Yesterday, I wrote about flower essences to cope with discouragement within the context of political actions that might harm your life or the lives of people in your community. But if you are one of the people who fears that your life might be destroyed by this, “discouragement” doesn’t quite describe what you might be going through right now. So, even though some of the flower essences in the last blog post could be right for you, let’s focus on the ones for great fear, despondency and despair.
I’m going to start with the same two I started with yesterday because the rule is to start with the feelings on top and—for me—my first feelings were quite a bit more than discouragement. Even though I look white, my grandparents escaped to this country 100 years ago because of despotic action fueled by extreme hatred of those labeled as “other.” So, ICE raids push my buttons despite knowing I am not their target (at the current time). For me, the shocking amount of money devoted to this in the U.S. budget bill signed into law yesterday is a BIG red flag!
My Top Picks for Flower Essences to Consider
Cherry Plum addresses the extreme fear of breakdown—either personal mental breakdown and inability to control your emotions or breakdown of the foundations of your life. Cherry Plum helps you face the feelings you may be desperately trying to hold at bay, and to connect to a Higher Power and trust.
Rock Rose is for courage in the face of overwhelming fear that might verge into panic.
Star of Bethlehem is the most soothing flower essence I know for trauma and grief. It is deeply comforting.
At this point, I have mentioned three of the flower essences in Rescue Remedy or my Reiki-infused version that I call Emotional Recovery. If you also feel like you need a solution and you need it NOW, you would add in Impatiens which is also in this formula. If you feel on the verge of fainting, you would add in Clematis (also in this formula). If enough of these fit you, just skip ahead and get this one now. It won’t provide the physical level or world level solutions you seek, but it will enable you to calm down enough to figure things out and reach for connection with like-minded others and help.
Sweet Chestnut is the one to use if your despair is so deep that you believe that all hope is lost. It provides deep inner strength and faith and allows you to either make choices you never considered before or, again, reach out for help (which may also be something you never considered before).
If You Are Facing the Need to Make a Big Change
Walnut, Elm, and Larch seem essential to me in the process of needing to make a change in the face of great challenge.
Walnut helps with needing to make difficult changes. It helps you break with the past and anything that would hold you back while also providing a feeling of emotional safety.
Elm is for overwhelm. Maybe you’re typically strong and are able to do what needs to be done but in this circumstance you don’t know if you’re up for the task. This makes it hard to think and make plans. Elm helps you find your grounding so you can assess your situation clearly, make plans if needed, and take the next step.
Larch is for having more positive expectations of the future in terms of what you may be able to create. It provides more self-confidence and ability to speak up for yourself.
If You Feel Like What’s the Use and Want to Give Up
Gentian is one I put in the discouragement group but it could also go here. It’s for coping with a setback that feels like an insurmountable obstacle when you are easily discouraged. It helps return you to a place of more inner faith in what might be possible.
Gorse is one people use when the setbacks have been so hard to overcome that they think that any advice they receive won’t do them any good. “Oh yeah, that might work for you but . . . ” This person has gone through a lot already and has pretty much given up. But if you really have completely given up, why are you reading this blog? This flower essence helps you accept what has happened in the past so you can reach down and find the strength to start again.
Willow is almost always included in the category of despair although the person who needs it doesn’t necessarily come across that way. Do you feel resentful or bitter about the circumstances you are in and, therefore, unable to imagine that anything you do will do any good? Willow can help connect you to deep grounding and break the pattern of negative thinking that tends to keep people cemented in hopelessness and a deep desire to avoid trying anything that could lead to additional disappointments.
Ready-Made Flower Essence Combinations
I mentioned Emotional Recovery before but I also turn to one or more of the following combinations:
Support for Troubled Times: This misnamed product should really be called “Support for Traumatic Times” because that’s what it is. It combines deeply soothing Star of Bethlehem with flowers for finding the strength to persevere along with a deep feeling of nurturing support.
Releasing Worry and Fear: This is my most popular product through the 20 years I’ve been in this business. It combines Rock Rose, Larch, and White Chestnut (to calm repeated anxious thoughts) to provide grounding, peace and calm along with increased courage, self-confidence, and inner strength in the face of great challenge.
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Flower essences are used to assist with mind-body-spirit interactions and individual results may vary. They are extremely dilute which makes them quite safe. But because so little physical substance can be detected in a flower essence solution, these products are presumed to work on an energetic or vibrational level—something that cannot be adequately tested by western scientific methods. Claims made by me, therefore, are based on personal experiences and the evidence of the combined multiple decades of case notes by Dr. Edward Bach as well as Healing Herbs and Flower Essence Services (the companies who make the ingredients I use in my products). This is not, however, accepted medical evidence or substantiated scientific evidence from a modern allopathic point of view. I am not a medical doctor or licensed healthcare practitioner.
Statements made have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information provided on my blog, websites or by this company are not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with a health care provider, and should not be construed as individual medical or mental health advice. Consulting with a health care provider is a must for anyone taking medications or working with a medical or mental health condition, and highly recommended before using any herbal product. Please consult your doctor or health care provider for any possible contraindications and/or interactions with current medications. I trust you to seek the medical guidance you need to use any of my herbal products healthily at your own risk.