Bach Flower Remedies

Bridging the Gap with Flower Remedies

Case Study
Linda Webber

Bach Flower Remedy Practitioner

Dr Edward Bach understood that where there was ‘dis-ease’ in the body, there was lack of harmony within the personality. As a respected and highly successful medical practitioner, he felt that the conventional forms of medical treatment for his patients were inadequate, and often presented a new set of symptoms to be dealt with. He spent many years researching vaccines and found that these, too, had unwanted side-effects. A highly sensitive person himself, Dr Bach began working with Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homeopathy, but found this form of treatment also lacked what he was seeking – a completely natural form of treatment with no side-effects whatsoever.

Dr Bach firmly believed that Nature held the answer, and refined his work with homeopathy. He came to the realisation that the finer vibration of the plant, the essence of the flower, could be captured in a homeopathic-type preparation where the imprint of the flower’s healing properties were captured in the water and potentised by the sun’s life-giving energy.

Many people are familiar with Rescue Remedy™, Dr Bach’s most popular flower remedy formula, yet feel their understanding of Flower Therapy is quite limited. Through our common understanding of flowers and their meanings, we all know more than we realise.

In the Language of Flowers, we know that the rose represents love. In the language of Flower Therapy, the flower essences of the Rose family relates to aspects of love. The colour of a flower also provides indications of its properties. Purple flowers relate to spiritual energy and the crown chakra, whereas red flowers are often related to action and more physical aspects of life.

It is with these basic, yet often traditional uses of flowers, that we are further able to understand the Essence of the plant. For example, Aloe as a herb is used to treat hot and inflamed physical conditions and as a flower remedy Aloe helps those who are ‘hot-headed’ to maintain a cool and calm disposition, and assists in cooling the body. The leaves of Aspen quiver, as if trembling, even on the stillest of days. The flower remedy of Aspen is for the vague and unknown fears, the thoughts of “what if?” Those who need Aspen display these characteristics in their behaviour. The Doctrine of Signatures, the ancient system of recognising a plant's properties by observing its shape and form, also gives indications of the qualities of a flower's essence. Yarrow and Dill flowers resemble umbrellas, and both remedies are protective to the aura and the senses. As the Kangaroo Paw flowers, it blooms from a tight-lipped mouth to an elongated throat that reaches out and opens up to you. The essence of the plant encourages one to communicate openly and with a welcoming spirit.

More clues to the qualities of a flower’s essence can be found in its name. Water Violet reminds us of the shrinking violet, and is for those who are shy and reserved. Impatiens is the flower remedy for impatience, not just on the physical level, but for impatience on a soul level. This remedy is said to be Dr Bach’s personality type as he was constantly working long hours to research his findings, driven by a pure desire to find a holistic healing system for his patients.

Dr Bach’s foundation work on Flower Therapy has opened the doorway for many practitioners to expand upon his research, understanding and development of flower remedies. There are those who believe that Dr Bach’s original set of flower remedies cover every aspect of emotional, mental and spiritual imbalance. I believe had he lived a longer life he would have brought into being many more remedies for our use today.

Many are also are of the opinion that we would benefit most by taking remedies made from plants that are indigenous to the country and area in which we live. With modernization we find that very few of us live in our native country, therefore I feel we cannot limit ourselves to one range of remedies.

It has been my personal experience that the Bach flower remedies have a gentler impact than those of the Australian bush. Why? If you look at the weather conditions in both countries, England’s weather is quite mild and making a flower remedy takes longer due to the lack of intensity in the heat of the sun. Australia’s landscape, its diversity and its weather, is by contrast quite dramatic. The indigenous Peoples of Australia also have a very strong affinity with the land on which they live. I have found through years of using and preparing a variety of flower remedies, that the harsher the environment, the more ‘punch’ the flower remedy will have. For some, like Dr Bach, this impact may be too great. My personal experiences with many of the Australian native flower remedies is that they have quite a dramatic physical impact, whereas the English flower remedies are ‘softer’.

Being a sensitive person like Dr Bach, I find myself drawn to particular plants for the making of its essence. It is not surprising to see how these remedies are being called into being as they have their time and place in our society to balance the needs of today.

Case studies 1 - 3

Woman, aged 52, caretaking elderly parents. The whole family has a history of narcolepsy and constant nightmares throughout the night, every night. Father has CFS, and his nightmares sometimes hold memories of war times. Puts others before himself and is unable to continue supporting his demanding wife. Mother is demanding of the time and attention of others, and becomes easily depressed. Daughter is trying to take care of her parents while taking care of her own health issues and personal need for time alone.

I prepared a remedy for the Daughter of Rescue Remedy™ to help her stay calm throughout the day and night, Centaury to help her say “no” and not be so compromising of herself for others, Rock Rose for the terror associated with nightmares, Mugwort for invasive dreams, and Red Chestnut for her oversensitivity to the needs of her parents.

