For those who are intellectually-inclined,or even theologically-inclined, this book review may be of interest. It was written in Fall 2000 for a Foundations of Spirituality course atAquinas Institute of Theology, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.  The foundationof the course was the theology of Bernard Lonergan, SJ, and in the "Praxis"and "Recommendation" sections below Lonergan's theological terms are utilized. Those sections (especially the "Praxis" section) may be a little more difficultto understand if one has no background in Lonergan's theology, which ishighly complex and specific in language!

Introduction:  Dr. EdwardBach (1886-1936), an English physician (pathologist, bacteriologist, surgeonand homeopath) discovered a method of imbuing pure water with the healingproperties of English herbs and wildflowers.  Using this method hewent on to create the Bach Flower Therapy system which is based on theuse of thirty-eight flower essences or "remedies."  The underlyingpremise of this system of healing is that disease originates in the delicate,sensitive mind and emotions before it is manifested in the body, and wemust focus on the healing of thoughts and feelings in order to effect healingat the physical level.  Bach's thirty-eight essences address seven types of emotional suffering which cause disease:  fear, uncertainty,insufficient interest in present circumstances, loneliness, oversensitivityto influences and ideas, despondency or despair, and over-care for thewelfare of others.  The essences are to be taken internally as wellas used in the bath or as topical compresses.  Bach's system fallsunder the contemporary category of "vibrational medicine," which involvesthe human energy field and which is often researched today with technologicallyadvanced equipment.  In 1930 Bach described it simply as choosingessences "of such vibrations that elevate" (p. 160).

The Bach Flower Therapy system hasincreased in popularity with time and the method discovered by Bach hasgiven rise to research into the healing properties of flower essences acrossthe globe. Collected Writings of Edward Bach contains letters, lectures,and early medical writings of Bach as well as teachings and philosophicalwritings describing the basis of his flower therapy system, discoveredduring the latter years of his life.  Bach intended the philosophicalwritings for the general public, and I have drawn primarily on these inthis critique.  I wish to make a distinction between Dr. Bach's writingsdating from this pioneering period of the 1930's and the flower essencetherapy system as it has evolved into the 21st century, and I will drawcomparisons between these two in the "praxis" and "recommendation" sectionsbelow.

Purpose:  Bach was alover of nature as well as deeply committed to the alleviation of sufferingin humanity.  He believed that God providentially placed herbs inthe field for our healing and he gave up a lucrative medical practice inorder to go out and find them.  His primary purpose in writing wasto teach his philosophy of illness and to encourage those who suffer andwho desire to be well by communicating to them that no evil can withstandthe "beautiful remedies. . .Divinely enriched with healing powers. . .[which] open up those channels. . .that the patient may be flooded withhealing virtue. . .in the presence of which disease melts as snow in thesunshine." (p. 117).

Point:  Bach's mainpoint can be found in the development of his theory that health consistsin the harmony of the personality with the God within, which he calls alternatelythe soul, spiritual self, or higher self, as well as a variety of morecreative descriptions.  Bach never defines these terms and one isleft with a vague sense that they all refer to an Inner Reality which isdifficult to pinpoint.  Disease is caused by anything which interfereswith this harmony between the personality and the inner Divinity. Interference may take the form of being too easily influenced by othersand not being true to oneself, or of being subject to inner states whichblock the flow of inner light into the personality: pride, cruelty, hate,self-love, ignorance, instability, greed, in addition to the seven typesof emotional suffering listed previously.  He repeatedly stressedthe need to develop virtues which "flood out" these negative states, amongthem: love; devoting oneself to others; self-determination; humility; andseeking to learn in all ways, including learning well the lessons whichsuffering, as a corrective, points out to us, as well as self-knowledge. The flower essences were viewed as aids and catalysts to help in this processof developing virtues and awareness, bringing us nearer to the Divinitywithin, and a commitment to this process on the part of the patient wasimplicit in their use.

