Vibrational Preparations: Beyond the Basics
WHAT ARE FLOWER REMEDIES & VIBRATIONAL PREPARATIONS?
Flower Remedies is one name to describe vibrational essences and therapeutic preparations made from the energetic imprints of plants, imbued with the life-force and subtle properties of the natural world. Such remedies have been in use throughout recorded history and were popularized in the Western world by Doctor Edward Bach, MB, BS, MRCS, LRCP, DP a successful former London surgeon, Harley street practitioner, bacteriologist and pathologist who researched vaccines and later became interested in homeopathy. His research in homeopathy led him create an even gentler and more simplified approach. By the 1930s Dr. Bach was so excited by the trajectory of his work that he quit his Harley Street practice to fully pursue his passion to return healing to a more natural and accessible form. The culmination of his work was the development of 38 single remedies and one crisis formula, known as Rescue Remedy®, which work upon mental and emotional states, allowing the body to unblock and activate its innate healing potential. His passion was creating a system simple and accessible enough that all individuals could make and use it and he provided methods of preparations and uses to any who asked. Since Dr. Bach’s death in 1936 his formulas and instructions for the creation of flower remedies have been followed by people all over the planet. Dr. Bach believed his system of 39 remedies (38 single and one crisis formula) was complete and adequate for handling all mental and emotional states and that adding more would unnecessarily complicate the system. Taking this into consideration, and when using a common top limit of 6 remedies in a personal formula, there are over 2 million possible combinations… if using up to 7 individual remedies per personalized preparation this 39 remedy system allows for over 12 million* (see page footnote) individualized combinations! His system, while simple, is by no means simplistic. Today, thanks to Dr. Bach’s dedication and passion for sharing his methods and knowledge, professionals and enthusiasts alike recreate his original 39 remedies as well as explore the healing potential of countless other plant, earth, and celestial essence remedies. Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners using the Bach Original System rely exclusively upon Dr. Bach’s original 39 remedies. Dr. Bach’s work has inspired and informed individuals around the world, who continued exploring and researching the actions of remedies created from sources outside of the original Bach 39 and there are now remedies available from a wide variety of ecosystems, climates, locations, precious metals, gems and phenomena. At the time of writing, the apothecary I maintain for consultation and community support contains 650+ individual plant, gem, mineral, animal, celestial, and environmental essences and elixirs from local and international producers and I work comfortably both within the Bach system and beyond it.
What’s in a name? How to pronounce Bach & vibrational remedies vs. flower remedies:
The original pronunciation of Dr. Edward Bach’s last name was "Baych” (rhymes with "h”) however, in medical school, his colleagues mispronounced his last name as “Batch” (rhymes with “catch”). Dr. Batch adopted this pronunciation and was known by it throughout his medical career. It remains in use at the Bach Centre, the foundation he started at Mount Vernon in the UK (an organization still dedicated to education about and access to flower remedies). If you have heard Dr. Bach’s name pronounced like the last name of German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, you are not alone. This pronounciation is common, although it was never used by the Bach family, Dr. Bach, or the Bach Centre.
While “Flower Remedy” is a more widely recognized term, Energetic Remedy, Vibrational Essence, Vibrational Preparation and similar names are the over-arching concept that includes flower remedies, plant and environmental essences, celestial and gem elixirs, essences that carry the energetic imprints of sound, animals, and the like. I use the terms Flower Remedy, Vibrational Essence, Vibrational Preparation, and similar terms somewhat interchangeably, in order to make myself more easily understood by the greatest number of people. All of these terms refer to the same thing: potentized water infused with the attuned energetic vibration of a natural source.
WHAT CONDITIONS ARE THEY USED FOR?
