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WellSpring
Practice Guides
Bach Flower Remedies
The term ‘Flower Remedy’ refers
to the products developed by Dr Edward Bach, a London bacteriologist
and homoeopath. ‘Flower Essences’ are products devised
by various people following on from Dr Bach’s work.
Dr Bach
became disillusioned with the side effects of drug therapies
and turned his research to the healing power of nature. He believed
that illness was a result of mental or emotional balance
and that the unique energetic property of a plant could be used
to rectify an imbalance and restore the awareness of ‘wholeness’.
Using
the homoeopathic law of potentisation, he reasoned that the healing
effects of plants might also be contained in the morning dew found
on their flowers.
Dr Bach
believed that harmful emotions were the main cause of disease and
he classified the various emotions into seven main categories.
These seven categories were then divided further into 38 negative
feelings. Each negative emotion is associated with a particular
plant. He also developed a compound of five flowers called Rescue
Remedy to be used in emergency situations or for trauma.
The Seven Emotional Categories and Sub-Categories
- Fearfulness
- Terror and nightmares
- Known fears and shyness
- Uncontrollable rage
and impulses
- Vague fears and apprehension
- Excessive fear on behalf
of family and friends
- Uncertainty
- Lack of confidence
in decision making
- Indecision and mood
swings
- Hesitation and past
disappointments
- Despair and hopelessness
- Tiredness and procrastination
- Dissatisfaction and
lack of motivation
- Lack of interest in
present circumstances
- Lack of concentration
and escapism
- Nostalgia and homesickness
- Apathy and resignation
- Lack of vitality and
exhaustion
- Worry
- Melancholy
- Failure to learn from
mistakes
- Loneliness
- Aloofness and reserve
- Impatience
- Self-obsession, self-absorption
and excessive desire for companionship
- Over-sensitivity
- Concealed problems
- Anxiety to please
- Periods of transition
- Negative feelings such
as hatred or envy
- Despondence and despair
- Lack of self-confidence
- Guilt and self-reproach
- Sense of overwhelming
responsibility
- Unbearable anguish
- Shock and grief
- Resentment and bitterness
- Losing the strength
to fight
- Feeling ashamed or
unclean
- Over-concern for welfare
of others
- Possessiveness, selfishness,
self-pity and over-protectiveness towards others
- Argumentative and overbearing
- Ruthless and dictatorial
- Critical and intolerant
- Self-denial and narrow-mindedness
Flower Remedies and Essences are liquid preparations created by boiling parts
of plants in spring water or by placing the flowers onto the surface of spring
water and leaving them to infuse by natural sunlight for a period of time. After
these processes, the water is preserved in brandy. Bach Flower Remedies are made
of flowers found mostly in Britain. The Remedies are intended for self-help use,
although many practitioners from other disciplines also prescribe their use.
The Remedies are sold in concentrated form and the method of use is either by
placing drops directly on the tongue, or by diluting them in liquid.
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