Bach flower therapy was founded by the British doctor Edward Bach (1886 to 1936) in 1930. The alternative medical procedure named after him was tested without any pharmacological effectiveness.
According to his thesis, every physical illness is based on a mental imbalance. At that time, the doctor saw the cause of this disorder as a conflict between the immortal soul and the personality. Healing can only be achieved through harmonization on this mental and emotional level. The statement "Heal thyself" comes from him. By this he means that physical healing can only take place when harmony between personality and soul is restored on a spiritual level.
Bach was way ahead of his time with this approach; more and more people are looking for medicine that also includes mental and emotional aspects.
Bach initially described nineteen states of mind, but then expanded the repertoire to “38 disharmonious mental states of human nature”. He assigned these flowers and plant parts, which he placed in water or boiled and which were supposed to transmit their “vibrations” to the water. The so-called flower essences were then produced from these Urt tinctures by heavily diluting them. Bach flower therapy is derived from Homeopathy, but differs from it .
Several Sstudies provided no evidence of actual pharmacological or medical effectiveness of Bach flower therapy, this does not go beyond the placebo effect. From a scientific perspective, Bach flower therapy is classified as implausible. The concepts underlying it are considered pseudoscience.
Bach wrote about the "reharmonization of our personality" about disharmonious mental states such as "being impatient." or "feeling inferior", these are traced back to the harmonious "being able to be patient" and "self-confidence". If reharmonization does not take place, disharmonious or distorted mental states can become the cause of physical illnesses. Bach wanted to prevent this.
Seen in this way, Bach flower therapy can also be understood as a consciousness therapy or consciousness growth therapy.
From today's perspective, Bach flower therapy is also a perfect example of the much-quoted salutogenesis concept, which deals with the creation and maintenance of health and healthy development.
What happens energetically when you take Bach flowers?
Psychological blockages are released and the flow of energy gets going.
How do psychological blockages arise?
Destructive behavior patterns become stumbling blocks on the way to fulfilling our life plan. They cause blockages in the "flow" our psychological life energy. The energy trapped in the blockages forms mental slags, which after some time can develop into so-called psychotoxins.
The constructive impulses of the Bach flowers dissolve these blockages and mental waste step by step. This means that more energy is available again for the development of your life plan.
How do Bach flowers work from the perspective of psychoneuroimmunology?
The energetic impulses of the Bach flowers optimize the interaction of the psyche, nervous system, hormonal system and immune system. To put it simply, you can say that our mental immune system gets support.
Excerpt from "The Original Bach Flower Therapy - New Insights and Experiences" by Mechthild Scheffer If you would like to get more involved with Bach flower therapy, I can only recommend the books by Ms. Scheffer.
The 38 Bach flowers
Bach Flower No. 1 - Agrimony (Odermennig/Agrimonia eupatoria) - Hypersensitivity to arguments and tension, unnecessary worries in advance, inner tension, mental and physical suffering his worries behind a smile, suppresses unpleasant feelings, appears happy and carefree, has difficulty falling asleep (usually with TV or music), especially during the full moon.
