Advanced Bach Flower Therapy

A Scientific Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment

Blome Götz

• Publisher: Healing Arts Press
• Year: 1999
• ISBN:
  9781620554562
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Medicina alternativa y complementaria

A major advancement in the scientific use of flower essences. • Lists 200 clinically proven combinations of Bach Flower essences for treating specific conditions. • Targets the source of problems, not their outer manifestations. Each of us has a unique psychic structure that affects our emotions, thoughts, and actions. We can develop harmoniously or have unbalanced reactions that can cause illness and psychosomatic conditions. The strength of Bach Flower therapy lies in its ability to treat these pathologies, restore balance, and free us from the physical manifestations of problems that are often psychic and emotional in origin. An indispensable addition to existing Bach Flower works, Advanced Bach Flower Therapy contains three significant new features that are essential for reliable diagnosis and treatment, and make practical use much easier: • A new comprehensive, psychologically sensitive explanation for each individual remedy • A detailed description of more than 200 proven combinations that target the source of the problem rather than simply addressing its symptoms • A comprehensive repertory of symptoms and illnesses with extensive advice and suggestions for treatment User-friendly and scientifically rigorous, Advanced Bach Flower Therapy is the most important tool yet for anyone wishing to develop a deeper understanding of the benefits of floral essences.

ONE

MEANING AND USE OF INDIVIDUAL BACH FLOWERS

1: Agrimony

Characteristics

Agrimony is the essence for people who cannot recognize the truth and who go out of their way to avoid conflict. Out of the need to avoid painful conflict (both internal and external), they try to keep their true feelings (fears, aggression, or sorrow) hidden from their consciousness and hidden from everyone else by maintaining a feigned carefree, happy demeanor.

AREA OF USE

Agrimony is used as a basic treatment for fear of conflict, deception and artificiality, hidden inner discord and emotional anguish, psychic complexes, tendency to repress, glossing over of personal problems, tension, and an inclination toward alcoholism and drug abuse. Used to treat any conditions related to tension, inhibitions, fear of conflict, dishonesty, artificial behavior, or oversensitivity. In daily life, used to treat phoniness, playacting, the “tears of a clown” syndrome, insincerity, embarrassment, inhibitions, tension, inner restlessness, oversensitivity to pain, and dependence on barbiturates or alcohol.

Causes and Symptoms of Agrimony Syndrome

This condition is characterized by a pronounced sensitivity and a strong need to be happy. Harmoniously developed, the Agrimony type instinctively avoids unhappiness of all kinds. He does this the most natural way possible: he defuses problems by accepting them as part of life and by making the best of them. (Problems are created when we try to ignore reality, fight against it, or create a false one.) Spontaneous, natural, and unfit for confrontation, the harmoniously developed Agrimony type does not try to cover up or falsify the unpleasant or repress or avoid difficulties. When faced with life’s problems, he does not become lost or betray himself; when necessary, he bends with the blows like reeds in a windstorm—with a flexible, natural grace, without breaking or being damaged. Critical situations that can be catastrophic for negative individuals float harmlessly past him. He’s always natural, genuine, spontaneous, and full of life. Because his special strength (even in times of trouble or need) is always being able to recognize and hold on to the positive (“chocolate-covered”) side of life, he is always happy. It often seems as if his role on the stage of life is that of a carefree, happy character. Actually, he has a talent for acting, but every “role” he plays is an expression of his own happy self and is never a strange, artificial role. Because of his naturalness, his carefree and affable demeanor, and his optimism, he is welcome everywhere.

Unfavorably developed, the Agrimony type’s sensitivity can change to oversensitivity, his ability to love life can become a flight from reality, and his talent for acting can become mere hypocrisy. The Agrimony person cannot and will not suffer. Life can be especially difficult for him because his sensitive nature makes every unpleasant experience so incredibly painful. Out of fear of suffering, he cowardly steps out of the way of all unpleasantness, every conflict, and every argument, even when only an honest and forthright confrontation is called for. If he is not up to such a confrontation, he ignores his problems and carries on as if everything were just fine.

