In this blog post I’m going to share with you something that has dramatically changed my life for the better: Bach Flower Therapy.
Bach Flower Therapy is the use of Bach Flower Essences to modulate and realign one’s psycho-emotional state, leaving a greater ability to navigate life’s challenges with success and enjoyment. Renowned Bach Flower Therapy pioneer, Mechthild Scheffer, has referred to this system as “soul therapy through flower energy”.
Let’s first discuss a little of the history of this therapeutic system …
Dr. Edward Bach was a British physician, bacteriologist, immunologist and homeopath who was primarily active in the 1920s and 1930s. During his professional journey, he began to “observe the psychic components in physical illnesses, which leads to his understanding that they are tied to certain personality types and to specific negative reaction patterns of our human nature.”(1) He began to notice that people with similar personalities would respond in similar ways to physical illnesses. With this discovery, he devoted the remainder of his professional life developing his system of healing that matches the energetic vibrational patterns of personality types and emotional states with corresponding healing plants. His goal was to discover/create/curate a democratic system of holistic healing with no negative effects and very little financial cost. He wanted anyone who wanted it to be able to administer their own ‘medicine’; to be in charge of their own well-being.
Over the course of his life he discovered 38 total flower essences that correspond with as many personality types/emotional states within the human experience. Dr. Bach considered his system to be complete at the time of his death in 1936. Other practitioners have gone on to develop more flower essences, but these are separate from Dr. Bach’s original system.
Bach Flower Therapy is vibrational medicine. It does not treat specific physical disorders or diseases. Instead, it treats misalignments and incongruencies in the psycho-emotional states of each person taking the remedies. According to Ms. Scheffer, “the states described by Bach are archetypal behavior patterns of human nature; they aren’t symptoms of illness.” “Bach Flower Essences,” she goes on to share, “work as subtle, nonmaterial impulses. They communicate information through specific, high vibrations that stimulate our emotional and mental self-healing forces.”
Another way of framing how this system works is to say that it treats misalignments between the Soul’s natural guidance and the choices dictated by the Ego. When we cease to listen to our inner guidance, we create a misalignment or disharmony in our energetic field. This, in turn, negatively affects our mental, emotional and physical health. So, to address these imbalances at the more subtle levels makes it much easier to find effective and efficient healing than waiting until it becomes a full-blown physical disease with debilitating symptoms. Bach Flower Therapy is a way to apply medicine at the source.
In my own life, Bach Flower Therapy has played a significant role in improving the state of my health and well-being. When I notice certain uncomfortable psycho-emotional states beginning to creep into my awareness, I simply find the appropriate remedy and begin taking it right away. It feels to me like taking one of Harry Potter’s Liquid Luck potions. It just makes everything feel better.
As previously mentioned, one of the really beautiful things about Bach Flower Therapy is that there are no negative side effects from taking a remedy. They are also compatible with other forms of treatment, therapy and medication. These remedies can be given to adults, children, infants, animals and even plants to positive effect. The worse that can happen when partaking of Bach Flower Therapy is that the wrong plants would be chosen and the remedy would have no effect. That’s why it’s important to conduct a thorough consultation prior to choosing a remedy. This helps ensure the proper plants are chosen for the given circumstances.
How are Bach Flower Remedies taken? The regular dosage is to take 4 drops of remedy under the tongue, four times a day. In heightened circumstances when a psycho-emotional response is feeling particular strong and/or overwhelming, a remedy can be taken more frequently, in ten minute intervals until the crisis has passed and calm has been restored. The length of time needed on a remedy to complete the realignment process is a very individual one and varies person to person and circumstance to circumstance. However, it is commonly found that 3 weeks on a remedy is sufficient for noticeable positive effects on acute issues, and 3 months on a remedy can offer noticeable relief from more chronic imbalances.
Remedies should only be taken one at a time. Taking more than one remedy simultaneously can have the effect of muddying the waters and rendering all remedies ineffectual.
The one outlier remedy is the one used for emergencies. Dr. Bach's version of this is called Rescue Remedy. I have my own version called Life Preserver. This remedy does not follow the usual dosage schedule, and it can be used in conjunction with other remedies already being taken. It is intended to be taken during emergencies, crisis situations or other moments of extreme stress/distress. When in a heightened situation such as these, the emergency remedy can be taken in ten minute intervals until the crisis has passed and calm has been restored.
If you are curious about Bach Flower Therapy, or would like to experience their magickal healing benefits for yourself, consider booking a consultation with me. Your first remedy is free with your first consultation. Here’s to finding more alignment, health and vitality in life!
(1) The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy, Mechthild Scheffer, Healing Arts Press, 2001