Presuppositions:  Aprimary presupposition of Bach is that the reader would be able to acceptmany aspects of his theory and philosophy in an era dominated by the rationalmind and allopathic medicine.  For many readers, it would have beenproblematic to accept that flower remedies can heal emotions, that a "Godwithin" or higher self exists and disease is a result of disharmony betweenthe personality and this "higher aspect," and that the healing of emotionsis primary and will result naturally in healing of the body.  Perhaps Bach's most daring presupposition is that the reader would be capableof accepting his method of discovery of flower remedies, which is rathershamanic.  While it is not explicitly stated in his writings, anyonewith a desire to know could easily read about Bach's method of discovery. Bach believed that God gave him states of suffering precisely so that hewould be able to go into the fields and discern which flower could heala particular state.  He developed such a degree of sensitivity that,by simply placing a petal on his tongue, he could intuit its healing properties. The rational 20th-century mind would have had difficulty with both Bach'smethod and theory, and this continues into the 21st century, but with greateropenness due to twelve-step spirituality and alternative medicine.

Praxis:  The primarygift of Bach flower therapy lies in the realm of "praxis,"  and hereI must distinguish between Bach's written theories and the ongoing, practicalvalue of his flower essences into the 21st century.  His theoriesmean little unless they work.  Many people, including myself, findBach flower therapy helpful.  The Bach flower system addresses primarilythe psychic level of consciousness. With the co-operation of the individual through intentionality and theuse of affirmations which support one's desires, the essences help to stabilizeemotional intensity, decrease painful and debilitating emotions, and modulatethe effects of dramatic bias.  Psychic conversion, with the accompanyingtheological virtue of hope and the strengthening of fortitude and temperance,is thus set in motion.  This in turn has a healing effect at the levelof the organism (in the physical body) and provides more freedom for thespiritual functions of understanding, judgment, and decision.  Whenemotions are intense or overwhelming, the possibility of bypassing theuse of reason is increased.  Anything which can reduce the intensityof emotions offers a "space" into which reason may enter in order to guideone's emotional responses through the will.  Thus one has an enhancedcapacity to exercise all the moral virtues if one so chooses.  Theimplication of this is nothing less than the possibility for moral conversion,as opposed to being overcome by strong emotional forces and passions. Bach always encouraged people to develop the virtue of universal love,which is rooted in the unity of all people as equals and children of God. As a medical doctor he spent a great deal of time listening to each patient;he lived out his ideals through concretely helping people, one by one. While Bach's life and philosophy attest to an outward-oriented channelfor new psychic energy through service to others, his foundational beliefthat one must be true to oneself would prevent him from making his goalof service anything more than an offering of his wisdom, leaving the questionof how one chooses to use new energy gained through healing to the choiceof the individual.

Recommendation:  Theincarnational and sacramental aspects of Bach's writings are clearly evident. The Divine is seen as dwelling at the core of the human being as well asin all of creation, and the sacramentality of the healing flowers is paramount. Bach actually calls them "sacraments" and "our Creator's Divine gift toaid us in our troubles" (p. 103).  We see the communal aspect of anincarnational spirituality in Bach's communal vision of love through service,which was foundational to his way of life.  But his writings focusmore on healing for the individual and how his philosophy and healing flowersrelate to the individual.

I would recommend the Bach flowertherapy system to anyone who is open to it and feels the need for extrahelp at the psychic level.  It is especially helpful for those withemotional sensitivities and past wounding.  But I would recommendthe reading of more recent books on Bach's system before approaching CollectedWritings of Edward Bach.  It is definitely worthwhile readingas an historic work documenting the genesis of flower-essence therapy,and there is a beauty in the simplicity of the writing and the emphasison harmony and unity.  However, in my opinion, "translations" of Bach'sconcepts into the psychological language which we, as citizens of the 21stcentury, are accustomed to, make the works of recent authors easier tograsp in the beginning stages of learning the Bach flower system.

Eileen Hutcheson
 

First Photo:  Mimulus helps one discoverthe courage within to face everyday life and challenges.

Second Photo:  Holly ishelpful for anger,  jealousy, and envy.  It stimulates forcesof love in the heart.  A cluster of male holly flowers is shown(courtesy of FES). 

Background:  Pine is helpful for feelingsof guilt and promotes self-forgiveness and self-acceptance.