The Healing Power of The

Bach Flower Remedies

Millicent Holliday RN, BEP
Introduction
• Why is it important to address emotional issues?
• All disease occurs first in the invisible template of the body,
in the energy field of the body.
• Physical factors can and do impact this field.
• Emotional factors however have a dramatic affect on it as
well, and these affects cannot be addressed by conventional
medications.
• For lasting healing to occur, there has to be significant
change in the fundamental attitudes that govern an
individual life.
• These changes are critical to the healing process.
Who was Edward Bach:

He was born in Moseley, England, in 1886 and trained as a doctor in

London. For several years he worked investigating the role of
bacteriology in chronic disease. His research led him to recognize
that there were clear personality types that related to the various
patterns of ill health, irrespective of the physical symptoms being
presented by the patient. Working with vaccine therapy and later
with homeopathic principles, he moved towards the discovery of
the flower remedies. These he felt could help to harmonize the
emotional imbalances that he came to see as the real cause of
physical illness.
Bach’s Philosophy

• “Illness, Bach
suggested, was a
message from our
inner being calling for
a change in our way of
living and our mental
outlook.”
The Bach Center
Mt. Vernon, Oxfordshire
(England)
 Syntropy: A Premise to Live By…

• Syntropy: The tendency of

all living things to reach
higher and higher levels of
energetic output and
eventually transform.
A Royal Quandary

• “What is the modern

physician’s response to the
stricken spirit who comes
to him with his sick soul
disguised as an ailment of
the body?”
Prince Charles
Vibrational Medicine

• “The unseen connection between the physical

body and the subtle forces of spirit holds the
key to understanding the inner relationship
between matter and energy. When scientists
begin to comprehend the true relationship
between matter and energy, they will come
closer to understanding the relationship
between humanity and God.”
Dr. Richard Gerber

• The higher vibratory levels permeate the

lower, the lower don’t permeate the higher.
Giving and Receiving
• As we offer what we do to our clients, we can assist
ourselves at the same time.
• A good health practitioner is concerned to do the
inner work themselves, but never puts their needs
above the needs of their patients.
• It is as we truly extend the life giving currents of
health that we ourselves are healed.
Bach Flowers - Natures Gentle Touch

• Why are flowers so

beautiful, why do they
delight us as much as they
do, why is it they give off
such a beautiful scent?
• Herbs heal the physical
aspects, flowers heal the
emotional aspects.
The Flower Essences and the 5-Part Healing
Template
• As a patient proceeds through the healing process
numerous emotional patterns can be predictably
anticipated.
• This presentation offers the keys to sensibly
navigating our way through the dynamics of healing
the invisible patterns that govern the lives of our
patients. These patterns have a dramatic impact on
the physical, mental and emotional levels of a
person’s body.
Part One: Nutritive Uptake

• When a client first comes into our clinics we can anticipate

that there will be some anxiety, apprehension and/or fear,
and possibly a firm belief that their personal issues won’t
be met.
• As health care practitioners our job is to calm their fears,
quell the troubled heart and assist our clients to open the
channels of the body, mind and heart, in order to allow for
the healing process to begin.
• The Bach flowers are an invaluable part of this process.
Aspen: Confidence and Courage…

• “The development of Love

brings us to the realization of
Unity, of the truth that one and
all of us are of the One Great
creation.”
• “The cause of all our troubles is
self and separateness, and this
vanishes as soon as love and
knowledge of the great Unity
•Vague unknown fears becomes part of our nature.”
•Sufferers often afraid to
tell their troubles to others
Aspen Cont…

• “The remedy made from Aspen brings a confidence and courage

that calms fear and stills the troubled soul.”
• “Aspen helps us develop that inner great self that is present in all of
us which has the power to overcome all fears, all difficulties, all
worries, all disease.”
Crab Apple: The Cleansing Remedy…

