Flower Essence Therapy

What are flower essences?

Flower essences are liquid tinctures usually made by immersing fully-blooming flowers in spring water and placing this in sunlight. Every living thing on this planet has an energy, and flowers are no exception. The energy of the flowers transfers to the water and this water, with a preservative added, becomes the flower essence.

The first flower essences of modern times were created by Dr Edward Bach in the 1930s, and Dr Bach’s special blend of flower essences called Rescue Remedy (or 5 Flowers Remedy) is today widely sold around the world. Although Rescue Remedy is the best known flower essence product, thousands of different essences are now available, each with its own unique healing or restorative properties.

Many of the essences developed since the 1960s are aimed specifically at helping with the conditions and ailments so common in our modern lives: stress, changing patterns of old behaviour, moving on after crisis or making life more rewarding. The highest aim of the essences is to help each of us towards ‘individuation’ in Jung’s words, or towards ‘becoming a person’ as Carl Rogers put it - in other words to reach our highest potential.

What is flower essence therapy?

Flower essence therapy is the practice of using flower essences to treat the underlying mental, emotional or spiritual problems which often manifest themselves as physical illnesses or ailments. Working with the client is equally as important as the essences: every person reacts differently and has unique issues at the root of their symptoms. By uncovering these issues, the therapist can create bespoke remedies comprised of individual essences or blends, for clients to administer orally over the course of their treatment. As Dr Bach wrote more than 80 years ago:

“These herbs have succeeded again and again where all other treatment which has been tried has failed…It is not the disease that is of importance, it is the patient, the way in which he or she is affected, which is our true guide to healing.”