintage items from the 40s. And so, on my last day in NOLA with time before my flight back to Atlanta, I wandered into the store and stepped back in time.
A friendly woman named Denise was keeping the store that day and cheerfully greeted me by asking me if she could help me find anything. I responded that I came in because I was enamored by the vintage articles in the window and started wandering from one rack to another examining the garments that included high quality woolen pea coats to silken blouses one would only see in period films. And then, my eye caught sight of a display case holding cosmetics so I immediately made a beeline to it and saw that it featured red lipsticks (like my mother used to wear) and asked Denise about the brand. She responded that they were all made by Besame Cosmetics designed to be as historically accurate as possible to the cosmetics from the years 1920s to 1970s. In my research I found that Hollywood studios would often call on this brand when makeup was required in making era films and series (i.e., Mad Men). Other than cosmetics, the case displayed vintage-replicated jewelry such as Bakelite bracelets. I asked her if she had any DuBarry Cosmetics which was founded in 1903, but she did not carry that brand. So it was back to the racks and what did I find? Classic Barbour jackets from the UK that triggered memories of the late Queen Elizabeth who was known for wearing an iconic Barbour coat while making visits to the country. So guess what? I bought a quilted style to help me keep warm that unseasonably dreary cold NOLA day and for many winters ahead.
In our ongoing chat, I told Denise I was in New Orleans for a conference for Speech Pathologists, and a career professional from the fragrance industry and now specializing in memory recall using scent as a stimuli. I told her I also write about scent memories people who I talk to have, and asked her if she would share some of hers and she quickly went to food (don't we all?!). She told me stories about growing up in New Orleans and of the special aromas of succotash and grits and shrimp that her grandmother used to make. One subject spontaneously lead to the next and we went to the subject of her career as a boutique owner and about living in New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and of her daughter who has twin sons who have autism. We talked about people on the spectrum and how so many are gifted in ways others are not (should I start naming a few scientists and IT geniuses?) Denise told me that when one of the twins was aged two, he started playing the drums and soon thereafter, the other brother started playing the drums as well. The boys are now 7 and highly functioning and good at math, and I can already foresee that in about 10 years or perhaps less...we will be aware of twins pounding away at those drums making some amazing music!
There is a lot to say about how social connectivity is important for human beings. We have lived through a time in our lives when we were locked in, and when I felt safe to travel again, I took many road trips from my former home in Connecticut via diverse routes through Pennsylvania, midwestern states into Arkansas, through Mississippi or Tennessee into Georgia. I also chose East Coast routes through the Chesapeake Bay area, Virginia and the Carolinas and I have learned and seen so much, with my eyes and heart wide open. My goal is to continue traveling and talking to people - like the Vietnam War vet in Wilson, NC who told me about the town's famous spare ribs, Denise in NOLA or the elderly volunteer at the Mississippi Tourism Center who had bragging rights for all the talent that came from that state. I find it a refreshing and educational experience talking to strangers and letting them open up to tell their stories, and know we will all be OK if we can continue learning from each other.
]]>Long before Essential Awakenings®, MindScent® and the pandemic (when I repurposed Essential Awakenings® for Smell Training), I have always been steadfast in my mission to enhance lives through the sense of smell and believe that scent is a form of therapy--whether it's a beautiful light floral musky scent to help make cleaning an easier more pleasurable task (blue Windex), a scent that smells like pure ocean water for liquid soap (Soft Soap Anti-bacterial), or a celebrity perfume that encapsulates the energy and positivity of Beyonce (Heat) for which, according to a September 27th article in FinancesOnline, has been the #1 seller of celebrity fragrances grossing $400 million in its first three years (giving myself a pat on the back here).
Fast forward from the days at Coty: I was in the NYC area last week and went from being a cargo van driver on Monday picking up inventory out on Long Island to running from one meeting to another with fragrance suppliers, printers and talented professionals who have worked harmoniously with me pulling the multiple facets of brand development together for my next "scent therapy" initiative in November. This brand was a concept that I started exploring in 2018, and will be set to launch exclusively at The Scent Guru Group on line store so watch for it as I continue my vision and mission to improve lives through scent. (Hint: It is not another sensory kit, but rather a fragrance for emotional wellbeing).
I often use metaphors when I write and since baseball was a big part of my childhood growing up, I like to use terms from this sport in my storytelling. As a rookie entrepreneur and small business owner, I admit it has been a challenge to get to 3rd base but it will be even tougher to reach home plate and I'd rather run there, versus walk. Being a small business owner has its good and bad points: The good ones are that we can forgo some of the multiple layers of management to make decisions because there is one clear goal and no politics involved. More often than not, the key to a smooth launch is the ability to pull the right talent together to make a great team. On the other hand, the downside is that we suffer from the lack of economies of scale and have to pay to play--usually all up front-- before any production lines get the "go" sign. Whether you are a small or big business, there will always be some hiccups along the way. For me, there were just a one or two foul balls, and some curve balls that went array, but my glove fits pretty good right now, and I'm ready to go up to bat.
