Bach Flower

Origins and historical development :

Dr Edward Bach believed that everybody has a Soul that is an immortal particle of The Divine; and our bodies are merely a reflection of our Souls, which we are using as transport for this part of our personal journey of spiritual evolution. He also believed that disease was the result of a conflict between the Soul and the mind, requiring spiritual and mental effort to alleviate the body from the symptoms. Treating the physical manifestations of the body will only serve to heal superficial damage with the root cause left at large to continue its destructive activity; perhaps even being allowed to strengthen in effect all the time its presence is concealed by the body being apparently operating back at full health. Bach actually considered disease to be the result of a ‘fault’ caused by straying from the course chosen for us by our Soul in the quest for knowledge and growth for our spiritual evolution; and offers an indication as to how to improve the way we live. By interpreting lessons to be learnt from the spiritual cause of the disease, adjusting one’s outlook to remove these ‘faults’ and allowing the disease to eradicate itself, we can continue to live a greater and better life. Further to this, because our Souls are all part of the one being, The Divine, disease can also result from conflict with other particles as a result of wrongdoing to others; as this is a Sin against the principle of balance within Unity.

One of the underlying themes of Bach’s beliefs is that disease is not only curable, but preventable, if the will of the Soul is understood and followed. Disease is considered to be a last resort to bring to the body’s attention a lack of congruence between the behaviour of the body and the dictates of the Soul; or an act against Unity. Different diseases may indicate different Sins and therefore the action that can be taken to re-adjust, prevent or cure physical manifestation of the disease. For example, hate is considered to be a primary defect in man that is a Sin against Unity. Penalties for hate include loneliness, hysteria, mental nervous dysfunction and mood swings. Similarly, parts of the body affected may reflect a Sin. Problems with the hands can indicate wrongdoing by action, while illness of the heart points to a lack of love towards humanity. Selfishness, believed to be the great root cause of all disease, results in conditions that rob a person of enjoyment by attacking the nervous system and depriving the body of the full and proper use of its senses; and can be prevented by devotion to others, following The Divine Love of Brotherhood. After all, many of us admit to feeling fulfilled when doing a good deed or donating to charity.

To assist with re-aligning the body with the Soul’s dictates and the principle of Unity, Bach believed remedies afforded us from plants, herbs, flowers and trees that have been divinely enriched with healing powers can be used to great effect. Being a Doctor by training and an advocate of homeopathy with its laws of potentization, Bach started to produce his flower remedies in the early 1930s. He boiled plant material in fresh spring water, or left freshly picked flower heads to infuse into the water under direct sunlight until the colours faded; before preserving the resulting solutions in brandy. The remedies come in a concentrated form which needs diluting in mineral water or fruit juice before using.

Bach identified seven key emotional categories of 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. These were further divided into originally 12, then 38 negative feelings (offering numerous end states from all the possible permutations), that were each linked to a particular plant or flower remedy.

What to expect during a treatment :

Bach Flower is typically a self-help treatment, with the various remedies available to buy for the home. The concept is becoming increasingly popular, particularly with the advent of ‘Rescue’ cream being available in major high street chemists, bringing with it a greater awareness of alternative and complementary therapy of this kind.

Conditions suitable for treatment :

Pointers for conditions Bach Flower Remedies may be suitable to help with include anxiety, lethargy, apathy, mood swings, shock and emotional problems.