Thus, behind all disease lie our fears, our anxieties, our greed, our likes and dislikes. Let us seek these out and heal them, and with the healing of them will go the disease from which we suffer.
Dr Edward Bach
I have been using Bach Flower remedies since I was a child; I want to share with you how these little bottles of flower essences can support your emotional wellbeing. They are particularly useful if you are doing therapy or coaching with others, as we can unconsciously take on the emotional states of our clients.
Bach Flower Remedies are a system of natural remedies developed by Dr. Edward Bach, a British physician and homeopath, in the 1930s. The remedies are made from flower essences were developed to address emotional and mental states that may be affecting a person's physical health.
A brief introduction: Dr Edward Bach believed that the emotions and personalities were the key to true health.
"The mind being the most delicate and sensitive part of the body, shows the onset and the course of disease much more definitely than the body, so that the outlook of the mind is chosen as the guide as to which remedy or remedies are necessary."
Bach, Edward. Writings of Dr Edward Bach: Heal Thyself & The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies. Kindle Edition.
Dr Edward Bach was ahead of his time; he perceived that the true cause of disease was based on the conflict of an emotional or spiritual nature deep within the individual. In fact many orthodox doctors now recognise the influence of the mind on health; with the use of CBT and EMDR as common interventions to improve health.
There are 38 individual flower remedies, each of which is associated with a specific emotional or mental state. For example, the remedy "Mimulus" is used to address fear of known things, while "Rock Rose" is used to address extreme terror or panic.
The remedies are not designed to be in conflict with allopathic medicine, nor replace it. In fact, they are designed to work alongside it (at a different level), in the hands of the individual themselves; a system of 'self-help' that does not interfere with medical treatment. There are three guiding principles in working with the Bach System:
- Simplicity
- Treat the person
- Look at and treat what you see today
Onion-peeling process: treat what is apparent on the surface, when that layer has been resolved, the next will show itself, allowing the mind and body to heal one layer at a time, gently and simply:
The remedies are usually taken orally, either directly under the tongue or diluted in water. They are believed to work by addressing negative emotions and restoring balance to a person's emotional and mental state.
‘Our work is steadfastly to adhere to the simplicity and purity of this method of healing.’
Download the Bach Flower information PDF ♡
For more information about the Bach Flower Introductory Course please click HERE
References:
I try to keep many of the references using journals to 'open access' so that readers have the choice of reading further if they wish to, however some are behind publisher paywalls, which I can access being part of a University, but the public cannot. Other references are books and occasionally web-links.
Ball, Stefan. Principles of Bach Flower Remedies (Discovering Holistic Health) (p. 20). Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Kindle Edition.
BACH, E. (2018) Heal thyself: An explanation of the real cause and cure of disease. S.l.: READ BOOKS.