These vibrational preparations are used to help unblock emotional, mental and spiritual states. They are not designed to treat specific ailments, rather, they help to shift the energetic signature of an individual’s mental, emotional, and spiritual patterns or states. As an energy medicine practitioner, I know that shifts in the energy system can manifest in the physical and Dr. Bach found that his patients were able to find greater health and wellbeing through addressing non-physical energetic imbalance. Dr. Bach’s system classifies each of his 38 single remedies into 7 categories:
Fear
Uncertainty
Insufficient Interest in Present Circumstance
Loneliness
For Those Over-sensitive to Influences and Ideas
Despondency or Despair
Over-care for Welfare of Others
Crisis formula (a single special formula)
More (as per non-Bach producers)
Other makers of vibrational preparations may have their own classification system or find one unnecessary. Regardless, remedies, vibrational essences, and elixirs are used to support spiritual development and insight, better understanding of thoughts, beliefs and feelings that no longer serve you, develop insight into difficulties in your life and transform your responses to them, gain better understanding of your choices, bring balance to your inner life in order to facilitate the external manifestation of balance and healing.
WHAT SHOULD ONE EXPECT?
Methods vary from practitioner to practitioner. The Bach system places emphasis on remedy selection via learned and memorized understanding of the uses of their 39 remedies. While I am trained in the Bach system through the Bach Foundation (UK), I am also trained in other systems and my primary tool for remedy selection is intuitive sense, supported by additional informational resources. A typical Bach-style framework for a consultation consists of:
Assessment of client via an intake form or conversation, which may include a short medical history during the first visit. Clients will be asked to describe their mental and emotional states, either long-term patterns of behavior or those which are most prevalent in the specific situation that prompted the consultation.
Emphasis is on how one thinks and feels, and/or spiritual state.
Selection of remedy/s
Preparation of a treatment bottle of the remedy/essence/elixir or selected vibrational preparation/s into a single, personalized formula for the client.
Provision of dosage instructions.
A follow-up consultation may be scheduled for 3-4 weeks later. Follow-up consultations are recommended, as the remedies begin peeling-the-onion of mental and emotional states. The recommended length of treatment for a single formula or remedy is typically 3 cycles of 3-4 weeks, a timeframe that helps support deeper, more lasting change. Clients may discover that as they shift mentally and emotionally their personal formula needs adjustment to support release of the next state-layer until all mental and emotional states contributing to their discomfort are cleared and the issue is resolved.
My Distance Consultations are similar to In-Studio Consultations and can be conducted over the phone or by video call. Treatment bottles and Personalized formulas are either mailed to the client (shipping charges apply) or the client may make arrangements to pick up the bottle if they are local and prefer to do so. All transfers of treatment bottles can be made contactless for SARS-Cov2 safety.
I am passionate about supporting my client/s agency in their healing. All sessions include the opportunity for learning, collaboration, and discussion. My goal is that clients will ultimately no longer require my help, but seek it as an adjunct to their empowered self-healing practices and education.
HOW ARE FLOWER REMEDIES MADE?
Step 1: Infusion
The process of choosing the source of and timeline for creating a remedy varies by producer. Many will wait for a ‘calling’ of energetic communication from the plant/mineral/element/etc. before proceeding. This energetic attunement or alignment with the remedy source is often considered essential for the remedy to be successful. The tools may also vary. Some producers use wooden tweezers to avoid human contact with the source, some travel deep into the wilds to ensure the purest possible ecological environment during selection and/or remedy making. Traditionally, Bach Flower Remedies and plant essences are made by infusing living spring water or purified water with the energetic imprint of the natural item or phenomena using solarization or boiling methods. Live or Living methods have since been developed to prevent damage to fragile ecosystems and plants. Exposure to moonlight and starlight are now options. Producers use one or more of these methods.
Solarization: Fresh flowers are collected and floated in a glass bowl of pure spring water. This bowl of flowers and water are left in the natural environment in which the flowers were collected, and exposed to the sunshine for three hours. After solarization the plant material is strained off and the Mother Tincture is prepared.