Bach Flower No. 2 - Aspen (Aspen/Aspen/Populus tremula) - Sudden fear without cause, groundless fears, big worries, bad premonitions, feelings that something is wrong in the air, excessive sensitivity and irrational fears
Bach Flower No. 3 - Beech (Common Beech/Fagus sylvatica) - Lack of tolerance, hasty judgment, contemptuous and intolerant criticism, harsh judgments, difficulties with differentiation, addiction to criticism, Tendency to belittle others, unable to admit one's own mistakes, never satisfied, likes to complain
Bach Flower No. 4 - Centaury (Centaury/Centaurium umbellatum) - Submissive obedience, weakness, inability "No" to say, not daring to stand up for yourself, low self-esteem, strong desire for recognition and therefore a lack of differentiation from the will of others, very good-natured, wants to please everyone
Bach flower no. 5 - Cerato (Chinese leadwort/Ceratostigma willmottiana) - Distrust of one's own intuition, doubts about one's own ability to judge, constantly looking for advice or confirmation others, desire for trust in one's own knowledge, lack of inner confidence, insecurity, needs help with decisions, therefore often asks others, balances everything out
Bach Flower No. 6 - Cherry Plum (Cherry Plum/Prunus cerasifera) - Fear of loss of control, sudden tantrums or loss of self-control, the feeling that you are about to explode, Fear of yourself, hopelessness and despair, inner restlessness, fear of going crazy, danger of short-circuit actions, biting nails, wetting the bed, grinding teeth
Bach Flower No. 7 - Chestnut Bud (Bud of the Horse Chestnut/Aesculus hippocastanum) - Jumpiness, learning from past mistakes, inattention, restless thoughts when distracted easily is, repeats mistakes, forgetful, sloppy
Bach Flower No. 8 - Chicory (Common Chicory/Cichorium intybus) - self-pity, giving to take, mothering others, striving for love and recognition, possessive care, Mother hen, expects gratitude, likes to interfere, give well-intentioned advice, insulted, accusatory
Bach Flower No. 9 - Clematis (Wild Clematis/Clematis vitalba) - Daydreaming, living in your own world, being distracted and inattentive, fleeing into a fantasy world, one quarreling professor, mentally absent, disinterested in the present, dreams of better times, high need for sleep
Bach Flower No. 10 - Crab Apple (Crab Apple/Malus pumila) - Being less obsessed with something and less perfectionist, attention to detail, feelings of impurity, urge for cleanliness , excessive striving for cleanliness, cleaning obsession, compulsions, diet fanatics
Bach Flower No. 11 - Elm (English Elm/Ulmus procera) - Feelings of being overwhelmed in the face of great responsibility, temporary exhaustion, insecurity or despair, the feeling of a great burden on your shoulders, stress, blackouts in exam situations, everything becomes too much.
Bach Flower No. 12 - Gentian (Bitter Gentian/Gentiana amarella) - Dejection and despair, skepticism, pessimistic attitude, grumpiness, doubts, gives up quickly
Bach Flower No. 13 - Gorse (Gorse/Ulex europaeus) - Loss of trust or belief in the possibility of receiving help, gaining new hope, Mir Nothing can help anymore, absolute hopelessness with regard to a positive outcome, despair, therapy blocks
Bach Flower No. 14 - Heather (Heather/Calluna vulgaris) - Being self-centered, inability to be alone, wanting to talk less, looking for attention, not just yourself think for yourself, lonely, alone, hypochondria, very clingy
Bach Flower No. 15 - Holly (Holly/Ilex aquifolium) - Jealousy, envy, hatred, gloating, inner suffering for no apparent reason, anger, distrust, aggressive demarcation , irritated for no reason, gets annoyed about little things
Bach Flower No. 16 - Honeysuckle (Honeysuckle/Lonicera caprifolium) - Escape into nostalgia, clinging to the good old days, learning to let go of the past, painful experiences to overcome from the past, glorification of the past, nostalgia, homesickness, not being able to let go
Bach Flower No. 17 - Hornbeam (hornbeam/Carpinus betulus) - Lack of inner joy of life, Monday morning feelings, mental exhaustion, tiredness, exhaustion, the desire to find oneself Jerking, morning tiredness, lack of motivation, difficult to get out of bed in the morning
Bach Flower No. 18 - Impatiens (Glandular Balsam/Impatiens glandulifera) - Restlessness, impatience and stress, irritability to the point of fatigue, the desire to do everything quickly and efficiently, hecticness always in a hurry
Bach Flower No. 19 - Larch (Larch/Larix decidua) - Lack of trust, fear of failure, feelings of inferiority, lack of initiative, inappropriate humility, fear of exams, stage fright, feelings of inferiority, little Self-confidence
