Emotional Healing with Bach Flower Remedies
by Laurel Bay

Bach flower remedies is a simple, natural healing system that anyone can use for improved emotional health and well-being. Each Bach flower remedy has a unique vibrational signature that helps to release blocked emotional energy. For example, if you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities, Dr. Bach’s Elm remedy will help you regain a sense of confidence and control. Or, if sometimes you find it hard to say “no” to another, Centaury will support you to be courageous and assertive.

I have taken a personalised blend of remedies over the last two years, as well as single remedies for life’s every day ups and downs, and as a result of this personal familiarity with the system, I have come to think of each remedy as a good friend, a wise teacher, and a trusted guide. When I feel off balance, I count on the remedies, as do millions around the world, to help me regain my balance and come home to myself.

The Bach flower system was discovered in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a noted English physician, bacteriologist, and homeopath. The system is made up of thirty-eight remedies, each prepared from the flowers of a wild plant, tree, or bush. Every plant carries a vibrational signature, a signature that is transferred to water when the remedy is made. Many remedies are made by floating flower petals in spring water in direct sunlight for a few hours. For woodier plants, such as Aspen, Willow, and Elm, flowers, stems and twigs are boiled for half an hour. Then the water carries the energy of the flower.

Some of the plants used to make Bach flower remedies continue to grow wild in the garden of Dr. Bach’s home in England. Other plants used in the remedies continue to grow wild and are harvested from the English countryside where Dr. Bach found the original flowers.

Healing with the clean, pure, beautiful agents of nature is surely the one method of all which appeals to most of us. —Dr. Edward Bach

One of the most important principles of Dr. Bach’s work and the Bach flower essence system is simplicity. He intended for his essences to be a self-help system, available to, and understood by all. Information about Bach flowers is widely available in books and on the internet, so a person may easily choose one or more remedies to address a current situation. Bach flowers cannot harm a person—they only contain water to carry the signature of the plant and brandy to preserve the remedy.

But we all know that the emotional dynamics in each of our lives are complex and have many layers, and sometimes it can be hard to see the forest for the trees. During the times when we are having difficulty seeing the bigger picture, a trained Bach flower practitioner can listen to you and provide information and recommendations about which flower remedies most closely match your current emotional state.

Bach flower practitioners understand the subtle distinctions between remedies and the ways individual remedies work and interact with one another. A practitioner can create blends of several flower remedies for a person, given all the aspects of her/his emotional life.

Many people are aware of Dr. Bach’s emergency formula, widely known as Rescue© Remedy, a blend of five flower essences (Cherry Plum, Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Clematis, and Impatiens). Rescue Remedy calms, reassures, and keeps a person in emotional balance during and after emergency and crisis situations, and helps us to cope with life’s everyday stresses. For example, it can be used before a dental appointment, before giving a speech, or after a difficult conversation with a co-worker. In Europe and South America, where Bach remedies are commonly used, many people have more than one bottle of Rescue Remedy so they can keep one on hand at home, one in the car, and one at work. Rescue Remedy spray, pastilles, and chewing gum are now available.

Children and pets respond exceptionally well to Bach flower remedies. Because they are gentle, do not have any side effects, and do not interact with any medications or other healing modalities, they can be used without fear of harm. Plants also love receiving the vibrational healing of Bach flowers. Put a few drops of Rescue Remedy and Walnut in your watering jug when replanting and you will notice the ease with which your re-potted plants take to their new homes.

The remedies to be described are beneficent in action, and cause no aggravation nor reaction for their effect is to uplift. —Dr. Edward Bach

Even though Rescue Remedy is good for many stressful occasions, if you find yourself using it repeatedly over extended periods of time, or if you feel the desire to improve your overall quality of life and increase your emotional well-being, you may want to consider exploring some of the other remedies. Dr. Bach’s 38 different remedies can be combined into almost 293 million different blends, so there is sure to be some combination that is right for you!

For example: Crab Apple and Pine are the remedies to use for self acceptance and self love. Folks worn out from the stress, worry, and tiredness caused by multi-tasking at work and home can find relief in Elm, Oak, Hornbeam, and Centaury. People struggling with decision-making can turn to Scleranthus or Cerato. High school students who can’t get out of bed and have a hard time starting their homework will benefit from Clematis and Hornbeam. Children who are naturally shy or need a boost in confidence can take Mimulus and Larch, and those who wake up with nightmares can take Rock Rose. And for those who are at a cross roads in life and unsure of what path to take, Wild Oat will help you find the right direction.

I am hungry, I will go and pull a lettuce from the garden for my tea; I am frightened and ill, I will take a dose of Mimulus. —Dr. Edward Bach

Bach flower remedies are given a few drops at a time in a glass of water, or blended into a personalized remedy bottle. The drops can also be put in any hot or cold beverage, spritzed in an atomizer on the body, rubbed on pulse points, or dropped into the bathtub.

Health is our heritage, our right. It's the complete and total union between soul, mind, and body. —Dr. Edward Bach

These remedies are an ideal way of assisting yourself and family to achieve emotional balance. As a trained Bach Flower Practitioner, I can educate you about the individual Bach remedies, and I can create blends of remedies to support you and your family.

The Bach Centre in England (www.bachcentre.com) continues to make remedies exactly the way Dr. Bach did and is home to the Bach Foundation which trains and registers Bach Foundation practitioners. Their website offers valuable and detailed information about all of the remedies. In his book, Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies, physician Richard Gerber explains how flower remedies work.

Laurel Bay (BSW) is a Bach flower remedy practitioner. She is in the final phase of the Practitioner Training program with the Bach International Education Program—the only program of study in North America that is approved by the Bach Centre, UK. To contact her for a consultation, or for her to give a talk to your organization call (306) 242-0397 (Saskatoon) or email bachflowerlady@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook at Bach Flower Lady. She looks forward to meeting you and introducing you to the flowers.