Flower Essences
“When we come to the problem of healing, we can understand that this will have to keep pace with the times and change its methods from those of gross materialism to those of a science founded upon the realities of truth and governed by the same divine laws that rule our very natures. Healing will pass from the domain of physical methods of treating the physical body to that of spiritual and mental healing, which by bringing about harmony between the Soul and the mind will eradicate the very basic cause of disease and then allow such physical means to be used as may be necessary to complete the cure of the body.”
These are the words and the vision of Dr. Edward Bach, a physician of the early 1900’s who discovered and developed the Bach Flower Remedies. His goal was to find a method of healing that helped us to harmonize our inner and outer being and was simple enough for anyone to use for themselves.
Born in 1886, Dr Bach studied medicine and became a licensed physician studying bacteriology and immunology. He recognized the connection between certain types of bacteria in the colon and chronic disease and isolated and prepared different types of these bacteria as homeopathic bowel nosodes after finding the work of Dr Samuel Hahnemann in 1918.
However he wasn’t happy with the nature of his remedies and didn’t want to continue using the “diseased bacteria”, instead searching for a “more pure” way of healing. In time he observed similar patterns of psychic, emotional and mental imbalances among patients with the same or similar chronic diseases. In 1930, at the peak of his medical career, Dr Bach sold his medical practice and laboratory in London, so he could concentrate fully on studying the different personality types and negative emotional states and finding the corresponding balancing and healing plants. Together with his assistant Nora Weeks, he developed the Bach flower essences between 1930 and 1936. He declared his work finished in September of 1936 and planned to start travelling and teaching about his remedies but he died in his sleep on November 27, 1936.
A common mistake is to confuse Flower Essences with Essential Oils, but they are made and used completely differently.
- Essential oils are distilled
- Flower essences are imprinted into spring water using the sun or by boiling water (depending on the plant)
The Bach flower essences are considered a homeopathic remedy by some, and a subtle or vibrational remedy by others. Once the flower essence has been imprinted into spring water, it is then preserved with brandy to form a mother tincture, and then diluted further with brandy to create small bottles of stock tincture, which are then taken by adding drops into a personal mix, in spring water. This personal mix can be added to a drink, a room spray, a diffuser, or rubbed on your skin.
Bach flower remedies focus solely on emotional states and behaviour patterns, not on physical symptoms. There are 38 remedies plus the “Rescue Remedy”; a mix of 5 of the remedies that is specifically formulated for shock and trauma.
When using Bach flowers, they are rarely used alone. Instead I create a personal mix of remedies for you after an hour session together. This mix is a combination of different flower remedies we’ve chosen together based on your current emotional/mental state. The flower remedies aren’t meant to be “prescribed”. A Bach flower practitioner is more of a facilitator, someone to present to you several options based on a discussion around your feelings.
As a Bach flower practitioner, I often talk about our feelings like a rose coming into bloom: Perhaps you feel all tightly closed up like a rose bud: layers and layers of feelings and emotions packed on top of each other.
I first suggest remedies that seem the most applicable to what you’re dealing with now. Then, after a few weeks, when new layers open up and new, deeper things come to light, we discuss again, and recommend new remedies again. Eventually you may find that you rarely need to use Bach flowers, perhaps only occasionally using a remedy that suits your personality type when you feel out of balance, or a new remedy when a situation causes a new emotional upset.
What does a Flower Essence Consult Look Like?
The flower essences were created as a remedy that anyone could use for themselves. Dr Bach was known to say it should be simple enough that “when one is hungry, they reach for lettuce, and when they’re fearful, they reach for mimulus.”
The purpose of a Bach flower practitioner is not to be an expert on what you need in your situation but to help you sift through your situation to uncover your underlying emotions and create a blend of flower essences with you to help bring you back into balance.
During our one hour meeting together, I listen to your story and help you sift through the “what’s happening” part of the story to the underlying emotions that are affecting your life. We discuss what you’re hoping to resolve, and where you’re wanting to see more balance and a better perspective in your life. During the meeting, I’ll suggest several flower remedies that my help with the feelings and emotions we’ve discussed, and together we choose a handful that feel the most applicable to you. After our meeting together, I will create a personal mix from the flower essences you chose and send this to you.
I recommend that we have a follow up meeting three weeks after our initial visit to discuss how you’re feeling, if anything new has surfaced since you’ve been taking the flower essences, and if we need to revise your mix.
Everyone has a unique experience with Bach Flower remedies. Some people notice a shift in their outlook and their life immediately, others don’t notice anything until weeks later when they look back and realize that they haven’t been bothered by certain emotions for a while. For others, its their friends and family that notice “something’s different” before they do, and for some, it’s a very gentle shift and they don’t notice much at all.
Bach Flower Remedies do not have any side effects, nor do they interact with any herbs or pharmaceuticals.