Bach Flower No. 20 - Mimulus (Spotted Jester Flower/Mimulus guttatus) - Concrete everyday fears that you can name, fears of certain things (dentist, illness, driving etc.), phobias, shyness and embarrassment, hypersensitivity to loud noises
Bach Flower No. 21 - Mustard (Field Mustard/Sinapis arvensis) - Sudden depression, feeling down for no reason, feeling isolated, gloom and despondency, melancholy, melancholy, depression for no reason
Bach Flower No. 22 - Oak (German Oak/Quercus robur) - Excessive sense of duty, constantly going on without being able to stop, not giving up, going to the extreme Inability to take necessary breaks, dealing with financial problems, workaholic, ignores low points and then cannot sleep
Bach Flower No. 23 - Olive (Olive Tree/Olea europaea) - Total exhaustion, severe physical or mental exhaustion, exhaustion, feelings that everything has become a burden, desire for new energy, physical tiredness, everything is exhausting
Bach Flower No. 24 - Pine (Common Pine/Pinus sylvestris) - Feelings of guilt, remorse, never being satisfied with yourself, perfectionism, recognizing real mistakes and recovering from them being able to learn, self-blame, apologizing frequently, feelings of inferiority
Bach Flower No. 25 - Red Chestnut (Flesh Red Horse Chestnut/Aesculus carnea) - Fears for loved ones, excessive protective instinct, worries about friends, family and loved ones, extreme fear for others, giving others more freedom, too strong a bond with loved ones
Bach Flower No. 26 - Rock Rose (Yellow Sun Rose/Helianthemum nummularium) - Strong feelings of anxiety, extreme fear, panic, being paralyzed or frozen with fear, racing heart, fear of death , the feeling of being at the mercy, fear after accidents or other threatening situations
Bach Flower No. 27 - Rock Water (Spring Water/Aqua salvationis) - Denying yourself for the sake of certain ideals, behaving in an exemplary manner at the expense of yourself, excessive self-discipline , excessive perfectionism, a strict approach to life, lack of flexibility, moral constraints, fanatics, obsessive healthy lifestyle
Bach Flower No. 28 - Scleranthus (Annual Ballweed/Scleranthus annuus) - Inability to make decisions, indecision, mood swings, the desire for more inner balance, erratic , moody
Bach Flower No. 29 - Star of Bethlehem (Umbell Milk Star/Ornithogalum umbellatum) - Unprocessed grief and trauma, being blocked, processing shock or trauma, desire for Stabilization, processing a bereavement, heartache, nightmares
Bach Flower No. 30 - Sweet Chestnut (sweet chestnut/Castanea sative) - Deep despair, people at the end of their strength, depression, great suffering, feelings of total isolation
Bach Flower No. 31 - Vervain (Verbena/Verbena officinalis) - Excessive enthusiasm, the urge to convince others or to change their minds, a strong desire for justice, fighting for the weaker, proselytizing, helping others Leading to good, exhaustion of the body due to fanaticism, overzealousness, euphoria
Bach Flower No. 32 - Vine (Vitis vinifera) - hunger for power, authoritarian behavior, excessive dominance, inflexibility, domineering, extremely stubborn
Bach Flower No. 33 - Walnut (Walnut/Juglans regia) - Change and renewal, getting rid of old habits, being influenced by the strong opinions of others, facing new situations, Doubts about a new start, lack of ability to differentiate, dissatisfaction with the current life situation, influence by unfavorable circumstances
Bach Flower No. 34 - Water Violet (Swamp Water Spring/ Hottonia palustris) - Inaccessibility, not having enough connection to one's feelings, pride and reserve, behavior as if one were something Better, too rational behavior, spiritual arrogance, loner
Bach Flower No. 35 - White Chestnut (White Horse Chestnut/Aessculus hippocastanum) - Constant worries, carousel thoughts, brooding, restless, unsteady mind, mental confusion, compulsive thinking, not can switch off
Bach Flower No. 36 - Wild Oat (Breast Brome/Bromus ramosus) - Finding new meaning in life, feelings of dissatisfaction and imperfection, not finding the path of life , being on the search, not knowing what you want, aimless, boredom, in phases of reorientation
Bach Flower No. 37 - Wild Rose (Hard Rose/Rosa canina) - Find new motivation and joy in life, apathy, lack of motivation, living ahead of yourself, uninterested and be undifferentiated, unable to experience either joy or sadness, resignation, indifference, inexplicable states of exhaustion due to an earlier resignation due to the remaining blockages in the Wild Rose skin zone (HWS 7)
Bach Flower No. 38 Willow (Willow/Salix vitellina) - Letting go of bitterness, always blaming others, bitterness and feelings of revenge, feelings of being treated unfairly in life his, thoughts of revenge, simmering anger, swallowing his anger, resentful and cannot forgive, feels disadvantaged by fate