To avoid the conscious confrontation of problems, fears, and conflicts (even though he continues to repress them in his subconscious), he tries to replace them with the illusion of a make-believe, happy world. He wears the eternally happy mask of a carefree companion, always pretends to be optimistic and in a good mood (even though the reality can be totally different), is always joking around even though he suffers inside, bolsters the spirits of others, and pretends to be nonchalant after a doctor’s diagnosis even when he knows himself to be very ill. He tries, like a miscast actor, to fool everyone, himself included. The happy face he always shows hides his tears. He is always trying to distract himself and can never dwell on reality. He keeps smiling and doesn’t show his true inner feelings. This works, of course, only on a superficial level, while his very real problems eat away at him constantly, like rust on an old piece of iron. Even though he seems happy, he suffers from anxiety and depression. The more he tries to seem peaceful and happy on the outside, the more he loses those same qualities on the inside, and his behavior becomes that much more forced and unnatural. With time, to provide at least temporary relief, he can turn to various addictions: mindless entertainment and distraction, binge eating, work, alcohol, or drugs. (Alcohol, by the way, makes many people seem carefree, uncannily sociable, and funny and, at the same time, totally unable to engage in any real, meaningful contact.) In addition, he often suffers from sleep disorders, restlessness, cramps, and tension or aches and pains.

The Effects of Agrimony

Agrimony is the essence of choice to promote honesty and natural behavior. It works against the habit of not taking our problems seriously and awakens the desire for more honesty with ourselves and others. With Agrimony, we are more open and relaxed and also more able to engage in conflict, so that, when necessary, we can be strong enough to face unpleasant situations. Agrimony is one of the most important Bach flowers and can be used by just about everyone. It should be taken as an accompaniment to any form of psychotherapy because it strengthens the patient’s will to be truthful, to come to know himself better, and to be more open with his therapist.

Owing to the breakdown of normal psychic defense mechanisms, it often happens that suppressed fears and anxieties can become more intense with treatment and trigger an unconscious counterattack: we feel naked and defenseless. In such a case, the patient might break or spill bottles of essence—accidentally, of course—or discontinue therapy. This reaction can be corrected with the help of Walnut, which serves to strengthen the camouflage instincts of the negative Agrimony type. In general, regardless of the type of condition, Agrimony has a positive influence on the course of an illness if the patient wants to downplay it or keep it secret. This essence can resolve anxiety and tension, rheumatic complaints, constipation, sleep disorders, or inner restlessness.

Psychotherapeutic Notes

Agrimony is connected with two very important psychic functions that help ensure our survival: repression and lies. Repression protects us from the consequences of our own all-too-human shortcomings and weaknesses. If we did not ignore the greater part of our perceptions and impressions, we would be unable to think clearly and make intelligent decisions. And if we were to be consciously aware of the whole truth about ourselves, we would quite simply shatter. That is why our psyche constantly filters countless bits of information, impressions, and perceptions that influence us. It takes note only of those that we can process in any given moment and stores the great majority in the archive of the subconscious, where they stay until we are ready to use them.

Lies, on the other hand, protect us from resentment and misunderstanding. At a very young age we learn to lie and be hypocritical in order to survive, or in other words, to behave ourselves, be respectable, and run with the pack. If we were to act as we truly are, say openly what we mean, or do whatever we wanted without thinking of the consequences, we would have a slim chance of survival in our world, where jungle rules are the norm. People who think that nothing ever bothers them and who are in a perpetually good mood are not being truthful to themselves about how they really feel.

Nevertheless, as helpful as repression and lies can be under certain circumstances, at bottom they also signify a betrayal of the truth. Our spirit, which is always seeking the truth, allows us to be dishonest when absolutely necessary, but not out of mere convenience. We must continually seek out a compromise that we can live with—only enough self-deception so that our external life is not threatened and sufficient honesty that our spirit allows us to go on living. The main thing is that we do not betray our personal truth, that we understand and can be responsible for our actions. When we continue to wear the mask that we normally wear only in times of danger or out of personal weakness, when we act hypocritically or lie without reason, or when we even begin to believe our own lies, our spirit resists, and this resistance causes us to suffer.

