natural remedies for stress relief edmonton Archives

September 22, 2017September 22, 2017

5-Flower-Formula

5-Flower-Formula is a blend of 5 Flower Essences specific for acute instances of trauma, stress or overwhelm. Also marketed as ‘Rescue Remedy’, 5-Flower-Formula is a composite of 5 of Dr. Edward Bach’s* original essences: Clematis, Star of Bethlehem, Impatiens, Cherry Plum and Rock Rose. These essences combine to create a very grounding and embodying effect during times where we may otherwise fly away from ourselves due to intensity. Examples of when 5-Flower-Formula could be used are: after an accident, before and/or after surgery, leading up to, during and after stressful situations such as break-ups, death and loss, exams, moving, starting a new job, overwhelm due to parenting or other circumstances or any other acute instance of fear, anger, or sadness. As human beings, we tend to want to escape intensity, which causes more difficulty in processing such events moving forward. It’s better to actually be grounded IN the body, as that helps us to move through difficult scenarios effectively – its within the body, after all, that we find our courage and strength, discernment and clarity, capacity, hope, faith and connection to a power greater than ourselves.

5-Flower-Formula can be taken as often as needed. It’s totally safe and reasonable to take 4-6 drops under the tongue every 20-minutes until symptoms of intensity and fear subside depending on the situation. 5-Flower-Formula can also be pursued as a full cycle of Flower Essences if and when appropriate. For example, some people may find it appropriate to take a full cycle (approximately 28-days) of 5-Flower-Formula if they’ve had an extremely stressful and life-altering experience that will take time to recover from.
Click here to learn about how to pursue a full cycle of Flower Essences.

*Dr. Edward Bach is the founder of Flower Essences. Click to learn more about him and his legacy, as presented at the outset of my piece, What are Flower Essences?

August 22, 2017August 22, 2017

Why Flower Essences?

In 2012, I invested in a membership with the Flower Essence Society. Since flower essences are the focus of my professional life here in Edmonton, at the same time as investing in said membership, I also established a signature for my Gmail account:

Roberta Shepherd
Holistic Health Practitioner, Flower Essences Aficionado

Why? Why do I love Flower Essences so much and why are they a therapy worth exploring to achieve all your mental, emotional and spiritual health goals?

I love Flower Essences because they’re a synergy of:

– the beauty of plants
– energetics (as in, energy work, which Flower Essences are a branch of)
– endeavours to get to the root cause of what holds us back from being who we really are, and,
– the ongoing and beautiful opportunity for me to receive the stories of many.

Flower essences are the brain child of Dr. Edward Bach (1886 – 1936), who was a leading English surgeon, bacteriologist and pathologist. Well versed and influential in the field of Homeopathic medicine, Bach was ridiculed by his medical counterparts for his pursuit of seemingly less tangible practices like Homeopathy and Flower Essences. Nevertheless, Bach was unwavering in his belief that remedies gentler than pharmaceuticals existed by which patients could bring themselves back into balance. So inspired by his vocation, Bach abandoned his lucrative private practice in 1930 to concentrate upon his true “life work”. Bach passed away in 1936, leaving behind a legacy of insightful information that lies at the foundation of the Flower Essence Society’s work today.

Flower Essences are dilute floral infusions. The key word here is “essence” – it is not roots, leaves, stems or seeds of flowers that are being ingested in Flower Essence therapy, but the “essence”. In other words, the energy. Flower Essences are worth your exploration because they address the myriad of human conditions experienced in the modern world. For every issue that exists in the modern world, there is a flower essence that can be paired to that issue. Taking the Flower Essence paired to your respective issue stimulates awareness around that issue. Flower Essences are like counselors in a bottle – part of a counselor’s job is to diplomatically point out blind spots: parts about you that you’re unaware of. Gaining awareness around what you don’t consciously realize you’re thinking, believing or doing allows you to have a different perspective and to see how these thoughts, beliefs and/or behaviors are holding you back. With new awareness, you can implement change that will influence your life in a more positive direction.

The practice of Flower Essences is a celebration of the way plants lend themselves to human conditions. A successful Flower Essence cycle brings change, leading you towards your highest expression of yourself. When you’re expressing yourself at the height of “Who You Really Are”, you’re likely expressing self-confidence, gratitude, abundance, prosperity, happiness, compassion and empathy.

