I was recently in a discussion with people wondering why flower essences seem to work so well most of the time but not all the time. Or they heard they work really well for others but not for them, and what’s up with that?
Lots of ideas and experiences were shared. The general gist was that 1) it is not always easy to pick the right one(s) because situations can be complex and have multiple layers, and 2) in many cases, it is important to think of flower essence work as a process to be engaged with rather than a magic pill that can solve all your problems like an aspirin can cure a headache.
I often try to share my process with flower essences on this blog. I did so earlier this weekend because I think it is essential to embrace the work of personal growth and understanding rather than imagining that a substance can do all the work for you. Yes, in many circumstances that is NOT necessary—you KNOW why you’re upset, you know exactly how you feel, and choosing an appropriate essence is a piece of cake. And in those circumstances, flower essences actually can feel as if they are magic! (That’s why they got this confusing reputation.) But when you don’t really understand what is at the heart of why you have a particular struggle and, therefore, can’t and don’t make efforts to change it, the issues will have a tendency to return even when the essences seem to have done the trick (if they work at all).
Sometimes what we are dealing with is the result of years, decades, maybe even a lifetime of attempting to carry on and cope with earlier trauma and/or debilitating belief systems that were installed in childhood or somewhere else along the way. So you have layers of mental and emotional content plus fear of unlocking the ones underneath that really run the show in the shadows. That can create resistance to the process. Engaging in that process, for me, means being able and willing to allow those feelings/experiences/traumas to be uncovered and released. Not everyone wants to do that (including me at times). We just want to magically feel better without deeper awareness and understanding. But that doesn’t always work.
My partner and I used to do energy healing and spiritual counseling for a living (or attempted to do so). Really early on we saw miraculous healings be undone almost as soon as they happened by people repeating the same beliefs they had when they walked into our healing space. It was shocking! They would say things like “That was really amazing but what about ‘xyz’?” and their words (and the beliefs behind those words) would re-establish the pain they came in with instantly. So we, step by step, shifted to spiritual counseling and education alone, using the energy healing as an adjunct to that. We came to believe that without the client gaining awareness of what was driving their distress and pain, there was no point to what we were doing at all.
That was a little bit harsh because healing is not an either/or proposition. It’s both. A magical-seeming healing can open a door to what’s possible. It can make a person curious and want to know more. Doing it without awareness, however, is limiting. As I said, you are much more likely to recreate your traumas—especially your deepest ones— if you don’t bring the light of awareness to it and create a new pathway for your life.
For many people, working with a therapist is a great idea. Flower essences can be a great adjunct or companion practice with many types of emotional or spiritual assistance. At the very least, I like to encourage people to grab a journal and try to explore what’s been happening as best they can. Ask yourself questions like why do I feel like this? Have I ever had this problem before? Why? What led to that? What do I believe? Why do I believe it? And so on.
And the flower essences can often assist by bringing insight or revealing the layers behind the obvious issues that led to trying flower essences in the first place.
If you need help choosing, I offer consultations along with a custom flower essence formula in my Etsy shop. In those sessions I use the same inner guidance I used in spiritual counseling sessions along with my long-time experience and training as a flower essence practitioner.
––––––––––––––––––––––––
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.