Flower Essences are natural and safe helpers to harmonize mental and emotional imbalances and to support overall health and well-being. They are derived from the flowers of special plants, and carefully prepared to capture their energetic essence. They were discovered by Dr. Edward Bach, a medical doctor, homeopath, and researcher in the early 1900’s who’s life’s quest was to find a simple natural healing method that would be easily available to all. The results of his endeavors are 38 flower essences and one formula, widely known as the “Rescue Remedy”.
A little History about Bach Flower Remedies
Bach Flower Therapy is a natural method of healing discovered by an English surgeon, bacteriologist, and homeopath Dr. Edward Bach, during the early 1930s. It is a simple system of healing prepared from wild plants, flowers and trees found in the countryside of the UK.
Dr. Bach bacame increasingly unhappy with the way doctors were zeroing in at specific diseases while ignoring the patient as a whole. He became more and more interested in holistic medicine and when he was offered a position at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, he jumped at the chance. There, he continued his work on vaccines, and developed seven homeopathic versions (“nosodes”).
He also started to collect plants and flowers in an effort to develop natural remedies that were more gentle than the nosodes. This work was going so well that in Bach-flower-remedies1930, he left London and moved to the countryside to devote all his time to this research. Over the next 5 years, through trial and error, he discovered 38 flower remedies, each connected to a state of mind or emotion. He found that since the body is a direct reflection of the mind, treating the negative mental and emotional patterns of his patients allowed their bodies to heal naturally. He also discovered that if you can treat these negative emotions early on, it can prevent them from manifesting themselves as physical illnesses.
As Dr. Bach recognized and medical science now acknowledges, our physical health is influenced by our emotions. This alternative medicine system gently restores the balance between mind and body by casting out negative emotions such as fear, worry, anger, hatred, jealously, self-doubt and indecision, sadness, impatience and guilt, which interfere with our equilibrium. These negative feelings or psychological “toxins” and stress are believed to weaken our immune response. But if these negative feelings are harmonized, the immune system will be strengthened and can deal with incoming pathogens.
This system allows us to combine various flower essences to match our personality, negative behavior pattern and feelings. Their special healing qualities have no side effects and are non-addictive. After taking just a few drops of these remedies you’ll feel that conflict has given way to inner harmony.
Dr. Bach’s simple system of healing is being used by hundreds of thousands of people in countries around the globe. Thanks to him, studies on flower essences continue in the world. Today, we have a rich variety of brands that offer the flower therapist the resources to personalize the treatment of each patient. We also have the floral system of California, San Germain, Australia, etc. Each one contributing the same mission and purpose initially set by Dr. Bach.
Flower Essence Therapy for Animals:
Flower Essences are gentle and safe helpers to harmonize mental and emotional imbalances and to support overall health and well-being.
Initially, the Bach Flower essences were given to humans to help mental and emotional imbalances, such as various expressions of worry, fear, anxiety, and grief, among others. Over time, practitioners also discovered their effectiveness with animals. Today practitioners all over the world use the Bach Flower Essences to support the well-being of humans and pets alike.
Just like humans, animals feel sadness, depression, anxiety, and stress. This affects their behavior. With flower therapy the animal can achieve emotional balance and well-being. Treatment with Flower Therapy is a completely natural and effective method with which negative feelings can be combated. Flower Essences are natural, safe, and don’t interfere with any medications or Veterinary treatment.
What kind of animals can take the Bach Flower Therapy?
All animals are sensitive to energy contained in the remedies the same way as humans. Simply taking the right remedies can solve emotional problems for each particular condition. Some animals that can take the Bach Flower Remedies are dogs, cats, birds, ducks, bulls, exotic animals, farm animals, and any animal living in a zoo or captivity.
Benefits of flower therapy for Animals
1. Physical Issues:
Dr. Bach, in the 1930s, developed a new, non-aggressive and very efficient medicine, since in addition to physical discomfort, he was concerned about a field that was neglected in traditional medicine: emotions. The doctor argued that to cure the physical disease, one had to go to the root of the problem because what caused the imbalance is ignored emotional and mental background. Attending to this makes it easier to eradicate the disease. In other words, this process is an integral system, as it unites the mind and emotions with the patient’s body.
2. Emotional & Behavior:
Animals show their feelings through their behavior. Perhaps a sudden change in its routine will make a dog aggressive, listless, shy, etc. If you notice these changes in his character, the first thing you should do is see a veterinarian to rule out any physical discomfort. A specialist in alternative therapies can then explain how Bach flowers are used. Sometimes behavior therapy is needed as well, especially if the animal is aggressive and does not obey the owner’s commands.
Animals’ Behaviors That Can Be Treated
Bach Flower Essences are natural and safe, and don’t interfere with any medications or veterinary treatment.
Flower therapy is useful for changing or balancing the following behaviors and emotions:
• Trauma: Unknown past, car accident, previous abuse, abandonment.
• Fear and Anxiety: Often caused by past experiences or by recent events. Example: If the animal has been abandoned, abused, or locked up, fear of human contact is usually evident.
• Stress and Nervousness: Shows up through compulsive or repetitive behavior after a sudden change or in response to the owner’s mood. Example: before, during, and after vet visits.
• Grief: Loss of a family member or companion, whether human, feline, canine or other animal companion.
• Shyness and Socialization: Adjusting to a new home, chronic hiding, acting shy towards others.
• Life Changes: Upon adoption, introducing a new family member, whether human or animal.
• Disobedience: Animals often show their nervousness by disobeying their owners. It’s a way of getting rid of excess energy.
• Aggression: When animals react aggressively or in a bad mood. This leads to violence, isolation, or neglect. With this level of aggressiveness, they are usually extremely dominant and has problems living with other pets or children.
• Depression and Sadness: Loss or separation anxiety can lead to self-destructive behavior like excessive grooming, and loss of appetite.
• Old Age: Lethargy and weakness, lack of interest, anxiety, confusion, sense of vulnerability.
• Emergency Situations or Shock: After an operation, an illness, or separation due to an accident. Being attacked by another animal or after traumatic circumstances. The animal is insecure, anxious or disoriented.
These are the most common behaviors. Every animal can show that they are not doing well in different ways. However, you will always notice negative changes in his or her habitual behavior. This is a warning sign for the owner to have him or her examined by the vet.
How do you use flower therapy on animals?
First, the Doctor or specialist will make a diagnosis based on the animals’ behavior to determine what emotions cause him or her to act this way. The owner is interviewed in detail to rule out traumatic situations: moving, the birth of a baby, a divorce, the death of one of the owners, etc.
Sometimes Bach Flower Essences have an almost immediate effect, more often they work over a period of time. Typically, after two to three weeks of giving the essences, a re-evaluation is needed to fine-tune or change the formula depending on the transformations that occur in your animal.
Bach flowers are very useful for animals because they have no side effects. However, keep in mind that this is an alternative therapy.