Boiling: This method is used by the Bach Centre and some producers if the remedy contains less delicate plant parts like leaves, stems, twigs, bark, and roots. Not all remedy makers utilize this method. Clean spring water and the plant material are combined and boiled for thirty minutes before straining. Mother Tincture is prepared from the resulting liquid.
Live or Living: Essences are made without picking any part of the plant or flower. The bowl of pure water is placed close to the living plant and a meditative request is made of the plant-being to impart its healing influence into the water, making it available to those in need elsewhere. The water is often touched to the flowers of that plant or multiple individuals of the same plant species before it is set near the living plant. This water is left in the sun, shade, moon or stars to absorb the vibrational signature of the plant.
Environmental Essences, Animal Essences, Celestial Remedies, Gem and Mineral Elixirs are typically prepared using a variation of the solarization method or prolonged exposure to moonlight or starlight. A bowl of pure water is placed in the presence of an animal, environmental or celestial phenomena, or location of power, while Gem elixirs may be created by placing the gem, mineral, or precious metal in direct contact with purified water or in very close proximity to the water. Typically, the resulting energized water is then prepared using the method described below, although at least one of the producers I work with uses salt from sacred sites as the sole preservative of their remedy stock and recommends salt for all dilutions of their essences.
Step II: Mother Tincture
After infusing water with the desired essence most Mother Tinctures are created using Dr. Bach’s formula of 1/2 volume “energized” flower remedy water and 1/2 volume food-grade alcohol (preservative). This Mother Tincture has a nearly indefinite shelf life when stored properly in dark glass bottles, away from light and heat.
Step III: Stock Bottles
From this Mother Tincture a 20 milliliter Stock Bottle is prepared using 2 drops of Mother Tincture in 20 milliliters food-grade alcohol. Like the Mother Tincture, vibrational preparation and flower remedy stock has a nearly indefinite shelf life when stored properly in dark glass bottles away from light and heat.
Step IV: Treatment or Dosage Bottle
The Stock Bottle is what is used to prepare a 1 fl.oz. / 30 ml. ℮ Treatment Bottle, which typically contains up to 20 drops (usually fewer) of remedy from the Stock Bottles. The remainder of the 1 fl.oz. / 30 ml. ℮ Treatment Bottle may be filled with pure water or a combination of water and a minimum of 5 milliliters of brandy (or other high-proof drinking alcohol to extend the life of the Treatment Bottle), especially if it may be exposed to light or heat. Higher alcohol to water ratios are sometimes used to prolong preservation in certain circumstances. This Dosage Bottle is what is typically used for treatment. I most often use local Demeter® Certified Biodynamic® brandy (preferred) for this purpose (for non-alcohol sensitive individuals), but any 40% alcohol by volume liquor (80 proof) or higher works. There are also options for alcohol sensitive individuals.
Children and extremely alcohol sensitive individuals:
Treatment bottles may alternately be preserved with organic vegetable glycerine (sweet), Demeter® Certified Biodynamic® raw apple cider vinegar (sour - may not be shipped in warm weather), or be void of preservative entirely (may not be shipped in warm weather). One producer I work with uses salt collected from sacred sites as the soul preservative in all of their stock and dosage bottles. It can be helpful to know that many common foods contain similar alcohol contents as a standard treatment or dosage bottle (vanilla extract, orange juice, some cheeses, breads, extra ripe bananas, etc.). Note that some of the alternative preservation methods may dramatically reduce the shelf life of the remedy and are thus only used upon request of the client. In these cases remedies should be kept refrigerated and should be used within 21 days. There are also some remedy producers who make glycerine-based stock bottles, if this is a necessity for you. Glycerine-based stock typically contains only 1 drop of alcohol (from the Mother Tincture) per 20 milliliter flower remedy Stock Bottle. A standard 20 milliliter stock bottle will contain approximately 400 drops, therefore the ratio of alcohol to glycerine is 1:400 (may vary as glycerine is thicker than water and the drops are slightly larger). This minute amount of alcohol is further reduced in the preparation of a standard Treatment bottle. I do not carry glycerine-based remedy Stock Bottles but can prepare Treatment bottles using any of the three alternative methods, including glycerine, and can make recommendations for further reduction of alcohol content of each dose. I can also provide information on where to purchase glycerine-based Bach Flower Remedy Stock.
