Bach Flower Essences
Bach Flower Essence Combinations Tailored for You or Your Animal Friend Please contact me if you would like to purchase a Bach flower essences bottle of specific Bach remedies chosen and combined to address the issues you or your animal friend are experiencing. I work with 10 different Bach remedy information resources to ensure appropriate recommendation of remedies for an animal or person. See my Services Offered page for more details.
What are Bach Flower Essences for Animals and People?
There are 38 total essences (remedies) in the Bach flower essences line created by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930s. Thirty-seven of the remedies are made from different plants and trees and one is made from pristine water which runs over rocks. The Bach flower essence remedies contain the vibrational (energetic) essence of the natural substance it was concocted from. They are given to animals and people to address negative thoughts and mental/emotional/spiritual trauma and issues, which color how attitude and behavior is exhibited and physical illness is manifested. The remedies were created to address imbalance at the emotional/mental level which may impair the vital force of the body, making it more susceptible to illness and disease.
From Advanced Bach Therapy: A Scientific Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment [Gotz Blome, MD, 1992, pg. 1],
“Bach flower therapy does not seek the physical symptoms of an illness but instead looks to the underlying or predominant mental and emotional conditions and aims to treat the psychic, not the physical, symptoms. Bach flower therapy attempts to treat the patient’s soul; physical problems are secondary. Dr. Bach had a sound basis for this unusual concept. In searching for a truly humane form of treatment, he stumbled across a phenomenon that has been largely unobserved in modern medicine: according to the structure of the personality and the emotional constitution, the same illness can cause very different psychic symptoms in different individuals. These manifestations, such as restlessness or apathy, openness or reserved behavior, fear of death or an attraction to death, grouchiness or gratitude, lend the objective physical symptoms their individual, personal meaning.”
Machaelle Small Wright, creator of Perelandra Flower Essences (from Behaving As If the God In All Life Mattered, Jeffersonton, VA: Perelandra Ltd., 1987):
“Flower essences are liquid, pattern-infused solutions made from individual plant flowers, each containing a specific imprint that responds in a balancing, repairing and rebuilding manner to imbalances in humans on their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual or universal levels.” [pp. 164-165] (This is true for animals too.) “Flower essences operate in their body exactly the same way as in our body – only with animals it’s less complicated. When I work with animals, I feel as if the nervous system and the electrical system are both right on the surface just waiting for the flower essence.” [Ibid., pg. 215]
Treatment Course
Bach flower essences (remedies) were originally developed for humans, and eventually transitioned to animals. While sometimes improvement is seen immediately (a dog loses his fear of storms within 24 hours; a female client noticed immediate improvement in her depression), this is not always the case. The remedies may need to be taken for several weeks or longer. The remedies are especially useful for dealing with emotional issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, poor sleep, grief, irritability, fears and worries, or lingering trauma from a particular incident/event (such as a car accident or other injury, death of a loved one, etc.). These remedies are not addictive or harmful in any way, and do not interact or interfere with any medications or supplements you may be taking. They are vibrational essences, not an herbal or medicinal compound.
Please note that behavioral problems in animals can be a sign of physical illness. A complete veterinary examination should be conducted to rule this out, and only then should the behavioral or emotional aspect be addressed with Bach remedies or other holistic tools. Any flower essence line can be used as an adjunct therapy to proper veterinary care, and as part of a holistic approach to your animal’s health and well-being.
Some Bach practitioners believe it best to work with one or two remedies to begin with, address the main presenting issue, and as that one resolves, adjust the remedies being administered if/as “new” (i.e., usually older) issues surface as other imbalances are righted. However, I usually recommend 4-6 remedies based on the presenting picture and my intuitive impressions. Up to 6 or 7 remedies may be included in a treatment bottle. Each animal and human is a unique individual so there is no set rule as to what is appropriate or how the being will respond. Sometimes one treatment bottle is all that’s needed. Rebalancing an emotional, mental and/or spiritual dis-harmonious state can take any amount of time (from minutes to a year or more). The rate of improvement (resolution of the energetic imbalance) is usually, but not always, dependent upon how long the emotional/mental/spiritual imbalance has existed or how deep seated it is. Patience is important; it may take several weeks to several months for rebalancing to occur.
