This essay was originally written as a final project for my Bach Flower Essence Certification through the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism. It was then adapted into a three-part newsletter series. The original essay is below.
A world of grief and pain
flowers bloom—
even then.
-Kobayashi Issa
No science, no knowledge is necessary, apart from the simple methods described herein; and the who will obtain the greatest benefit from this Godsent gift will be those who keep it pure as it is; free from science, free from theories, for everything in nature is simple.
-Dr. Edward Bach
For every illness there are many suggestions on how to cure it. Depending on which experts are consulted, where they are from, their own biases, opinions and experience, one might get as many different solutions. Dr. Edward Bach, the primary pioneer of modern flower essences believed that to cure a disease was fairly simple; “Don’t fight it, transform it,” (Scheffer 20). He believed that there are certain fundamental principles that need to be understood before healing can take place. These five principles are the foundation upon which flower essences can be understood, but are not the only way to understand them. While flower essences, in their current structure are relatively new, they are worth working with, even while exploring and continuing to understand them. Bach’s principles are as follows:
Humans have a soul that connects them to a higher power.
Living as a human on the earth is just one stop on a longer journey
This journey is the journey toward enlightenment. (To heaven, nirvana, peace etc.).
There is a universal energy that unifies all things and all people are connected in this energy. Bach referred to this as, “universal love.”
When the soul is connected to this unity it easily finds peace, happiness and health. When the soul and ego (personality) are not unified, it opens the door for stress, disease and mental illness.
These five principles can be simply summed up. Humans are both individual and part of a greater whole. This whole has many names: God, Universe, Spirit, Source, life energy and more. Every person is energetically connected to this greater energy which helps to guide that person on their life’s journey, (18-19). Bach believed that disease is the body’s the last warning of a greater, but sometimes less obvious, imbalance. Illness does not just manifest from out of nowhere but takes advantage of an emotional, energetic imbalance. As Mechthild Scheffer writes in The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Essences, “The virtues that we have failed to realize now show themselves from their shadow side as vices,” (Scheffer 19). Bach’s language can feel very archaic, hierarchical and patriarchal, but does not need to be interpreted as such. He believed that no one should fear illness because they already have what they need to, “heal thyself.” This idea was not new with Bach. He echos the thoughts of philosophers and physicians such as Paracelsus, Avicenna, Samuel Thompson, Hildegard von Bingen and J.T. Kent. With these principles in mind, according to Bach, there are two causes of disease. Firstly it is caused when a person can’t hear, or ignores their higher self and, secondly when they act in a way that disrupts the universal energy connecting us all, (Bach 13).
When first learning about flower essences, many people ask this question. But, how do they work? Flower essences, in their current format are less than one hundred years old, and researchers, skeptics and practitioners alike are still learning as they work. However there are some theories that can begin to explain it. Flower essences work in a philosophical and spiritual way. They are energy medicine. They are homeopathic remedies. They are placebos. They are magic. Individually, these theories partially explain flower essences but when combined give a fuller picture, (Scheffer 24-26).
Like humans, everything else, including flowers are connected by a universal energy. Bach believed that the flowers he picked were, “Plants of a higher order,” (Scheffer 24). The essence, or energetic impulses of these flowers communicate in subtle vibrations, that help the person working with the flowers to tap into their emotional and mental self-healing powers. Simply by being a human on the planet, we will experience certain things. The flowers each represent an archetype of human experience and help the person to access the positive, balanced qualities of that archetype, rather than stay in the imbalanced state, (16, 24). With Bach’s five principles in mind, the flowers work because they promote the unity of the soul with the personality. In other words, they help the person to listen to their higher self and let go of their ego, to listen to their intuition rather than what they’re told they should do. When the individual looses sight of its higher self and its passion, that’s when disease manifests. One could argue that having joy and purpose contribute to overall health.
Without purpose and joy, a person opens themselves to “emotional vices,” which, according to Bach, are the root of all physical illness. These vices are things like greed, cruelty and pride. Again, things that disrupt the universal unity of all living things. Looking past the antiquated language, he is essentially saying that acting against the higher self, or against the energy uniting us all, upsets the personal energy field, opening the door to disease (Scheffer 20). Uncomfortable emotions, like anger, jealousy and pride, are not in and of themselves the cause of disease, but can lead to disease when suppressed or ignored. It can be seen as an emotional cascade that leads to illness. It goes like this: A person acts out of alignment with their intuition, which causes a disturbance in the collective energy field, which leads to negative moods and thoughts. When not addressed these moods and thoughts lead to stress causing physical weakness and finally illness. When one uses flower essences, they are able to properly address and hold their own, “negative moods and thoughts,” in a way that is constructive and leads to growth. Negative emotions are not bad, but not dealing with them is. When stuck at sea in an emotional and spiritual storm, the flower essences don’t make the storm go away, but provide a bigger boat to navigate safely until the clouds clear. “The Bach flower acts as a catalyst, reconnecting the specific, blocked contact between the soul and the personality, (24). They are not the source of a person’s change, but encourage that person to spark the change in themselves and to listen to their higher self. In other words, they help the person to tap into the spiritual side of being a human on the planet, helping them to find joy, purpose and ultimately health.
