How flower essences can help in your everyday life
Man has long had a symbiotic relationship with nature, and the healing benefits of plants and flowers are well documented. The fragrance and appearance of flowers are naturally uplifting, but flower essences offer powerful benefits on a cellular level, offering a variety of natural health benefits when used in the correct way.
Wellbeing and emotional support
The science of flower essences has been studied since the sixteenth century. When used correctly, flower essences can help with emotional wellbeing and support people in escaping more negative frames of mind and problems.
Bach flower essences
Perhaps the most well known system of flower essence therapy was developed by Dr Edward Bach, who practiced up until his death in 1936. A medical doctor, Bach was also a homeopath, and practiced in London’s Harley Street. He created the well-known Bach flower essences which were based on three core insights.
The first insight relates to personality types, the second to emotional states, and the third to the type of flower essence that is best suited to benefit each. By distilling these essences into water and pure alcohol, the drops can be used as powerful healing tools that are very gentle on the system, and which help people to tackle even profound emotional distresses and imbalances.
Perhaps the best known is the Five Flower or recovery essence which is used very broadly to treat all manner of stressful situations – from exam nerves, through to fear of flying.
The value of a flower essence therapist
However, there are a wide range of other flower essences which a skilled practitioner can match to an individual and the specific issue they are experiencing. These are categorised into the twelve healers, which include chicory, clematis, gentian, rock rose and water violet, to the seven helpers that support long-term conditions and include wild oat, oak, olive, and heather.
There is also a so-called set of ‘second nineteen’ essences which make up the full complement of 38 Bach flower remedies, and these help with all kinds of emotional states, from life knock-backs through to envy and low self-esteem.
The best way to choose the right remedy is to see a registered practitioner in the art of flower essences, although the Bach Five Flower rescue remedy solution can be bought widely from retailers and used for all kinds of situations without needing professional advice beforehand. A practitioner will work through a structured framework to identify the right essences for your situation, and use intuitive methods and insight alongside the scientific rigour. Six remedies at most will be combined, designed to deal with the most deep seated issues, rather than superficial surface problems.
Flower essences can be taken in a variety of ways and your therapist will suggest different approaches in the best way to you. Regardless of approach, you can look forward to experiencing gentle but quietly profound changes to the way you feel, your emotional resilience and your overall wellbeing over time, all thanks to these beautiful gifts from nature.