• “Never for a moment should we

become engrossed or over-
anxious about our bodies, but
learn to be as little conscious of
their existence as possible,
using them as a vehicle of our
Soul and mind and as servants
to do our will.”
Crab Apple cont…
• “When you walk the lanes in May a sweet scent may steal
upon you. Look around and you will see in the hedgerow a
mass of white blossoms, thronged by bees eager for nectar.
There is the Crab Apple, radiant with light, joyfully
proclaiming the delight of simple beauty. With all the clear
freshness of spring it dispels any petty moods that linger,
singing a sweet joy of life, all new and fragrant with a
brightness like the Morning Star. But this is not a flower of
sentimental beauty for it carries a sharp, penetrating clarity,
like a shaft of clear white light that acts to purge and
cleanse.”
Gorse: Strength, Certainty, Confidence…
• “Gorse is the remedy for people
who have given up belief that
there is any hope for them. It is a
far stronger kind of
downheartedness than the Gentian
state, because Gorse people almost
willfully refuse to be encouraged,
so certain are they that their case
is hopeless.”
• “If ill, they may think of themselves
as incurable, or say that they
inherited this or that from their
families so that nothing can be
done for them.”
Gorse cont…

• “Gorse is however classed by Dr. Bach as a

remedy for uncertainty. This demonstrates
that the main problem with Gorse people is
a loss or lack of certainty: if they can be
persuaded to see things in a different light,
their faith in their lives would be renewed
and they could go forward with a surer
step. This is what the Gorse remedy helps
to achieve.”
Gorse cont…

• “Gorse carries the strength of

the sun in its golden yellow
flowers.”
• “It has a charge of brilliant
intensity that awakens the land
to new hope and new life.”
• “It is a very lion of golden
strength, certainty and
confidence.”
Vine: Supportive, Receptive, Generous…

• “Vine is for those who are domineering,

self-willed and inflexible.”
• “For those who even in illness will want to
direct their health practitioners.”
• “Transformation result in the dominant
becoming supportive, the assertive,
receptive, the demanding, generous; we
become like the vine itself which provides
great riches for mankind.”
• “The love that gives freedom is the
greatest love that binds the closer.”
Part Two: Adrenal/Liver Support

• Once the initial phase of opening the channels has

been accomplished we find that we can turn our
attention to attitudes that promote life, that
sustain the liver, thus preventing or addressing the
fragmented state that leads to double-
mindedness and ultimately adrenal stress or
burnout.
Agrimony: Perspective Vision and Discernment…

• “Jovial, cheerful, humorous

people who love peace and
seek it at any cost.”
• “Though often tormented in
body, mind or heart they hide
their troubles behind humor,
and are often considered very
good friends.”
• “They often take alcohol or
drugs in excess, to assist in
keeping a happy front.”
Agrimony Cont…

• “This is a remedy plant that brings a true

depth of perspective, a discernment and
acceptance of the varying qualities and
expressions of our emotional life.”
• “Agrimony with its church like spire, and its
seeds like bells, assists in leading us to ‘the
peace that passeth understanding’. Like the
spire, it aspires to the higher realm, growing
straight towards the source of life. With its
deep tentacle roots and its single spire of
flowers it is a witness to the one direction of
growth that can bring peace and resolve
conflict”.
Chicory: Devotion, Noble Idealism, Spiritual Love

• “If we but sufficiently

develop the quality of
losing ourselves in the love
and care of those around
us, enjoying the glorious
adventure of gaining
knowledge and helping
others, our personal grief's
and sufferings rapidly
come to an end.”
Chicory cont…
• “Chicory people are full of love and care for
their families and friends. But they expect to
receive back all the love they give, with
interest, and feel slighted and unnecessarily
hurt if they don't get what they expect. Also,
their great love can lead them to hold onto
their loved ones and try to keep them
dependent and close to hand. This can stifle
the development of another's personality, or
simply drive them away.”
• “When someone falls into this negative
Chicory state the remedy is used to bring out
the positive side of the Chicory person: love
given unconditionally and in freedom.”
Holly: Generosity of Spirit and Openness…

• “The ultimate conquest of all

will be through love and
gentleness.”
• “For those who sometimes are
attacked by thoughts of such
kind as jealousy, envy, revenge,
suspicion, for the different
forms of vexation. Within
themselves they may suffer
much, often when there is no
real cause for their
unhappiness.”
Holly cont…
• “Holly is for very negative, aggressive
feelings directed at others. The basic
problem is an absence of love, and the
remedy works to encourage generosity of
spirit and openness towards others.”
• “Holly acts to reunite us with our own
true self, to drive out the negativity and
flood us with the healing vibrations of
love.”
• Its action is protective but it is also
transforming.
• “We see this more from the sweetness of
the flowers rather than the sharpness of
the leaves. Sweet-scented flowers always
stir the heart.”
Impatiens: Sweet, Gentle and Relaxed Tenderness…

