I wrote this for The New Spirit Journal. It’s an excerpt from the current book I’m working on – How to Overcome Fear and Stop Worrying.  You can see their posting –  http://bit.ly/LTcNP1.

In the 1930s, English physician Edward Bach discovered a way to work with flowers that will help you gracefully handle your fears. He rendered flowers he found in his countryside into effective remedies. Now called the Bach Flower Remedies, I call them magic potions. I have used them to good effect with my family, clients, and myself for decades, sometimes with astounding results.

They can make a good adjunct to prescribed medicines as they don’t interfere with them. And I believe they make a worthy alternative to the over prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Why? Because they work directly with your soul and your spirit to remind you of your native abilities. These abilities for one reason or another have gone dormant or have been suppressed.

The Buddha said, “You’re saturated with innate natural perfection.” The flowers reawaken this in you.

The Five Flowers I Recommend for You

Here are the five flowers I recommend. Although they all deal with fear, you’ll notice subtle differences.

(Note: In the list below, the parts in parentheses indicate what the flowers bring up or reawaken in you. Sometimes I prescribe for this positive aspect of the flower in order to reawaken that healthy part of your nature. Sometimes it’s too easy to just spot the fear).

Mimulus: fear of known reasons, e.g., fear of the dark, of growing old, of pain, of abuse, of being shamed, of death. Mimulus people can brood, the worrywart. Shyness, timidity, stage fright. (Equanimity, valor, courage, humor, outgoing).

Aspen: Anxiety, vague unknown fears, apprehension, trembling. (Fearlessness, knowing love is always there).

Rock Rose: terror, panic, fright, stress, nightmares; more acute, intense and short lived than mimulus. (Courage, ego needs forgotten).

Red Chestnut: excessive fear or anxiety for others, over-concerned and projecting calamity for others. (Calm in emergency, sending thought of safety to others).

Cherry Plum: desperation, fear of losing mental control, uncontrolled temper, contemplation of suicide, sudden violent impulses. (Courage, sanity, controlled temper). I rarely need to prescribe this one.

And Three More

Shame often underlies of fear. These flowers will help you to repair your foundations by restoring trust in the divine and in your own inner resources, which may be saying the same thing.

Pine: self reproach, guilt, shame, self-blame or self-condemnation for “mistakes.” (Admitting mistakes and going on, genuine humility about abilities).

Cerato: self-sabotage, distrust of self, foolishly following others, misguided. (Quiet assurance, intuitiveness, self-knowledge, faith).

White Chestnut: This is the worry flower. Worry isn’t really a feeling; it’s a strategy for covering some other emotion, mostly fear and shame. This flower is for times when your mind goes round and round on the same topic, sometime in the wee hours of the morn. (Quiet and calm mind, peace, undisturbed by outside influences. In this quietness the right solution arises).

How to Use the Flowers

When I prescribe for myself, I prescribe for my inner children. I ask, “What does he need? Who’s scared? Scared of what?”

In a one ounce (30 ml) eyedropper bottle filled with pure water, add two drops of the essences that you just purchased. Limit your selection to six flowers at a time so as to not dilute your intention.

Then take four drops, or a quarter of an eyedropper, under the tongue four times per day. More often is okay and can be useful under intense stress. More drops won’t affect the results.

That’s it. Easy.

(Note: The flower essences have no side-effects and can be taken safely by anyone including children. We raised both of our daughters with the flowers).

Resources for Bach Flowers

Where to buy them? You can acquire the flowers in local health food stores and the like. Online: Vitacost.com has the best prices I’ve found.

My two favorite books on the flowers:

Illustrated Handbook of the Bach Flower Remedies: An Authoritative Guide to Natural Healing with Flower Essences by Chancellor.  An earlier version out of print, but still available from Amazon — Handbook on the Bach Flower Remedies.

The Bach Remedies Repertory by Wheeler.  This is useful.  Look up a condition e.g. fear and you’ll get a list of possible flowers you can use.  Look up those flowers and sort through to find the right one to remedy your soul. 

You can Google Bach Flower Remedies for more information.