As everyone knows from experience, this suffering consists of a certain discontentment, if we are again unnecessarily fooling ourselves or pretending that our emotions are not what they really are. The Agrimony type, however, nearly always represses to minimize conflicts or deceives himself or those around him. This approach can lead to severe frustration, depression, loneliness, or a hidden mental and emotional anguish. Most Agrimony types, however, will do something about their condition only if they are under great pressure or are suffering tremendously. They commonly need psychotherapeutic help, which makes them aware of their behavior and puts them in the position to consciously steer their own course. When they can clearly and objectively evaluate their life situation, they can decide freely if and when they should disguise or repress unpleasantness. And they can also learn not to do so. The more decisively they act in this regard, the stronger they will become. Despite their supposed weaknesses and shortcomings, being able to make this conscious decision will provide them with more strength and security than all the masks they’ve been hiding behind.

Common Combinations with Other Essences

Aspen (1/2): repressed fears or anxieties due to repression

Beech (1/3): artificial tolerance

Centaury (1/4): pathological cheerfulness

Cherry Plum (1/6): dangerous psychic pressure caused by repression

Chestnut Bud (1/7): learning difficulties or immaturity due to shirking

Larch (1/19): repressed inferiority complex

Mimulus (1/20): repressed fears and anxieties

Red Chestnut (1/25): repressed, secret worries

Rock Rose (1/26): frozen in panic

Star of Bethlehem (1/29): psychic wounds concealed behind the happy facade

Walnut (1/33): total self-alienation

Water Violet (1/34): human contact problems due to a lack of openness

Wild Oat (1/36): lack of self-awareness

2: Aspen

Characteristics

Aspen is for people who are tormented by unpleasant ideas or vague, indefinite anxieties or fears.

AREA OF USE

Aspen is used as the basic treatment for fears and phobias, general or unexplained anxiety, panic, horror, bizarre ideas, terrifying fantasies, and delusion in relationships. Used to treat all pathological conditions related to terrifying fantasies or unexplained fears. In daily life, used to treat general anxiety, strange feelings and premonitions, fear of the future, and fearful worries.

Causes and Symptoms of Aspen Syndrome

This condition is characterized by a well-developed sensitivity and an active imagination. Harmoniously developed, the Aspen type is a sensitive and sensible person who possesses a kind of sixth sense. Intuitively, she knows more than the average person and can often predict future events or developments or divine secret connections unnoticed by others. She pays attention to the signs that life offers, such as dreams and inspirations or unusual occurrences and miracles, and she can interpret their meanings with uncanny intuition and imagination. She goes through life with an almost sleepwalking kind of security. She knows no fear, and her deep-rooted sense of a higher power gives her the knowledge that we are all safe and fills her with an unshakable sense of optimism. When faced with problems, dangers, or suffering (which often happens, owing to her great sensitivity), she doesn’t try to avoid them but uses them as opportunities to gaze ever deeper into the secret of her existence and to affirm her confidence in life and fate. Her life is an ongoing process of developing awareness, a relentless search for personal truth, and inspiring proof that we can have a fearless, instinctive trust in the natural order of things.

Unfavorably developed, the Aspen type is not able to deal with her feelings and inspirations and cannot translate them into intuitive knowledge or clear awareness. If her strong sensitivity becomes oversensitivity, it can create overwhelming, vague, nebulous fears that can be a never-ending source of torment. This can sometimes lead to sudden panic attacks that rip her out of sleep or fall on her suddenly at work. Generally, the Aspen type will try to neutralize these vague fears and attempt to direct them to everyday occurrences. For example, she may suffer from an irrational fear of being mugged, the house burning down, a family member being involved in a serious accident, or someone wanting to hurt her. The worst is the uncertainty that is accompanied by a sense of helplessness. The Aspen syndrome can also be caused by exposure to toxic substances (such as drug use or abuse) or physical illness—for example, waking up in the middle of the night from heart palpitations, panic attacks through hormonal disruptions, or inexplicable anxieties due to a frail constitution.

The Effects of Aspen

Aspen is the essence of courage. It is effective against anxiety, foreboding, and vague and irrational fears and improves our ability to guide subconscious material into our consciousness, to deal sensibly with intuition, and to interpret anxieties and fears. Aspen...