• “You are striving for

exquisite gentleness and
forgiveness, and that
beautiful mauve flower,
Impatiens, will, with its
blessing, help you along
the road.”
Impatiens cont…

• “Those who are quick in thought and

action and who wish all things to be
done without hesitation or delay. When
ill they are anxious for a hasty recovery.
They find it very difficult to be patient
with people who are slow, as they
consider it wrong and a waste of time,
and they will endeavor to make such
people quicker in all ways.”
• “They often prefer to work and think
alone, so that they can do everything at
their own speed.”
Scleranthus: Clear and Open Perception…

• “Scleranthus is the remedy for

people who find it difficult to make
up their minds which option of two
or more they ought to choose.”
• “The Scleranthus indecision
commonly affects the small
decisions of life as much as the big
ones: 'should I marry Joe or Peter?'
and 'should I buy a red notebook or
a blue one?' are both Scleranthus
states.”
Scleranthus

• “Sometimes the chronic indecision of the Scleranthus person

manifests itself in other ways, like mood swings and even
motion sickness: This remedy is given to help a person to act
more decisively and to know his or her own mind.”
• “Scleranthus assists determination to grow; fear of plunging
into life will disappear, and the experience gained will guide
the mind to better judgment.”
• “There comes a discrimination of the soul that can direct our
actions by the conviction of a deeper purpose. It is to this
that the humble Scleranthus bears witness, bringing a clear
and open perception of what is most appropriate.”
Vervain: The Bringer of Peace…

• For over effort and stress.

• “We should strive to be so
gentle, so quiet, so patiently
helpful that we move among our
fellow men more as a breath of
air or a ray of sunshine: ever
ready to help when asked: but
never forcing them to our
views.”
• “For those with fixed principles
and ideas, which they are
confident are right, and which
they very rarely change.”
Vervain cont…

• “Vervain people are perfectionists with a keen sense of

justice and extreme mental energy that they willingly
throw behind those causes that they believe in.”
• “The remedy is given to help people in this state to pull
back from time to time so that body and mind can be
restored. It encourages the wisdom to enjoy life and the
passage of time, instead of always feeling the need to be
active.”
• “…to realize that the big things in life are done gently and
quietly without strain or stress.”
Wild Oats: Seeks the Purpose of the Soul…

• “This is for those who find it

difficult to determine what
occupations to follow; although
their ambition is strong, they have
no calling which appeals to them
above all others.”
• “Wild Oats grows with a will to
take a firm hold of life. In the
negative expression there is a
reluctance to define the purpose of
our being here on earth and to
engage actively in our calling. Wild
Oats seeks the purpose of the Soul
and the true meaning of its life’s
work.”
Part Three: Elimination of Causative Factors

• As we move into this phase we find that we have the

opportunity to address those deep subconscious factors
which govern a person’s life. Based on the nature of these
subconscious factors a person will create the environment
for either health or disease.
• The issues in this sense are definitely in the tissues. With
the use of the appropriate Bach Flower Remedy, these
issues can be easily brought into the light and released,
establishing the environment that allows for deeper levels
of healing to ensue.
Honeysuckle: Declares the Now…

• “Let us not fear to

plunge into life.
• “Those who live much
in the past. They do
not expect further
happiness such as they
have had.”
Honeysuckle Cont…

• “While it is essential that we learn from

the past, this condition carries a longing
to be back in the past, in this
honeysuckle state we live less and less
in life and more and more in those
things that are dead and gone.”
• “The bursting vitality of the blood red
corolla displays a pure lining of white,
curling open to reveal the delicate
filaments of the stamens. Tiny
trumpets, they declare the now.”
Heather: Integration…

• “We must steadfastly practice

peace, imagining our minds as a
lake ever to be kept calm,
without waves, or even ripples,
to disturb its tranquillity and
gradually develop this state of
peace until no event of life, no
circumstance, no other
personality is able under any
circumstances to ruffle the
surface of that lake...”
Heather cont…
• “Heather is for people who are obsessed with themselves, but who do
not like to be alone. Dr. Bach called them 'buttonholers' because they do
anything to keep people with them, all the time talking at exhaustive
length about their problems and illnesses, great and small, until people
begin actively avoiding them. Thus the thing Heather people fear -
loneliness - is brought about because of their own behavior. “
• “The remedy is given to help Heather people see their own concerns in
the context of other people's. Having suffered themselves from the
need to talk, they become good listeners and great supports for others.
As a result people seek them out for their compassion rather than
avoiding them because of their self-centeredness.”
Elm: Strength and Sensitivity…

