How do flower essences work?

Flower essences are tools for transformation, catalysts for change

They work by enhancing the positive aspects of the qualities of mind, emotion and personality. By flooding a person with positive qualities the negative aspects or lack of positive are dissolved, and health is restored.

We all have many qualities of emotion and personality. Dr Bach described the main 38 first-level ones. These are qualities such as love, faith, optimism in adversity, tolerance, being gentle with yourself, decisiveness and so on. Such qualities can be either fully present, totally lacking, or part present. When we are healthy and all is in balance, each quality is shining out to its full potential. Of course, we are all different and have differing measures of each quality to reflect our individual and unique make-up.

Sometimes the quality no longer shines out strongly, but goes negative. Each quality has its opposite, or the state which occurs when the quality is absent - for nature will always fill a vacuum.

The reverse of love is jealousy, envy, revenge, suspicion and greed, summed up in the word hatred. (Holly)
The opposite of faith is discouragement and despondency. (Gentian)
The counterpart of optimism in adversity is bitterness and resentment. (Willow)
The opposite of tolerance is intolerance. (Beech)
The reverse of decisiveness is indecision. (Scleranthus)

Taking the flower essences puts back the positive aspects of a quality, shifting you from negative to positive or from left to right on a graph.

A useful analogy is that we all have a bright light shining from within us out onto the world. This light shines through different windows, each representing a particular quality. Sometimes the windows are misted up, covered with cobwebs, or the shutters are closed. Taking the appropriate remedy gradually opens the shutters, blows away the cobwebs and unmists the glass, allowing the light to shine out in full brightness again.

Sometimes the light shines out quickly again as a temporary blockage is dissolved. Sometimes it takes longer, as when the block is deeper and more long-standing. Other times, all appears well for the present, but the stain of a blockage originating five, ten, or twenty years ago needs wiping clean. The process is exactly the same in each case - the difference is in duration and frequency of treatment.

Natalie

Seven year-old Natalie kept getting headaches and stomach pains, before or during school. She had been unhappy at school: most days taking her there was a major battle. She felt vulnerable in the crowd of children at morning assembly. She wouldn't eat at school. She often cried at night.

Her teacher wrote to me asking for Natalie to be referred to a Child Psychiatrist as a case of 'school refusal'. The letter said "Natalie is a keen, intelligent girl who mixes well with her peers and has no problems with learning. She continually complains of stomach pain at school, or before coming to school in the morning. Her mother reports that Natalie does not always eat or drink properly, and that you have not found any physical cause for her problems.

"We feel that the problem could possibly stem from Natalie setting herself unrealistic goals and bringing anxieties on herself when not achieving, or thinking she does not achieve, these targets. We feel that a Child Psychiatrist might be able to offer some assistance in resolving the situation, and hope you can offer Natalie an appointment with him as soon as possible."

Natalie's mother had previously heard of Rescue Remedy and was willing to give Flower essences a try before referral for professional help. We chose the Bach remedies Gentian, Larch, Mustard, Rock Rose and Willow.

Natalie took the remedies six times a day. Within five days there had been a complete change in her. She had regained her confidence and was happy at school. Her stomach and headaches had disappeared. Even the neighbours told me, some weeks later, what an unbelievable change there had been.

Gentian brings the quality of unshakeable confidence in difficult circumstances, dissolving despondency and depression from known challenges.

Larch draws up full confidence from deep within, when on the surface it has evaporated to the point where one gives up trying, certain in advance of failure.

Mustard restores happiness and joy, dissolving those sudden depressions which come on for no reason, and then go again just as quickly, like the shadow from a dark cloud in a blue sky.

Rock Rose brings tremendous calm, releasing the paralysing feeling of terror that a threat can bring.

Willow restores the quality of optimism despite challenges. The emotion that Willow dispels is that of resentment, bitterness and self-pity. "Why me?" "It's not fair."