Flower Essences
Who doesn't like flowers? As philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "the earth laughs in flowers," and indeed, they uplift us with their very presence!
So now, welcome to this very special section devoted to the emotionally healing power of flowers! As a trained FLOWER ESSENCE teacher and practitioner, I’m honored to introduce anyone interested in learning more about how they can help you reach and maintain emotional well- being.
I must admit to playing favorites when it comes to choosing botanical remedies. As much as I tout the healing power of herbs and enjoy the unique benefits of essential oils, my “go to” for natural healing more often than not starts with flower essence therapy. This is because it is a safe, gentle, and effective method that supports emotional wellness.
I always begin a discussion on this subject by explaining not what flower essences are but what they are not. People can become understandably confused by the term “flower.” There are indeed herbal remedies extracted from flowers like marigold, chamomile and hawthorn. Many essential oils like lavender and rose are obviously sourced from flowers as well. Both methods help with emotional as well as physical issues.
The difference here is that a flower essence (unlike an herbal tincture or an essential oil) is a highly diluted substance, a form of energy medicine that works strictly on a vibrational level to balance a troubled emotion.
The belief around this concept is if such an imbalance is left unchecked, it would sooner or later likely manifest as a physical ailment. When a physical condition already exists, flower essences can alter one’s emotional perspective in a positive way that helps to expedite the healing process.
The credit for this modality goes to Dr. Edward Bach, a conventional, London based physician who in the 1930’s became convinced that the medicine of his day was missing something. He insisted that all physical disease has an emotional component, and the patient’s mental/emotional state and personality needs to be taken into consideration as part of the treatment.
As you might guess, this was considered outrageous at the time. But despite being ridiculed and eventually ostracized by his colleagues, he persisted with this notion and went on to create his own popular natural healing system of flower remedies which is now distributed and used worldwide.
Today there are a variety of flower essence systems to work with, and you can even make your own. Bach limited his original system to 38 individual remedies, and each is meant to balance a particular emotion such as fear, resentment, disappointment, and the list goes on. There is one stress relief formula included that combines of 5 of the 38. The other single remedies can be used alone or mixed to make customized formulas depending on the individual and/or situation.
They are recommended for people, animals and even plants, and because they work on a vibrational level, they are non-invasive and don’t interact with other medications.
As a BFRP (Bach Flower Registered Practitioner) for over twelve years I use these remedies almost daily on family, friends and pets.
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