The Bach Flower Remedies: A Tool for Transformation

One of the most transformational tools that I have benefited from personally, and as a result have become a practitioner of, are the Bach Flower Remedies.  I was first introduced to the Bach Flower Remedies when I was in the process of recovering from the effects of Fibromyalgia.  I had been on a journey of exploring holistic modalities and nutritional support, as I had not found traditional medicine to be helpful in dealing with this condition.  I would say I was about 70% symptom free at the time that I began to take the Bach Flowers.  It became clear to me at that time that although I had addressed my body and physical symptoms in a variety of ways, the key to healing really lay in dealing with emotional body and the unresolved emotional pain that I was holding.

Around that time, I really dedicated my personal practice to working on healing my emotions and learning to let go.  I found three key patterns that were related to Fibromyalgia.  It has been my experience in my own recovery and in working with individuals dealing with Fibromyalgia over the last decade that these patterns need to be addressed:

1) An inability to let go.  This includes an inability to relax and a tendency to hold onto to difficult feelings and stresses, which then leads to severe tension and rigidity being stored in the physical body.

2) Push, push, crash.  This is a tendency to push so hard, beyond one’s abilities and then become depleted.  It tends to happen in those moments when one feels better or stronger but I have found this to be an overall energetic pattern of Fibromyalgia.  I believe the crux of this pattern tends to stem from perfectionism and a powerful inner critic which continues to drive a person despite physical limitations.

3) Sponginess. This refers to one’s energy field to be depleted, and like a sponge, to have the tendency to absorb others energy and emotions.  Without developing a more stable energy field, it is very difficult to strengthen and heal.

As I was working on these issues, I began to work with a Bach Flower Practitioner, who helped to determine remedies that would support the changes I was trying to create in my life.  I found that within a short time I felt tremendous relief, and within a period of six months, I had profound life changes, ones I never thought were possible.  The remaining physical symptoms I was dealing with were resolved; my overall health and well-being improved dramatically.  Additionally, I felt the greatest sense of serenity, balance and hope that I had ever experienced.  That was 15 years ago.  Since that time I have become a practitioner of the Bach Flowers, working with individuals as well as giving talks and workshops on the subject.  I continue to take the remedies myself as I find them a tool for the times we are in.  They support being more  balanced, grounded and energetically stable.

I will be sharing more about the Bach Flowers in upcoming posts.  I find the remedies themselves are a beneficial tool and the teachings of Dr. Bach, the creator of the Bach Flowers, are inspirational and insightful.  To learn more about Dr. Bach, you can read a previous post, Visionary Voices: Dr. Edward Bach or visit The Bach Centre, the home and workplace of Dr. Bach.  I will also be including a Bach Flower of the Month post to help bring to light the benefits of specific remedies.  Dr. Bach intended the remedies to be accessible to all and used by individuals for themselves and their families.  It can be helpful to work with a practitioner for a period of time as the process is subjective but it is possible to learn to work with the remedies on one’s own.

The Bach Flower Remedies: A Tool for Transformation

The Bach Flower Remedies are a tool for transformation that can assist in moving forward and creating change in one’s life.  They can help to heal old wounds and to assist with new ways of being.  The remedies can facilitate a strengthening of one’s ability move more easily in the world, to have healthier relationships, and to experience greater joy and ease of well-being.

The visionary physician Dr. Edward Bach discovered the thirty-eight remedies, which comprise the Bach Flowers, in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Dr. Bach was well-known in England for his work in the areas of bacteriology and homeopathy.  It was through this work that he began to see a connection between state of mind and the disease process.  He found that if he treated the person’s state of mind, all physical symptoms would disappear, and if he treated early enough, may prevent illness from arising.  He recognized that long-term stress from emotions such as anger, fear or worry can lower a person’s resistance to disease.