]]>The Scent Guru Group’s mission is to enhance lives through the sense of smell: For or Smell Training to help regain the sense of smell due to anosmia, memory recall for people living with dementia, or simply a fun multi-sensory family guessing game.
I was fortunate to have spent the month of July in France where roses were in full bloom and the scent of jasmine filled the cool evening air. Jasmine is known as one of the most sensuous smells on earth (there is consumer research on this) and so many popular perfumes on the shelves contain this luscious, rich, sweet essential oil that is often described as intense and hypnotic. It is for this fact, that I have included the smell of jasmine in the first edition of the Essential Awakenings® Smell and Memory Kit because it would most likely trigger memories of vacations in exotic places like the South Pacific, India, or Provence. Women have been purchasing perfumes containing jasmine for decades, but the history of the use of jasmine can be traced back to ancient Egyptian times and is considered the perfume of love. In aromatherapy, jasmine is considered to be soothing, so you might wonder how jasmine can be known as perfume for love and soothing at the same time. Perhaps it's because love IS soothing to the soul?
Until the end of the month, The Scent Guru Group is offering 20% off of the First Edition of Essential Awakenings® Smell & Memory Kit. Each order is also accompanied with an official Smell Training Guide if you join our email list.
To take advantage of this special offer, here is the link to our website:
https://thescentgurugroup.com/discount/MEMORIES2022
Have a great rest of the month, and happy Labor Day!
Ruth
]]>The world of scent surrounded me in the "fragrance library" when I started my training as a fragrance evaluator/designer at my first job in the fragrance industry in New York when I was just a kid transplanted from Arkansas after my first year of college. The fragrance library is like any library-- a repertoire of references from around the world to use as resources for learning. This library in particular, was a reference center of consumer products perfumers, marketers, sales and "evaluators" used for working projects submitted to us for competition by clients as diverse as L'Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Kao. The products lining the shelves of this library were primarily detergents, soaps, cleaning products, shampoos and conditioners while "fine" perfumes from makers like Chanel, Christian Dior and Estee Lauder were stored in a small refrigerator nearby.
I was initially hired as an assistant to perfumers at a company called Fritzsche Dodge & Olcott (now Givaudan), and my responsibility was to type perfumers' hand-written formulas onto an IBM Selectric typewriter for storage in a vault. Going along with the typed formula was a calculated raw material cost that I had to calculate based on weekly pricing updates recorded on Rolodex cards. Yes, you guessed it--I'm older than most readers here, but my career has been like a "long and winding road" and I will assure you that reflecting on my past experiences have taught me basic, simple methods for shaping my entire professional and life skills that started with a "smell test" resulting in the discovery that I had a good sense of smell and ability to communicate and pinpoint the nuances and emotional "feeling" of the scent. The fragrance I was blindly tested on that day was Francois Coty's masterpiece "Chypre" formulated in 1917 that ultimately started the fragrance category of this genre.
Back in the fragrance library: I decided to turn the task into a treasure hunt to learn making lemonade out of lemons. Through the hours spent in the windowless room, I picked up each and every product and smelled them and soon realized that many fragrances from one country to another had similarities: The cleaning products were often with pine, lemon, lavender and fabric softeners had powdery smells. The Asiatic countries' products seemed to have fragrances less strong and less "direct" types of scent consisting of subtle citrus combinations or violet and light, delicate rose scents. I also learned the term "synesthesia" where scent is paired with a color: Blue graphics were often powdery scents, and pink was floral and purple was always lavender. The most incredible archeological fragrance discoveries however, were from the refrigerator containing fine fragrances where I sniffed my way through perfumes from France like Jolie Madame, Je Reviens, Equipage, Amazon and Caleche from Hermes, Chanel's no. 5 and no.19 and Jicky, Chants d'Aromes and Mitsouko from Guerlain. Not knowing French at that time, I asked a perfumer "what does Je Reviens mean?" They responded, "I will return." Many of these perfumes are still my favorites of all time and I still turn to them for special occasions.
On Road Trips: I have always returned to my roots and at the end of May, I took a road trip back to Eureka Springs for a high school reunion. "Eureka" is a town of about 2,000 inhabitants tucked into the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas where the scents of my childhood are thrown instantly back to memories of the sweet scent of new mown hay, the barnyard, my mother's kitchen, and pine trees that separated my home with my grandmother's at the bottom of the hill. I went to the church where I was baptized and confirmed and met Reverend Angus after the services and introduced myself and we engaged in a conversation about our roots. I told him about my childhood in Eureka and of my travels since I hopped on that train in St. Louis to Penn Station and worked as an accessory designer before becoming an evaluator/scent designer. I told him of my most recent work as a creator and developer of multi-sensory kits for well-being helping people living with dementia, learning disabilities, strokes, viruses, PTSD and other ailments that lead to the reverend telling me of deeply personal story of his turmoil and despair while his partner in life was suffering from cancer, and how scent helped him: "...the scents were like a gift of heaven, wellness, wholeness and well-being. When times were tough, I would sample the little vial in its festive wrapping. The smell was the smell of hope."