I encourage people who wish to use Bach flower essences on their own to purchase at least one book about them so they understand the principles and suggested use. Inappropriate administration is a waste of your money and may give you the impression that the remedies are not helpful. It is also important to select the proper Bach remedies from the 38 available, as incorrect selection may lead a person to believe they are ineffective. Be aware, too, that remedies that say they are Bach remedies, but do not carry the Bach name, are not Bach. Some Bach practitioners believe the Bach-like remedies have vibrational energies which are not true to the Bach remedies and may not work in the same manner. Although there are a myriad of flower, crystal and other vibrational essence lines available, I recommend Bach as the initial set to work with because it is a simplistic yet effective flower essence line and usually available at health food stores as well as through internet stores. Please note that every Bach remedies book has slightly different descriptions of what the remedies address.
Dosing and Recommended Use The standard dose is four drops from the personalized Bach flower essences bottle given or taken four times a day minimum. Doses may be administered directly by mouth or placed on food or treats (in the case of animals), and taken orally in the case of a person. The effectiveness of the Bach flower essence remedies is based on frequency of doses, not quantity of drops taken.
What To Expect If you are addressing a long standing or deep seated issue, be patient and do not expect immediate improvement. It may take days, weeks or even a few months for true resolution. Be patient, don’t give up just because you don’t think the remedy or remedy combination is working. Subtle changes are just as important as obvious ones. Look for improvement in behavior, attitude, interests, interaction, moods, etc. over time. You can never cause harm with the remedies, so giving or taking them long term is not a problem.
Your Animal Friend Knows What He or She Needs. Don’t be surprised if your animal friend begins opening his/her mouth or lifting his/her lip so you can administer the drops orally. I have seen this happen with Barney, my rescued Weimaraner, and have heard this to be the case from various clients as well.
Wild Earth Animal Essences
Wild Earth Animal Essence Combinations Tailored for You or Your Animal Friend Please contact me if you would like to purchase a Wild Earth Animal Essences bottle of specific remedies chosen and combined to address the issues you or your animal friend are experiencing.
What are Wild Earth Animal Essences? Here’s something special for YOU! Wild Earth Animal Essences were lovingly created by Daniel Mapel, M.A. to assist you in fully realizing and embodying your sacred, joyful, spirit-filled self. In the tradition of flower essences, Wild Earth Animal Essences nurture you with the wisdom and power of wild animals. Animal essences, like flower essences and gem elixirs, are “vibrational remedies”. Each of the animal essences contains the vibrational imprint and energy of the animal but does not contain any animal parts, and no animals are captured or harmed in this creation process. The remedies are made during a ceremonial process of attunement in the wild by Daniel. This ceremonial process takes place in the wilderness of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and includes the invocation of the spirit of the animal, along with meditation and prayerful attunement with the animal involved. From Mr. Mapel’s book, Into the Heart of the Wild:
“In 1995 I was guided to begin developing a line of vibrational remedies that would help us connect with wild animals and touch the wild depths within ourselves. As I began this work, it became clear that at this time, the animals wished to share their gifts with humanity to help us recover our lost connection with the Earth and with our deepest selves.
The animal essences are healing tools that can help us to touch deep, wild, wondrous places within ourselves and to mend emotional wounds that have gone untended. The essences can also profoundly assist us in our spiritual growth and development. The animals offer themselves with love and wisdom that is boundless and wild and free; all they ask is that we open our hearts to receive what they are willing to give us so generously: the joy that comes with knowing oneself as part of the indivisible whole of all of Creation.” [Into the Heart of the Wild, pp. 9-10]
Into the Heart of the Wild includes what each essence is recommended for, with corresponding case studies; and a reverse list of issues/qualities and their recommended essences.