Additionally, by studying vibrational medicine and native British flowers, Dr. Bach discovered that certain plant essences have a profound healing effect on the mind.  He observed that the remedies affected a deep personal transformation in his patients’ character and behavior patterns, which not only prevented disease but also left the patient happier and more integrated.  According to Dr. Bach, certain flowers are of a higher order.  He believed that these healing plants addressed disharmony within the mental and spiritual aspects of our being by flooding our energy field with higher frequencies and thereby aligning our whole being.  The remedies actually transmute negative energies into positive ones.  They do not mask the effects of the emotions, but provide a catalyst for change to occur from within us.  He saw this change as necessary for our spiritual growth, and said:

“The action of these essences is to raise our vibrations and open up our channels for the reception of our Spiritual Self, to flood our natures with a particular virtue we need, and wash out from us that fault which is causing harm.  They are able, like beautiful music to raise our very natures, to bring us peace and relieve our sufferings.”

Dr. Bach defined seven main moods, which prevent us from being our true selves and thereby, contribute to disease and suffering in an individual.  These moods include:  Fear, Uncertainty, Insufficient Interest in Present Circumstances, Loneliness, Over-Sensitivity to Influences and Ideas, Despondency or Despair, and Over-care for the Welfare of Others.  Dr. Bach also defines the seven beautiful stages in the healing of disease: Peace, Hope, Joy, Faith, Certainty, Wisdom, and Love.  Treatment with the Bach Flower Remedies essentially floods ones being with these positive qualities, transforming all energies, which limit or restrict one’s true self from being fully expressed.

A Bach Flower Remedy Consultation is done though an interview and detailed questionnaire.  This helps the practitioner to determine core issues and treatment remedies.  It is a collaborative process; the role of the practitioner is to support individuals in learning about themselves and determining remedies can support their process of change.  Most often a combination of five to seven remedies is recommended.  The remedies are taken orally;  2 drops of each core remedy are added to a 1 oz. dropper bottle filled with spring water.  The remedies work vibrationally rather than medicinally and as such are gentle and effective; they can do no harm. They are so gentle that pregnant women, children and even animals can use them.

As the remedies assist in deep transformation and healing, it is important for the individual to be open and willing to address the issues, which may come up for them.  The remedies teach us how to resolve issues and heal, but we must be willing to listen to the voice of our own soul.  It is important to remember that the Bach Flower Remedies, like any alternative modality, assist in our transformation.  It is up to the individual to be responsible for and to direct his or her own healing process.

The Bach Flower Remedies are a powerful catalyst for healing and change.  In addition to supporting change and transition, they have been beneficial in relieving chronic pain, anxiety, depression, fatigue and grief.  Whether you are already in a period of transition or wish to create changes but are feeling stuck, the Bach Flowers can support your movement into new ways of being.  Although determined by the emotions, the remedies support transformation and growth on all levels – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, the Bach Flower Remedies may have something to offer you:

• Are you going through a major or minor life transition?
• Do you feel tired and exhausted?
• Are you looking for direction in your life?
• Are you feeling stuck?
• Do you have pain that won’t go away no matter what you do?
• Are you sensitive emotionally and energetically?
• Are you aware that other people or situations drain your energy?
• Are you ready to step forward in you healing process?

One of the major benefits of the Bach Flower Remedies for our current times is the effect they have on the energy field.  In addition to supporting transmutation of specific emotions and personality traits, the remedies also help to strengthen and stabilize our energy fields.  In order to maneuver in the world in 2012, it is critical to find tools and practices that support our inner stability.  The Bach Flowers Remedies offer such tool and can be a valuable transformational resource.

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Come explore!

Bach Flower Remedy consultations and treatments are offered as part of One-on-One Shamanic Transformational Sessions & Programs virtually via Zoom or in person in Annapolis, Maryland and the Washington, DC area. Learn more about One-on-One Sessions & Programs with Beth Shekinah.

Beth Shekinah Terrence is a BFRP (Bach Flower Registered Practitioner) through the Bach Centre in the UK and is a Bach Flower Remedy instructor through BIEP (Bach International Education Program). She is passionate about sharing and teaching about the remedies and their incredible benefits for life and well-being. Learn more about Bach Flower Remedy Courses.