Flower Essences can also be understood from an energetic level. The human bioenergetic field, or aura, is a layered sphere of energy that’s (usually) invisible (Scheffer 25). There are four levels, listed from closest to the body to furthest away: Etheric, Emotional, Mental and Transpersonal. Some energy workers, such as Donna Eden list seven layers, one for each of the seven Chakras, (Eden 189). The transpersonal level (furthest from the body) can be seen as a bridge between the person and the energies around them. According to Eden, depending on encounters, what happens during the day, or illnesses experienced, a person’s aura can become distorted. Not only does the aura protect from outside forces, it can sometimes absorb unwanted energies. Flower essences can help to restore balance by matching the person’s aura to that of the flowers they are working with, (Scheffer 26). Inner conflict and worry take up more energy than actually doing the thing that one might be worried about. Once the fear (energetic block) has been removed, the energy can be used to pursue goals and dreams that are in alignment with the highest self. Shifting fear into action allows for creativity to flow, (Scheffer 23). Similarly, clearing blocks in the auric field allow for aligned action to occur. According to Bach, a person wouldn’t experience desire for a certain thing, or have a specific dream if that dream wasn’t meant for them, (Scheffer 22). Similarly, not listening to these impulses blocks the chakras, and disrupts the auric field. So how does one take aligned action to help prevent illness?
In order to, “Heal Thyself,” Bach laid out a protocol to follow. First, one must notice what’s happening. As the adage goes, admitting there is a problem is the first step to fixing it. If one is avoiding an uncomfortable feeling, or ignoring their intuition, they must first notice it. Secondly, they must see what they are doing, but see it with out judgment. One of the crucial steps of flower essence work is to hold loving space for oneself, and looking at oneself with judgment slows down the healing process. Once able to see what’s happening in a loving way, Bach then recommends using the indicated flower remedies. This step can be moved forward faster with the help of an outside source who knows the flowers well. As one works with the flowers, they should work to tap into their intuition to try to start down their life path. Again, finding joy and purpose, has immense effect on healing. Lastly, one should take action that is aligned with their intuition, (Scheffer 21). Looking inside at our shadows, rather than ignoring them, allows for faster, deeper healing, than pretending that the darkness doesn’t exist.
In addition to using the flower essences, Bach recommends to use the best, most up-to-date mixture of healing modalities. And, they must also do the inner healing work as well, (Bach 19). For example, a young woman is an athlete and breaks her foot running in the mountains. She is devastated as she cannot walk and is told she will need at least six to eight weeks to recover. She seeks out as much help as is available to her, including surgery, physical therapy, hydrotherapy and acupuncture. She also meets with a flower essence practitioner. Not only does she address the physical nature of her accident, she works on the emotional aspect too. With the flower essences she addresses fear of re-injury, lack of confidence, impatience, and grief. Using both physical, energetic and emotional strategies might not heal her faster, but it heals her more fully. What she finds from her emotional work with the flower essences is that she had been using exercise as a way to distract from a job she hated. The injury provided time for reflection, and online job searching. Disease is not inherently bad. It is the body’s lot resort warning that something is out of balance, (Bach 13).
One additional way that flower essences could work, is through the placebo effect. A placebo, according to Paul Arnstein, author of “Use of Placebos in Pain Management,” published in the journal Pain Management and Nursing, a placebo is, “Any sham medication or procedure designed to be void of any known therapeutic value.” The placebo effect is the positive difference in healing between a person who receives no medicine and a person who receives a sugar pill. Arnstein argues that the deceptive use of placebos is morally wrong, (227), and Bach would probably agree as deception goes against the collective unity. He says that placebos shouldn’t be used when there are more effective proven treatments available. However, in another study by James E.G. Charlesworth, the case is made for placebos, especially when the patient knows they are being given a placebo. He writes in “Effects of Placebos without Deception Compared with No Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” that “Open-label placebos have a statistically significant, medium-sized effect,” on a person’s healing process, (Charlesworth 102). Additionally, informed consent and autonomy plays a role in healing. According to Arnstein, informed consent is more important than the potential positive effects of a closed-label placebo (Arnstein 226).
All energetic properties, emotional and psychological effects put to the side, what if flower essences were simply open-label placebos that helped with people’s emotional healing? In his study, Charlesworth found that open label placebos may have even greater effects than deceptive ones. He writes that, “This could be because most of the open-label placebos included positive messages together with the placebos, (104). He calls this “Embodied Cognition.” After consistent repetition, the emotional responses become subconscious, triggered by a physical experience. Arguably, flower essences could work the same. Each dose reminds the person of the qualities they want to embody. They can use visualization, and mantras to create a new, subconscious patterning. Like the placebos in Charlesworth’s study, intentions associated with the essences, after a certain amount of time, become belief (105).
In conclusion, we do not yet fully understand how flower essences work, but through empirical evidence, personal experiences and a variety of other healing modalities, flower essences are worth exploring. It is important for practitioners to be open and honest about what essences can and cannot provide. Practitioners must be sure to tell clients that majority of the healing work comes from the client themselves. Flower essences will not fix anything, that comes from the emotional, energetic and shadowy work the client must do in order heal. Flower essences with out the support of other healing modalities only can do so much, though what they do can amplify those other modes. Unlike what Bach believed, science and knowledge do not detract from the magic of flower essences, but in fact add to it. With science, with theories, nature is still simple.
Citations
Arnstein, Paul, et al. “Use of Placebos in Pain Management.” Pain Management Nursing, vol. 12, no. 4, 2011, pp. 225–229., doi:10.1016/j.pmn.2010.10.033.
Bach, Edward, et al. The Bach Flower Remedies. Including Heal Thyself. Keats Pub., 1997.
Charlesworth, James E.G., et al. “Effects of Placebos without Deception Compared with No Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, vol. 10, no. 2, 2017, pp. 97–107., doi:10.1111/jebm.12251.
Eden, Donna. Energy Medicine: How to Use Your Body's Energies for Optimum Health and Vitality. Piatkus, 2008.
Scheffer, Mechthild, and Mechthild Scheffer. Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy. Healing Arts Press, 2001.
Wood, Matthew, and Matthew Wood. Vitalism: the History of Herbalism, Homeopathy, and Flower Essences. North Atlantic Books, 2005.