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Mind-Body
Healing with the Bach Flower Remedies
Dr
Edward Bach (1886 - 1936) taught that imbalance of mind and spirit
plays a major part in causing disease. His flower remedies, by
helping to correct such disharmony, can clear the way for the
body to heal itself. Nowadays the remedies are used mainly for
treating emotional problems, but people dealing with physical
illness can often benefit too.
Much
research supports the idea that psychological factors affect physical
health, so that improving emotional well-being may well optimize
the medical prognosis for sick people, besides being worthwhile
for its own sake. Bach flower remedies can be a wonderful help
in this process. It is safe to combine them with other treatments,
and they have no side-effects (except possibly in cases where
alcohol is forbidden - this is because they contain traces of
brandy as a preservative). It is important to understand that
they are complementary, not alternative, to orthodox medicine
and that they do not offer direct treatment for specific disease
conditions.
The
mind-body link is complex, made up of many strands. Our emotional
state has a direct impact on our physiology, including the neurological,
endocrine and immune systems; it may lead to behavioral choices
which affect our health; and it colors the way we perceive and
respond to bodily sensations. And according to the Law of Attraction,
the vibrations radiated by our thoughts and feelings act like
a magnet, tending to draw more of corresponding wavelength into
our lives. It follows that too much focus on illness-related issues
will not help the healing process, and that personal energies
are better channeled in more creative ways.
'Be
positive' may therefore be sound advice for sick people, but it
is impossible to feel genuinely positive unless the negative feelings
which are such a common and natural response to illness have been
resolved. The first stage of treatment involves pinpointing the
emotional problems which are currently being experienced, and
giving a flower or combination of flowers to help bring these
to the surface of awareness, released, and replaced by their positive
equivalents. Choice of remedies always depends on how the unique
individual is feeling, rather than being standardized for the
diagnosis or circumstances, but common examples would include
Star of Bethlehem for comfort after bad news or loss; Mimulus
to promote courage before a surgical operation; Crab Apple to
clear feelings of impurity such as may accompany infections or
skin disease; Gorse to restore hope after a long period of ill-health;
and of course Rescue Remedy for any acute distress.
Some
clients want to go deeper, to identify and reverse any long-standing
characteristics which might have contributed to becoming ill in
the first place. Bach's insights in this field have been validated
by research showing that chronic negative mental states such as
depression, hopelessness, and hostility - when combined with biological
factors - carry a raised risk of physical illness, including such
major conditions as cancer and cardiovascular disease. With the
Bach system, uncovering the emotional history does not require
detailed deep analysis, but is a gentle process with its own natural
pace. Different flowers may be needed to deal with the layers
of a problem as they are revealed: 'peeling the onion'.
True
healing is not just about dispelling sickness and negativity.
It also involves mobilizing feelings of love and joy, and activities
which serve to fulfill a sense of purpose in life. In terms of
the Bach philosophy this is about the earthly personality, or
ego, becoming aligned with the higher self, or soul. This aspect
is often neglected in orthodox medicine, which emphasizes pathology
rather than health. In his book Cancer as a Turning Point (1989)
American psychologist Lawrence LeShan urges health care professionals
to focus on what is right with the sick person, not just on what
is wrong. He gives many case histories of patients who showed
remarkable physical improvement once they began to 'sing their
own song' and express their unique selves. For some this means
becoming immersed in a new hobby, though it is not limited to
'artistic' creative pursuits such as painting, music or writing.
For others, the shift towards a more authentic way of being may
involve a radical change of lifestyle, giving up the old as well
as exploring the new.
This
may be a great challenge, because apart from any practical obstacles,
we often have mental blocks which prevent us recognizing and following
our calling in life. Here again the flower remedies can help.
For example, Larch is for those who lack the confidence to make
the most of their talents; Centaury for those who always put others'
needs before their own; Gentian for those who look on the dark
side and are easily discouraged by set-backs; Wild Oat for those
who want to do something worthwhile but do not know what it is;
Walnut for those who are being held back by the influence of others
or by links with the past.
Edward Bach himself was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the
age of 31, but recovered his health after resolving to spend his
remaining time researching a new approach to medicine. His devoted
work led to discovery of the 38 flower remedies. In his classic
short text Heal Thyself (1931) Bach explains disease in terms
of a learning experience, an opportunity for positive transformation
and reorientation to one's true path.
©
Copyright Jennifer Barraclough 2007
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