• Life does not demand of us unthinkable sacrifice; it

asks us to travel its journey with joy in our heart
and to be a blessing to those around.
• For periods of depression when there is the feeling
that the task undertaken is too difficult, and not
within the power of a human being.
Elm Cont…

• “In its positive form the Elm state carries

on working despite the difficulties,
mindful that the strength is always given
for the greater task.”
• “Bach wrote a month before he died…’Let
us forget our limitations, our
personalities, or what we think of as our
smallness, and let us realize that we have
been chosen, picked as special
messengers, blessed knights of the
highest order…’”
Mimulus: Confident, Happy, Empathetic…

• “Mimulus is the remedy for known fears. In other words

whenever you are frightened of something or you are
anxious about something, and you can say what that
something is, then Mimulus is the remedy to take.
Mimulus fears are everyday fears - fear of public speaking,
of the dark, of aggressive dogs, or of illness or pain.”
• “Fear in reality holds no place in the natural human
kingdom, since the Divinity within us, which is our self, is
unconquerable and immortal. If we could but realize it we,
as Children of God, have nothing of which to be afraid.”
Mimulus cont…

• “Fear is a state of mind that will

not let go and trust to life.”
• “Mimulus enables us to live
happily among the dangers and
find freedom through the
acceptance of our situation,
being vulnerable, yet setting
love for life above our fear.”
Part Four/ Cellular Repair
• As we yield to the reality of life, healing begins to
occur in the heart and mind, forgiveness and
understanding begin to permeate our living
experience and cellular repair occurs at deeper
levels.
• As a health practitioner our job is to encourage
redirection bringing about changes that creatively
alter forever, a person’s future.
Mustard: Joyful and Happy…

• “In all things cheerfulness

should be encouraged, and
we should refuse to be
oppressed by doubts and
depression, but remember
that such are not of ourselves,
for our Souls know only joy
and happiness.”
Star of Bethlehem: Realigning the Inner and the
Outer…

• “This tiny flower that shines with an

intense whiteness displays a perfect six-
fold geometry. It was used in antiquity
because it demonstrated the idea that
life was due to the interpenetration of
matter and Divinity: One triangle
representing the Divine world touching
to earth, the other the material world
reaching towards God. When they are
out of kilter, it is easy to see that all
things would be displaced and out of
harmony.”
Star of Bethlehem cont…
• “The Star of Bethlehem has the
strength with its radiant purity to
realign the pattern. It acts to unify us
again so that the natural healing
processes can take place. In practical
terms we can breath again and release
tension. That is to say a state of normal
activity can resume because the
harmony of our divine nature is again in
place.”
Pine: Balanced and Objective Views…

• “Health is the true realization of

what we are: we are perfect, we
are the children of God. There is
no striving to gain what we have
already attained. We are merely
here to manifest in material form
the perfection with which we
have been endowed from the
beginning of time.”
Pine cont…
• “Pine is for people who blame themselves for
something they feel they have done in the
past, some neglect of a parent, some fault in
themselves, something they have left undone,
and for those who reproach themselves that,
even though they may have been successful in
their work, they should have done better.”
• “They are never, as Dr Bach writes in "The
Twelve Healers", content with their own
efforts or the results.”
• “They also at times tend to claim responsibility
for the mistakes made by others.”
Pine cont…

• “They are perfectionists and set themselves high standards, and this may
cause them to over-work and strain to do better, and when the strain
becomes too much for the physical body, they blame themselves for the
ensuing illness as they feel they are failing in their duty to others, to their
work and the family responsibilities.”
• “This guilt-complex takes so much of the joy out of their lives and they
become despondent and begin to despair.”
• “Dr. Bach said that this feeling of guilt and self-reproach was a waste of time,
for the faults of the past are but experiences to teach us not to make the
same mistakes again. A lesson once learned will guide us happily through
any same experience in the future.”
• “The positive aspect of Pine is seen in those who acknowledge their faults
but do not waste time dwelling on them, having learned from them to avoid
repetition.”
• “They have great powers of perseverance and are humble about these gifts.”
Pine cont…