As if all of those reasons aren’t enough for “why” you ought to explore Flower Essences, let me get more specific. Flower Essences ought to be employed for any of the following issues: eating disorders, sleep disturbances, workaholism, depression, death and loss, lack of direction, unhealthy attachment and codependency, broken relationships, perfectionism, lack of boundaries, exhaustion and fatigue, lack of motivation and drive, low sex drive, procrastination, restlessness, anxiety, lack of concentration and focus, anger, change and transition, immune disturbances, self-defeatist patterns and habits, abuse, shame, stress, arrogance or low self-esteem, trauma of any kind, and the list goes on and on… Flower Essences are also very effective for common and not-so-common issues that occur with infants and children such as: teething, excessive crying, nightmares, sleep disturbances, neglect, bullying, shyness or aggression, fear, anxiety, over-dependence and clingy-ness, difficulty with change and transition, bet-wetting, etc.

The simple answer to “Why Flower Essences?” is this: because they really work at helping us get to the root of whatever’s holding us back from being “Who We Really Are”.

May 6, 2017August 20, 2017

What are Flower Essences?

Flower Essences are, by far, one of my favorite things.

Let’s clear up some misconceptions right away: Flower Essences are NON-aromatic and are remedies that are ingestible by mouth. In other words, Flower Essences are NOT aromatherapy and each remedy smells exactly the same.

Flower Essences are plant spirit medicine – the spirit energy of flowers captured in solution.

Flower Essences are the brain and heart child of Dr. Edward Bach, a medical doctor, homeopath and bacteriologist whose career spanned from 1906 to 1936, when he died in his sleep at the tender age of 50. Known for his creation of 7 bacterial nosodes used in the practice of homeopathy, in 1930, Bach became assured that there was a more subtle way to treat his patient’s ailments over and above the modern medical model, which he found to be crude and invasive. The premise of his outlook on treating individuals more subtly, is that illness is the result of discord between the purpose of the soul and the actions and mental paradigms of the person.

In 1930, Bach abandoned his lucrative medical practice for the countryside and fields of England, where he intuitively discovered his remedies over a dedicated 4 year period. Bach’s discovery started with his personal experimentation of holding his hands over the flowers he was studying while in the throes of difficult emotions. In this way, he would connect to the energy of the flowers until he found the one that alleviated his emotional discord. In spring and summer, Bach psychically connected to plant spirit, and in winter, he treated patients for free. Bach discovered that the dawn’s sunlight could infuse dew drops on flower petals with the healing energy of that flower, so he began testing the remedies by gathering those potent dew drops and preserving them for ingestion. As this practice progressed, the amount of dew collected was not enough, so he suspended flowers in spring water and used a sun-infusion method that is still employed today.

Water has memory and the ability to hold energetic charge. This is the basis for the way by which Flower Essences work. Since our bodies and cells are made up of more than 75% water, when we ingest plant spirit medicine, the energy of the medicine resonates throughout the water of our cells. Resonance is when vibrational frequency matches an endogenous state of being, therefore enhancing the charge of that state and allowing it to be brought to the forefront. For example, there is vibrational frequency associated with the quality of confidence – think about it: how does it feel to be in the presence of a confident person versus a person with low self-esteem? Feels different doesn’t it? Well, there is also a flower essence that holds within its water the resonant quality of confidence (there are a few actually). When you ingest that flower essence, the energy of confidence resonates throughout your cells, awakening your innate human capacity to be confident and amplifying that capacity, thereby drawing it to the conscious forefront of living. As these innate qualities get drawn forward with the use of Flower Essences, they also move through all the limiting beliefs that are keeping those innate qualities repressed. This facilitates profound awareness around the precise nature of such limiting paradigms and how they have been keeping us stuck.

What do I do with Flower Essences?

I am like a “flower interpreter”. I work with about 155 Flower Essences and have spent the past 11 years learning about the qualities of each one, both intellectually and experientially. When I meet with someone for the 1st time, I conduct an interview process that takes about 75 minutes. Within this interview process, I gather information about you and your life. We talk about values, goals for change, core wounds and paradigms: what is important to you and how would you like to see your life and your inner landscape change? What is your story? I love holding space for the stories of others and I do so with utmost respect and reverence. What are the core wounds that were created within that story that you hold to so firmly that they’re getting in the way? This does not mean that pain, anger or loss are not relevant or legitimate, nor is there ever any attempt to diminish your experiences. How have your core wounds and experiences shaped the paradigms you currently have? For example, the most common paradigm set that gets in the way of our living a joyful and fulfilled life is the “not enough” paradigm set: not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough, successful enough, etc.
Once I gather all relevant information about you and your life, I match flowers – anywhere from 1 – 5, just for you, and make them into a custom blend. I then send you off to ingest this blend for about 30 days, which is considered one cycle. I will ask you to come back in 6-weeks for a follow-up, where we will discuss your experiences, the state of your goals and how to move forward.