For the Father I prepared a remedy of Rock Rose for the terror of nightmares, Mugwort to stop his dreaming from overtaking his sleep, Nashi to help him stay ‘unruffled’ and to dissolve shock, Centaury to encourage him to take care of his own needs first, Olive to provide deep soulful nurturing for this long-term situation, and Hornbeam to restore his physical energy levels.

The Mother’s remedy consisted of Heather for constantly seeking attention through illness and fear of being lonely, Chicory for her demanding and controlling behaviour, Rock Rose for the terror if nightmares, Mugwort for excessive dreaming, Mustard for depression, and Thyme which assists with the passage of time so that ‘time’ is not an issue.

The daughter contacted me within a few weeks saying she couldn’t believe the difference. They were all sleeping well and hadn’t been having their usual night of nightmares. The Mother allowed her daughter time on her own, and was less demanding and quite content to sit by herself (this was completely new to the family). The Father started to regain his energy and sense of self, as he was no longer so entangled in the emotions of his wife. The whole family dynamic shifted, and now the Mother is pursuing alternative therapies with a true desire to be well.

I added a complimentary flower remedy spray to use as needed in times of low energy, to which I added Cayenne to restore interest in one’s life, Hornbeam, Tansy to prevent procrastination (this issue had developed due to their constant lack of energy), Lemon to lighten and brighten their moods, and Borage for courage and optimism.

The Mother was surprised the flower remedies would work so well. They had a doctor’s appointment and were going to cancel as they were feeling a little tired. The Daughter sprayed this remedy over them as they were walking out the door, and they not only went to the doctor’s but also went shopping for hours afterwards! Now the whole family wants to make sure they never run out of their bottles of drops.

Case Study 4

Young Mother in early 40’s and her 12 year old Daughter recently experienced a traumatic separation. The Mother and her boyfriend had been together nearly 4 years, had purchased property together and everything was just ‘perfect’. The Daughter was happy to have a new Dad (she never knew her father) and they were all living ‘happily ever after’ until he changed his mind and moved out. Both were in shock, heartbroken, and felt betrayed. The sadness was overwhelming them both.

I prepared a remedy of Gentian for healing their sadness at losing their loved one, Walnut to help them break the emotional link, Red Chestnut as they were both oversensitive to the other’s emotions, Nashi for an unshakeable inner calmness that once was so natural to them and to help dissolve shock, Aztec Lily to pick up one’s life and start anew, and Echinacea to restore a sense of wholeness where they had felt shattered.

Within a week they had both let go of their emotional hurt and were optimistic and planning their new life together – just the two of them again. They both had completely overcome their sense of betrayal, no longer felt shocked by the suddenness of the situation, and were back to their bright and happy selves again.

Case Study 5

Young Woman aged 18 with intense menstrual cramps, emotional outbursts and difficult monthly cycles. She would cry most of the day, lying in bed in pain.

I prepared a remedy with Rescue Remedy™ to calm her, Scleranthus to balance her hormones, Olive for the pain and tension she felt, Gentian for the teariness, Mustard for the depression, and Dandelion to encourage her to rest more.

I suggested she begin taking the remedy 7 days prior to menstruation. Her cycles softened and she became more physically comfortable with the changes she experienced. She no longer spent the day in bed or in tears, and she became easier on herself during this time of the month and worked less overtime.

Case Study 6

Young Man aged 35 recently separated from his partner of 8 years. He was ridden with guilt that the relationship break-up was all his fault. He felt he hadn’t done enough, yet also knew that for his partner, his best was never enough. She was desperate for a child and demanded he change his priorities to meet her fears. Nothing he did was ever enough and he felt a failure. He felt unable to communicate with her as he didn’t want to upset her further.

I prepared a remedy of Rose Myrtle to flood his heart with love for self and others, Hyssop to dissolve the guilt he had taken on, Agrimony to help him speak his truth without fear of conflict, Centaury to help him see how much he had been martyring himself, Beech for his constant criticism of self (his mother demanded nothing short of perfection, as did his girlfriend), and White Chestnut to quieten his mind as all he did was think about what he could have done.

Three weeks later he was feeling quite free and vibrant, having shed his self-criticism and no longer listening to the self-talk going around in his mind. He had stated his personal needs and feelings, and although he shocked himself in being so forthright, he felt much more empowered and accepting of the outcome of their relationship. He now holds no regrets and is thoroughly enjoying his life as a single man.

© Linda Webber, Sacred Space Essentials 2006

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About Linda Webber

Linda, who lives in Bellingen, Australia , is a certified Bach Flower Remedy Practitioner of 16 years, experienced in Dr. Bach's original remedies and her own range of Flower and Vibrational Essences for people, their pets, and plants.

Founder of Sacred Space Essentials, Linda is dedicated to the research and development of Flower Remedies and Vibrational Therapy.  Her vision is to promote the everyday use of flower and vibrational remedies to enhance all aspects of the life we live.

Visit her website for further information, products and services on Flower Remedies. She is also available for Personal Consultations

http://www.sacred-space.com.au

info@sacred-space.com.au

PO Box 367 Bellingen NSW, 2454 Australia
Ph: + 61 2 6655 0676