My personal healing journey with flower essence

       Personal Journey with Flower Essence

My personal journey with flower essences began during a profound period of grief and darkness. In February 2008, at the age of 19, I experienced the devastating sudden loss of my father. This traumatic event plunged me into an emotional abyss, leaving me feeling lost and overwhelmed by and in a dark depression. It was during this challenging time that a close friend, a holistic practitioner, introduced me to flower essences, specifically recommending Rescue Remedy and Star of Bethlehem.

As I began incorporating these essences into my daily routine, I noticed subtle yet significant changes in my emotional state. The overwhelming waves of grief became more manageable, and I found myself better able to process my emotions without being completely overwhelmed by them. This experience sparked a deep interest in understanding how flower essences work and their potential for trauma recovery.

Understanding Trauma and Flower Essences

Trauma, as defined by van der Kolk, is "an experience of helplessness and terror" that fundamentally alters how we perceive danger. This definition resonated profoundly with my experience. I discovered that trauma healing requires looking inward and facing both visible and non-visible wounds.

Flower essences are subtle liquid extracts made from the flowering parts of plants. Unlike essential oils or herbal remedies, they don't contain physical plant material. Instead, they are believed to carry the energetic or vibrational pattern of the flower. The process of making flower essences typically involves collecting fresh blossoms, floating them in pure spring water under sunlight, and then preserving the resulting infusion with brandy.

Indigenous Trauma Theory and Complex PTSD

Indigenous Trauma Theory expanded my perspective beyond individual trauma to understand the broader implications of collective wounds. This theory emphasizes the multigenerational impacts of colonization and historical oppression on Indigenous peoples, encompassing collective, cultural, and intergenerational aspects of trauma.

Complex PTSD, with its five key features - emotional flashbacks, toxic shame, self-abandonment, a vicious inner critic, and social anxiety - described exactly what I was experiencing. The gentle nature of flower essences proved particularly effective in addressing these multiple layers of trauma response, offering support without overwhelming an already stressed system.

Dr. Edward Bach's Work

Dr. Edward Bach, born in 1886, was a British physician who developed the Bach flower remedies in the 1930s. During World War I, Bach worked with soldiers suffering from shell shock, which we now recognize as a form of PTSD. This experience likely influenced his later work with flower remedies. He observed that personality and emotional state played a crucial role in recovery and overall health.

Bach's approach was revolutionary for its time. He moved away from conventional medicine, believing that healing should address the whole person, not just physical symptoms. His system of 38 flower remedies was designed to correct emotional imbalances, which he saw as the root cause of many physical ailments.

Personal Experience and Effectiveness

Through my experience with flower essences, I found them to be particularly valuable for addressing early childhood trauma and the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). They offered gentle yet profound support for processing these deep-seated issues. I like to say they do behind the scenes work,because they work within our energetic bodies and they do this  without retraumatization.

Specifically, I experienced:

• A sense of calm during moments of overwhelming anxiety (Rescue Remedy)

• Ability to process grief in a more gentle manner (Star of Bethlehem)

• My night terrors slowly faded

• A feeling of being more at peace

Conclusion

My journey with flower essences has been transformative, offering a gentle yet profound path to healing from trauma. While scientific validation of flower essences remains limited, the personal experiences of many, including myself, testify to their potential in trauma recovery. As we continue to explore and understand the intricate connections between mind, body, and spirit, flower essences stand as a promising tool in our healing arsenal.

This holistic approach has been crucial in my journey toward wholeness, addressing trauma's impact on both body and spirit. Flower essences, with their subtle yet powerful influence, offer a path to this holistic healing, supporting us as we navigate the complex landscape of trauma recovery and personal growth.

Works Cited:

Bach, Edward. The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies. C.W. Daniel Company, 1936.

Brave Heart, Maria Yellow Horse. "The Historical Trauma Response Among Natives and its Relationship to Substance Abuse." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, vol. 35, no. 1, 2003, pp. 7-13.

Felitti, Vincent J., et al. "Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of 

The Leading Causes of Death in Adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study." 

American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 14, no. 4, 1998, pp. 245-258.

Herman, Judith Lewis. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books, 1997.

Smith, Heidi. The Bloom Book: A Flower Essence Guide to Cosmic Balance. Sounds True, 2020.

van der Kolk, Bessel A. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking, 2014.