My Roots: I am deeply rooted to my childhood and to the fragrance industry because that's where where I grew up, helping to form who I am today. The world of scent has brought me happiness and has lead me to discover and understand nature, people, and world cultures. I have met highly intelligent and talented people along the way: Biologists (Dr. Mukherjee, IFF and Roman Kaiser, Givaudan); psychologists (Dr. Stephen Warren, IFF), neuroscientists (Dr. Rachel Herz), chemists, engineers, and seriously talented perfumers from both sides of the Atlantic, and there have been too many to name here. I've learned the values of how the sense of smell can help protect us from harm, bring us joy and the feelings of calm, hope and comfort. In difficult times and in the height of the pandemic, I have turned to my bottle of Chanel 19 (for empowerment), Tom Ford's Metallique (for comfort) and Frederic Malle's Eau de Magnolia (revitalization). My quest to enrich lives through the sense of smell continues and I am now on a treasure hunt to find a perfect scent that gives me the feeling of security.
On Rejuvenation:
To end this writing, I am now in the outskirts of Paris at a village near where my daughters were born taking some solitude underneath a beautiful sky, fresh evening air while windows remain open and I wake up to the sound of singing birds, the scent of a neighbor's coffee and fresh-baked baguettes from the patisserie down the street. I am practicing my command of the French language and enjoying my cafe au lait on the town square, taking walks through the village's passages, smelling the roses, jasmine and wisteria in and around the village, and digging my hands into the earth. I'm going to find the nearest agricultural center to purchase and transplant mint and verbena for my host's garden and intend to take a snippets to make teas and water infusions and live as simply as possible during this rejuvenation period in order to give my mind a reset and get back to full productivity again. One thing I do not intend to do: Drive a car!
I will never retire because I love what I do and this temporary "sejour" will help jump start yet another journey in my life. I find life full of infinite changes and have learned to swim with the waves as I continue my road trip focused on scent and wellbeing.
Best wishes to all during this important July 4th weekend to celebrate independence and the upcoming Bastille Day in France. Joy to freedom. Vivre l'independence!
To read about the science of smell, anosmia, parosmia, smell training and memory recall at this link from nature.com:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01625-y
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A link (below) to yesterday's article in being patient (a newsletter dedicated to the latest news on Alzheimer's disease and brain health) was based on an interview 2 weeks ago includes a video from February 2020 that brings back fond memories of the seniors who attended the Essential Awakenings® sessions. The article includes a personal statement about how I felt leaving these sessions and how I felt like I had been to my own therapy, because I realized how happy they were, and that they were sharing their own personal stories with each other.
Here is the article from Deborah Kan's newsletter, being patient:
https://www.beingpatient.com/smell-training-for-dementia/?utm_source=Being+Patient+Newsletter&utm_campaign=667c95c16b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_11_06_03_59_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_95b92454c1-667c95c16b-220502033
For those of you who have elderly parents living with dementia, Alzheimer's or have diminished sense of smell, you may want to experience the Essential Awakenings® Sensory Kits for some Scent Therapy--whether it's for your memory care residents, for individual smell training, as a unique fun family guessing game (clue cards included), or even as prompts to help guide storytelling to your children, grandchildren or students. If you choose to purchase a kit, please write to me and I will give you a private code to use for a 20% discount.
]]>The MindScent® Smell.Discover.Connect development process began 4 years ago(2/11/18) from a simple idea, but involved complex situations and hours of research and experimentations. I started developing the prototype and methods for use beginning with a sensory session with Vanessa (see link to the video below) at her group home in Trumbull, CT. This session was not staged, scripted, nor organized in any particular manner. I just "went with the flow" because every person with a learning and/or speech communication impairment is an individual, but knew I needed to find methods that could apply to most. Since that day 4 years ago, I lead other similar sessions at an autism center in New York City with children who have varied levels of autism. I lost many hours of sleep, knowing that manufacturing the product would require many hours of unpaid work, manufacturing dollars and intense focus assuming roles from operations, purchasing, the truck driver, marketer, sales person, content provider, and facilitator, MindScent® was manufactured in mid-2019. Despite calculations resulting in thin margins, I knew I just had to "do it." Developing MindScent® was my passion then and it remains so, because what was important to me then will always be important: To use my expertise to bring forth a product to help underserved populations that number crunchers would never had undertaken. My passion to bring MindScent® to fruition was based solely on the very simple principle to help humankind in a beneficial, therapeutic way while doing what I love as a creative thinker and developer. Since manufacturing, I have been selling to schools, autism centers, libraries, universities, hospitals, private practice speech pathologists, occupational therapists and memory care communities. The MindScent® business has survived the pandemic years and our business will only keep expanding. Now.....where are my Wheaties?!
