Bach Flower
Remedies
Important
Information
This information is
extracted from educational programs offered at the
American College of Healthcare
Sciences. Visit
the College online for more
information. This information is provided in good faith for educational purposes
only. This information has not been reviewed by the FDA and is not intended to
diagnose nor treat disease. Always see a licensed health care provider for
diagnosis and treatment. This material is copyrighted by the
American College of Healthcare
Sciences 2009 and may not be copied, used or distributed in any form.
An Introduction to
the Bach Flower Remedies
Dr. Edward Bach
developed a system of healing that uses vital energy extracted from wild
flowers, herbs, and trees. These remedies are easily prepared, do not cause side
effects, and are intended to be used by anyone to heal themselves and assist
others.
In the words of Dr.
Bach, "Let not the simplicity of this method deter you from its use, for you
will find the further your researches advance, the greater you will realize the
simplicity of all creation."
Dr. Bach was a
renowned bacteriologist at a London homeopathic hospital, and he had a thriving
Harley Street practice. As a child, he had spent much of his time close to
nature in the Welsh countryside. Early in his medical career, he realized that
the emotional and mental realms were just as important as the physical in
treating disease. "Take no notice of the disease; think only of the outlook on
life of the one in distress," he once said. He also advocated a raw food diet to
heal and counteract harmful intestinal bacteria.
Through observing
patients and overcoming quite severe sickness himself, Dr. Bach became convinced
that the basic causes of disease were to be found in the disturbing moods or
states of mind that interfere with the normal happiness of the individual. This
disharmony, found whenever conflicting moods produce mental torture, fear,
exhaustion and resignation, lowers the body’s vitality and allows disease to
manifest.
In 1928, at the age
of 43, Dr. Bach gave up his lucrative practice and went to Wales. Here he
devoted all his time to the study of wild flower remedies. His first discoveries
were impatiens and mimulus and, soon after, clematis. These were the first of
the Bach Flower Essence remedies that he developed.
Believing that
disease originated with the mood and temperament of the patient, Dr. Bach
concentrated on 12 states of mind: fear/terror, worry/anxiety, indecision,
indifference/boredom, discouragement/doubt, over-concern, weakness,
self-dislike/distrust, impatience, over-enthusiasm, and pride/aloofness.
Over time, he found
flowers for each of these states until he had developed a range of 38.
He continued to
treat diseases by choosing a remedy to suit the temperament of the patient. "The
mind being the most delicate and sensitive part of the body, shows the onset and
the course of disease much more definitely than the body, so that the outlook of
mind is chosen as the guide to which remedy or remedies are necessary," he said.
During this time in
Wales, Dr. Bach suffered many illnesses himself. He said he thought it was
almost as if diseases presented themselves so he could experiment with his
flower remedies. Upon his death, he left many pamphlets and booklets outlining
his philosophy and, of course, the 38 remedies.
Dr. Bach believed
"there is not true healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind
and inner happiness."
How the flower
remedies work is open to interpretation. It is thought that each remedy contains
the vibrational pattern of the particular flower, which resonates in harmony
with a particular human vibration and personality pattern.
For a chart of the
individual Bach Flower Remedies, click
here.
Dr Bach's
House, Mount Vernon, United Kingdom. Photograph: Dorene Petersen |