• “Pine like a comb, acts to separate

the tangled strands that have
caused us emotional confusion
leaving a clear, balanced and
objective view of our involvement
with life. We learn to accept that
we are beloved, that we are safe,
that we are supported.”
• “The straightness of Pine at our
backs gives strength and clarity to
the heart.”
Rock Water: Purity that Transforms…

• “This remedy brings great peace and

understanding, broadens the outlook that all
people must find perfection in their own
individual way, and brings the realizations of
‘being and not doing’; of being in ourselves a
reflection of Great things and not attempting
to put forward our own ideas.”
• “Rock Water is for people in whom idealism
has become fanaticism.”
• “The Rock Water remedy does not stop people
from having high ideals or from trying to meet
them. But it does help ease the excesses of the
Rock Water personality, so that people like this
can show more flexibility when it is necessary,
and are not so hard on themselves.”
Part Five: Maintenance

• Overcoming the habit of re-absorbing the patterns that

one is beginning to come out of is vital to the healing
process.
• Let it be a new day, a new beginning, let the future be
changed and the old patterns no more come to mind.
• Rescue Calm and Fields of Flowers are essential aspects to
all five phases of the healing process. Each one of them
can be potentized and imprinted as required.
Chestnut Bud: Creator of a New Future…

• “This is for those who do not

take full advantage of
observation and experience, and
who take a longer time than
others to learn the lessons of
daily life.”
• “If we are to change there must
be a moment when a new
course is embarked upon. Even
the longest journey begins with
the decision to go.”
Chestnut Bud cont…

• “Chestnut Bud is for those with ‘A

lack of interest in present
circumstances’ which is another
way of saying ‘half asleep’. If we
are truly alert in the moment then
we will observe our circumstances,
see what is happening and say ‘yes’
to the lessons of life. This is a
feeling of seeing all things made
new and with the freshness of first
discovery.”
Cerato: Certainty and Clear Direction…

• “Cerato is the remedy for people who lack faith

in their own judgment. Faced with the need to
make a decision they are not like the
Scleranthus people who hesitate and cannot
make up their minds, because they can come to
a decision without too much trouble. But having
done so the doubts creep in and they are no
longer sure if what they have decided is right.
They then go around asking for the opinions and
advice of others. They end up hopelessly
confused or doing something that they know in
their hearts is not right for them.”
• “Cerato is the remedy to give people in this
state more faith in their judgment so that they
can listen to their inner voices and trust their
intuition.”
Walnut: Protector of the New…

• “Walnut is the remedy to help to protect against

outside influences in general, and against the effects
of change in particular.”
• “Walnut types are people who are fulfilling their
purpose in life but who under the influence of the
opinions, theories or beliefs of others, or of external
circumstances in general, may be led to doubt their
path. They are not like Cerato people, who actively
seek out the opinions of others, but instead may be
affected almost despite themselves.”
• “As a remedy against the effects of change, Walnut is
useful at all the transitions of life, from being born to
teething to going to school to puberty to marriage to
childbearing to retirement and beyond. It helps to
break links with the past so that the person can move
forward with confidence and without undue
suffering.”
Personality Traits That Lead to Emotional Stress

• Concerns to avoid responsibility; tendency to

blame, criticize, condemn others or oneself.
• Tendency to see oneself as a “victim.”
• Dwelling on the past; inability to forgive.
• Pinning great hopes on the future.
• Lack of appreciation for present reality.
• Compulsive justification of thoughts, feelings,
actions.
Personality Traits (cont.)
• Cynical view of others based in low personal self-esteem.
• Tendency towards procrastination.
• “Addictive” personality, compulsive need for external
comforts.
• Use of emotions to protect oneself (i.e., “lashing out” or
threatening emotional repercussions).
• Poor sense of humor.
• Constant application of value judgments.
Conclusion
• Each of the flower remedies could be indicated at
any stage of the process and often more than one
remedy will be indicated at a time.
• Muscle testing or EAV assessment can assist us to
accurately determine the most pertinent remedy.
Reference
• Collected writings of Edward Bach, Published 1987
• The Twelve Healers & Other Remedies, C.W. Daniels
1936
• The Healing Herbs of Edward Bach, Julian &
Martine Barnard
• www.bachcenter.com