What are Bach Flower Remedies?
by Rebecca Gordon
Bach Flower Remedies were introduced in the 1930s by the English Physician and
Homeopath Dr. Edward Bach and can be most easily defined as natural remedies
for the emotions. Unlike conventional medicine, the flower remedies do not work
to treat physical complaints, but instead work on balancing the emotions of the
indivdual. They can be used to help the fight against illness by addressing the
negative emotions which can impede our physical healing or alternatively they
can be used at times of stress and anxiety to prevent physical illness. The
link between mind and body has long been documented and balancing the mind and
body is a vital step in maintaining our physical health.Dr Bach believed that disease was the result of imbalance between mind, body
and soul and committed his life to developing a "medicine of the future" which
could be used by everyone to treat themselves. During the course of his short
career, Dr. Bach developed 38 remedies in total. 37 of the 38 remedies are
prepared from wild flowers and trees blossoms, the other remedy is made from
water derived from a natural spring containing healing properties. Each remedy
works to treat a specific emotion and mental state. Through his life work, Dr
Bach established that there are 38 principal human emotions, most of which
every one of us will feel at some stage during our life. Problems can occur
when our emotions become out of balance and cause negative attitudes, often as
a result of a specific event or trigger. Dr Bach divided the flower remedies
into seven groups of fundamental emotions: fear, uncertainty, insufficient
interest in present circumstances, loneliness, over-sensitivity to influences
and ideas, despondency or despair, over-care for the welfare of others.
How to take Bach Flower Remedies?
When choosing the correct flower remedies for you it is important to consider
how you are feeling at that particular moment in time. It is possible for more
than one remedy to be suitable at any one time and a remedy bottle containing a
combination of 6 or 7 remedies can be prepared if this is the case. Bach Flower
Remedies are completely safe for everyone to take, even pregnant women, babies
and children can take the remedies without complication. 4 drops of the remedy
should be taken 4 times a day. The drops can be added to drinks, food, dropped
directly onto the skin or under the tongue. If the incorrect remedy is chosen
it will not be harmful, at worst case it will simply not have an effect.
How do the flower remedies work?
The flower remedies aim to balance negative emotions by transforming them into
positive emotions. They do not suppress negative emotions, but instead the
negative emotions are removed by encouraging the corresponding positive
emotion. For example, if you are suffering from a lack of confidence and fear
of failure, the relevant remedy would be taken to increase confidence and
remove feelings of despondency. The remedies are invaluable for restoring
emotional balance before symptoms of physical ailments appear. They allow us to
take a step back from our emotions and deal with them in a more positive way.
There have been various theories over the years as to how exactly the flower
remedies can work to restore our out-of-balance emotions and indeed it is still
not fully clear. One theory is that the flower remedies work to subtly change
our own energy or vibrations, other theories are that the flower remedies
trigger chemical releases in the brain which cause our emotions to change. What
is clear however is that Bach Flower Remedies are an extremely subtle and
effective way of putting our emotions back on track.
About the author:This article was written by Rebecca Gordon. Rebecca is a Bach Flower Remedies
and Indian Head Massage practitioner who practices at New Dimensions, a "new
age" book and gift gallery in Stones Corner, Brisbane. She also produces the
Flower for Health range of flower remedies. She can be contacted on: 0422
696956 (Australia). Rebecca also has a very informative website www.pygmypossum.com.au
