Flower Essences - an evolutionary science.

Dr. Edward Bach M.B., B.S., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., D.P.H. (circa. 1931-1932)

When Dr. Edward Bach originally formulated his system of flower essence remedies, he meant for the science behind it to be simple, and free from theories, for everything in nature is simple. In the 1930's when his system was devised, therapists had only 38 remedies from which to select, and it was easy to remember properties of remedies, and to recognise the simple needs of patients, in resolving emotional dis-ease. Since the thirties, the flower essence science has much evolved, and we are faced with far more complex emotional issues, especially when one considers the astrological changes which have occurred since then. While Dr. Bach had a complete system for treating the darker side of our nature (which came about with the discovery of Pluto around that time), new astrological discoveries (e.g., the planet Chiron in 1977) have reflected new emerging soul issues, which Dr. Bach's remedies cannot remedy. As a consequence, new ranges of remedies have manifested at the right time to deal with the new issues which we find in our day to day patients, amounting to over 400 new mainstream remedies. Bach's simple system of remembering, and recognising remedies needed in clients has become very sophisticated, as we are faced with a huge memory task. As a result, a myriad of new flower essence selection techniques have evolved, some simple and some more sophisticated than others. Which techniques of selection are the best, and how do we ensure that we maintain simplicity, yet accuracy? In this article, the various techniques of selection are discussed, with an emphasis on computer based selection, introduced by myself through FLOWERBASE.

Flower Essence Selection Techniques - A Critique

When we survey the techniques for selecting remedies, we have many to select from. These include determining remedies through counselling methods, the use of various electronic devices (e.g., EAV, VEGA, MORA etc.), direct sensing through hands or finger tips, radiesthesia (pendulum testing), computer based questionnaire and muscle testing through kinesiology. Perhaps we use the technique passed onto us through the wisdom of our flower essence educator, and are oblivious to the existence of alternative selection techniques.

Counselling our patient with a good knowledge base on the remedies is currently accepted by leaders in this science as the best method, as it involves direct involvement and assessment of our client. However, the question arises - how efficient is one's knowledge base? How many times have you thought I know theres a remedy for this condition, but I can't quite remember which one it is!. You find yourself thumbing through books, and locate a remedy which treats the specific condition (after some time), but how can you be sure that it is the exact remedy? The aid of a computers and software surely solves this problem.

In their book Flower Essence Repertory, Richard Katz and Patricia Kaminski comment on vibrational techniques, used to select flower remedies. There are limitations in using such methods, which we have noted consistently in the practitioner case reports collected and analysed for sixteen years. Those who rely primarily on vibrational methods such as radiesthesia or kinesiology frequently submit cases with essence combinations lacking continuity and cohesion. One flower essence formula seems unrelated to another, and the essences within each formula do not form a coherent whole. Our experiments indicate that vibrational selection techniques are subjective methods, whose accuracy very much reflects the knowledge, skill, experience, inner clarity, and empathetic attunement which the practitioner brings to the selection process. Even if it were possible to eliminate all unconscious projection or personal bias, there would still be no single definitive choice of essences for a particular person and situation.

If we employ counselling techniques, supplemented with the use of computers to quantify our remedy knowledge base, we are surely well on the way to a system of accurate and improved remedy prescribing.

The need for logical computers in an intuitive based science.

Computers at their most basic level are machines which operate in yes/no, left brained logic. Through programming methods, we are able to interface logic and intuition, leaving all left brained matters to the computer, and all right brained matters to the operator. Development of FLOWERBASE has provided therapists with this type of system, which may be considered as a link between logic and intuition in the remedy selection process, both which are very necessary when selecting flower remedies. Through the use of computers, we have the additional advantages of speed and accuracy when processing and searching through massive amounts of information, thus removing the human memory limitations inherent in alternative selection methods. Practical application of FLOWERBASE through computers may be considered as a therapist's tool, an enlarged left brain drawing on the intuition and subjectiveness of client and/or therapist.