HOW DO I TAKE MY REMEDY?
Dosages vary but a standard treatment guidelines are:
4 drops in water or directly under the tongue (either from stock bottle or prepared dosage bottle)
4 times a day
You make take your remedy more frequently, as needed.
Spacing the doses out throughout the day is most beneficial (transition times like waking, lunch, afternoon, bed), as is holding the remedy or water in your mouth for a few moments before swallowing.
Unlike homeopathy, most producers state that there is no need to avoid certain foods and beverages or take your doses between meals.
A typical 1 fl.oz. / 30 ml. ℮ Treatment Bottle taken in the 4/4 way (as described above) will last approximately 3 weeks.
It is generally recommended that clients continue treatment with their remedy or formula for 1-3 months.
Mental and emotional states that are long-standing patterns usually take more time to shift than those that are more recently manifested. If a new mental or emotional state does not arise between follow-up sessions it is recommended that the client continue taking the same remedy for the entire course of treatment.
If my clients feel that they are ready for a updated remedy or formula at any point in the typical 3 month treatment cycle, they may order a schedule a follow-up consultation so that alterations may be made and a new Treatment Bottle prepared. If they find that they need only a refill of their existing remedy or formula, they may order one at any time. Clients may also choose to purchase 3 bottles of their designated remedy at the time of consultation, for ease and convenience.
WHO SHOULDN’T USE REMEDIES?
One of the beautiful aspects of vibrational preparations is their subtle energetic nature. One cannot harm themselves through flower remedies. The very worst that can happen if someone takes the “wrong” remedy or dosage is that nothing will occur. These remedies are not only effective but also powerful, safe, gentle and liberating. There are no known side effects or contraindications for the use of flower remedies and vibrational essences. even children and alcohol sensitive individuals can use them with simple modifications.
WHO CREDENTIALS PRACTITIONERS?
The production and use of vibrational preparations is not governed by any single overseeing or credentialing body. Individuals may practice as lay-practitioners or seek training from sources of their choice, including the Bach Centre (UK). Plants, animals, the environment, earth and sky have been allies in healing since time immemorial and there are many valid paths to learning to work with them including internships, cultural and traditional education from elders and community members, personal experimentation and exploration. I recognize that certification is a concept rooted in colonization. In our current culture, certification is often associated with greater respect and an acknowledgment of skill levels which may or may not be accurate and discounts the value of traditional knowledge and apprenticeship models. Certification can also allow individuals to practice in settings not open to non-certified practitioners (hospitals and allopathic healthcare settings, for example). Those interested in formal Bach Flower Remedy Practitioner training from widely recognized Western organizations may seek training to become Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners by completing approved training through the Bach Centre or become a Bach Flower Certified Practitioner through the Bach Flower Institute’s Bach International Education Program, accredited for continuing education credits for the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Massage), NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork), and ANMCB (American Naturopathic Medical Certification Board). Bach Centre and Bach Flower Institute certified practitioners are limited to using the Bach system of 39 remedies and the Bach approved remedy selection process, by the rules of certification.
My formal training in Flower Remedies is through The Bach Centre, Alaskan Essences, and through study of Intuitive Plant Medicine with Asia Suler. Currently, I am pursuing continuing education through resources presented by Michael Cottingham, Marissa Gagliardi, Mimi Kamp and Michael Moore at Wild Medicine School as well as through BotanicalMedicine.org lectures and materials from other sources. Informally, I have worked with vibrational preparations for over 20 years in personal pursuit of deepening my connection with earth medicines, plant allies, natural, and subtle healing methods. I recognize the value of selection methods and remedies both within the Bach system and outside of the Bach system, therefore I am not and do not intend to seek Bach practitioner certification.