Testimonials Here is one of the most eloquent testimonials I’ve received regarding the power of these essences:
“Hello, Kat. I received my bottle of WEAE on Friday and started using it right away. Thank you! It has already impacted my life greatly. The first few times I used them I had the most powerful experiences of being “in another place”. When thinking about the buffalo, it was as if I got to be with a tribe of American Indians as I heard the drumming and saw the dancing. I had a real feel for being with them around the fire. I felt very earthy and grounded. Then when I thought of the dolphin, instead of hearing drums, I could hear the dolphins making their clicking/chattering sound and I felt so free and graceful. I heard and felt the waves. I really had a sense of playing among them in the ocean or on the shore with the water massaging me as I lay on the sand. Then when I thought of the eagle I was treated to the experience of soaring somewhere in the southwest with that beautiful landscape beneath me. (And I’m not typically a fan of desert landscapes.)
There were also sensations of being “in the arms of” all of the animals one by one or together. Once of hanging out under the water. Once of dancing with the buffalo (like in the animated “Beauty and the Beast”). Several times of all 3 animal families being present at once. Always a sense of understanding them and being understood by them and of such mutual acceptance. WoW! I don’t know what I expected to happen, but this was sure much, much better. I hadn’t noticed when I chose my 3 animals that I’d picked one from land, one from water and one from sky. Hmmm….
Gradually, it’s changed from such a sense of being the animals or being among them or their habitats, to having a quiet mind. Believe me, for me, quieting my mind has been a big challenge. The quiet mind isn’t quite as fun and enthralling as the “being there” times, but I trust that I’m being led to and through the experiences I need at the time I have them. And I trust that the little “trips” are not over yet! Once my mind learns to get really still, I know even more amazing adventures await me.
Thanks again for all of your encouragement and guidance. Your gifts are definitely not limited to communication with non-humans. Your writing style is a joy to read, and you have so much wisdom to share. I can tell it comes from your heart. No wonder – I wouldn’t imagine a heart as big as yours is could be fully contained inside you! Thanks for giving it wings and words. Hugs, Lisa J.”
Essences Offered There are 88 essences in the Wild Earth Animal Essences line.
Which Essences Are Right For You Please contact me if you are interested in this vibrational essence line. I will e-mail to you certain information for you to review, and when you provide to me a list of the issues you are wanting to address (whether mental, emotional, physical and/or spiritual), I will send you a suggested list of the Wild Earth Animal Essences which are appropriate for those issues. I ask that you rely on your intuitive response to the descriptions when you tell me which of the suggested essences you choose for your personalized essences bottle. Note that Daniel recommends that not more than three of the Wild Earth Animal Essences should be taken at any given time, except in very rare instances. An interesting option in the issues/remedies selection process can include your choosing of animals that you don’t like or are repulsed by or have no feeling for. They might represent aspects of yourself you may be denying or not allowing yourself to embody.
Which Essences Are Right For Your Animal Friend If you are interested in assisting your animal with these essences, I am happy to intuitively scan and confirm your selections, or to help you choose the appropriate essences.
Dose and Recommended Use The recommended dose is 5-7 drops, three to four times daily (do not take with food), placed under the tongue or taken with a small amount of water. You can also add the drops to a water bottle and sip on it during the course of the day, and apply drops to the palms, soles of feet, and/or temples. A unique feature of these essences is that they can be added to warm bath water with the same effectiveness. The essences need to be taken consistently for 2-3 weeks so that you can properly evaluate their effectiveness. To obtain the most benefit from these essences, it is recommended that with each dose you quietly reflect, for a few moments, upon the animal and the qualities it embodies.
The Wild Earth Animal Essences can be taken while also using other essence lines. It is best to wait at least 15 minutes between taking or administering the different essence line doses.