The following is a link to my video on You Tube of the smelling session with Vanessa. The video was taken by her mother, and approved for posting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfDZO6DFwIo
]]>During challenging times I search for inspiration through art, nature, and other outlets such as going back to church in order to continue feeling positive and connected to a better, kinder, and safer world. For years, I've wanted to delve into practicing my creativity and self-expression through the written word, so since we are all still locked inside our homes, I have started this new year publishing posts on Linkedin about creativity and people who have inspired me throughout the years, and what inspires THEM. I hope that you will find some inspiration through these special people I write about, and, if you are not already connected with me on Linkedin please do so, but I'll also post some here on my Shopify site.
My first interview is with none other than a great friend, Venetian Master Perfumer, Lorenzo Dante Ferro who, along with his wife Cindy, adopted me as part of their close knit family when I first arrived in New York at the tender age of 20 while working at my first job in the perfume industry. Much of what I have experienced during the years of knowing Cindy and Lorenzo are connected to scent, and scent memories during many times I've traveled to Italy where they had relocated in the mid 1980s:
-What inspires you when you compose a new formula?
"My inspiration is to be original and always strive to work towards quality no matter what the request may be. My quest is to preserve the noble Venetian Art of Perfumery."
-When do you know a formula is complete?
"When all the ingredients and components are formulated in the most harmonious and refined way."
-Tell us about your new perfumes "Cuore" and "Madre".
"The beautiful city of Parma, Italy was named the City of Culture by Unesco for the years 2020 -2021 and is my mother’s place of birth. *MADRE* which means Mother in Italian, is a perfume I created as a tribute to her and to the first violet fragrance created at the beginning of the 1900’s, Violetta di Parma. It is also dedicated to those harboring a protective and nurturing maternal sense, whether or not they are mothers."
- Please tell us about the memories attached to both.
"At the age of eighteen, my daughter Carolina Maria was a white rose… and now twenty years later, having reached her divine maturity, she will forever be the darkest of all the red petaled roses.. *CUORE CMF*
Memories – as they pertain to Madre: As a young perfumer, my mother suggested to me that I should always use violet in my fine perfume creations, even in small quantities as my special family signature and for the elegance it attributes to my creations…
As they pertain to Cuore CMF: This tall, willowy and precious garden rose captures my daughter Carolina’s beauty to perfection when graced by the sunlight as it reflected her smile and joyous ways."
- Besides your atelier in Gradiscutta di Varmo--just outside of Venice, where else can we find some of your works of art?
"Creation of the entire perfume line Amorvero for the hotel Hassler Roma as well as creation of the entire perfume line of the Caffe Florian in Venice."
Sadly both have passed but their beauty, warmth and smiles are an inspiration as are many moments we shared such as the evening when Madre and Cindy taught me how to make gnocchi back in Parma and laughter filled the air.
Please feel free to comment on what inspires you!
The 12/16 post below is about Dr. Van Houten, an SLP who uses MindScent® with her patients who have either autism, or in this case, a teen with cerebral palsy:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ruthsutcliffe_asha2021-speechtherapy-cerebralpalsy-activity-6877257615777243137-9YQu
Other Updates:
1) I have continued to sell Essential Awakenings® with Dr. Herz Smell Training Guide for people who have anosmia due to COVID-19 or other illnesses.
2) Essential Awakenings® has made its way into a sensory activities program at one of the largest senior living communities for memory care.
3) MindScent® is expanding into schools, universities, autism centers, private practice speech therapists, assisted living communities and even public libraries. They also seem to be a big hit in Australia!
4) MindScent® is being used for various conditions I did not even think about when I developed it: Several parents are using the scents for food desensitization, while others are using it for parosmia, an abnormality in the sense of smell.
5) I was an exhibitor at this years ASHA Convention in Washington, DC and although attendance was a bit lower this year (vs.pre-pandemic (2019), I received a wealth of feedback and follow up purchases from speech therapists nationwide.
6) I have joined the Museum Store Marketplace as a vendor so stores across the USA have an opportunity to view and purchase MindScent® for their gift shops.
What are my goals for 2022? I have developed a Corporate Sustainability Platform for which I will donate a multi-sensory kit in each state across the USA with focus on school districts located in impoverished communities. If you have a school district in mind, please feel free to contact me as the research to identify a school will be quite intensive for this one lady to handle!
Wishing all of you a happy, healthy 2022!
-Ruth
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