“Bach flowers help to change”

In German-speaking countries mechthild scheffer is considered a authority on Bach flower remedies.

Berliner, pioneer in introducing these flower remedies into her country For negative states of mind, he translated Dr. Bach’s teachings into German for the first time, in books that are still essential for therapists today.

It was also, for more than twenty years, the voice of Dr. Edward Bach Center of England in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

In its purpose of disseminating the deepest aspects of therapy and ensuring its correct use, according to the original precepts, founded the Institute für Bach-Blütentherapie, Forschung und Lehrebased in Hamburg, Vienna and Zurich, and whose mission is to offer training to users and therapists and to support educational and research projects.

Their over thirty years of practice and research are reflected in numerous publications, fifteen books and continuous trips to give seminars around the world, presenting his method to identify the origin of emotional crises and overcome them.

–What attracted you to Bach flowers so many years ago, when they barely knew each other?
–After what I call my “first life” as an artist consultant, I studied homeopathy, interested in its psychological aspects. I was in England, I came across a book on Bach flowers, of which I had heard wonders but hardly knew, and I realized that this was what interested me, the mental. I stopped homeopathy and concentrated on Bach flower remedies.

-Because? What do they have that homeopathy does not?
–Homeopathy only looks at the patient when he is sick. He considers the different states of him: when he is angry, when he hates his relatives or when he feels like a victim. The symptoms of Bach flowers cannot be compared, they are almost archetypal, they are on another level. The objective of flower therapy is to reconnect with your interior and help you develop according to your own life plan. In fact, Dr. Bach hesitated between studying Theology or Medicine.

“Dr. Bach’s deepest intention was for patients to understand what led to their situation.”

– Can one therapy then lead to the other?
–Yes, I myself sometimes advised homeopathy during my ten years as a Bach flower therapist. Sometimes the flowers lead to the mental change I was talking about but some physical symptoms remain. For example, in chronic conditions they can treat a sour character but not alleviate all the discomfort. That is where homeopathy can help. And conversely, when homeopathy does not produce results, you can try Bach flowers. They can be combined or leave one for the other temporarily… Any option is valid.

A therapy to change attitude

– In what is considered especially useful flower therapy?
–In everything that is mental: emotional imbalances, impatience, a repressed personality… Dr. Bach wanted a therapy that would contribute to personal fulfillment and also offer emotional help in difficult moments. After having a heart attack or cancer, for example, it is useful because you have to decide whether to change your life or not. I believe that no other therapy is so appropriate for a change in attitude.

– Is 50% of therapy a good diagnosis?
–Yes, it is fundamental to get to know through dialogue with the patient what universal principle he does not understand or does not follow. We are part of a Unit, a greater Whole. We have a vital, non-transferable plan, and the mission to develop it by paying attention to our inner guide. The other 50% of therapy is more complicated because most people don’t understand what we might call their “mental error.” Hence my main objective: to make the message more understandable so that the person sees what is blocking their potential.

Have you personally experienced it?
-Definitely. All my personal development would not have been possible without the flowers. I come from a very conservative family. I am the daughter of lawyers and I grew up with almost no emotion: there was no room for spontaneity, I was taught to act in such a way that no one would take advantage of me. I came to direct three art institutes in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, with about fifteen employees, but I never knew how to guide those people. I was creative but I didn’t know how to direct people… because I didn’t have enough self-esteem to tell someone what to do. Through the Bach flowers I learned that emotions are not only necessary and healthy, but also a path that leads to the connection with the inner guide.

–And he achieved that thanks to some flower essences…?
–The essences take you to interiorization although the process requires more time. But yes, they guided me.

After so many years, do you still use them?
-Of course. I take two or three flowers for a few days when I feel impatient or off-kilter. Taking them or even thinking about which ones I need helps me balance.

Bach Flower Expansion

–More than thirty years have passed since he came into contact with Bach flower remedies. Do you still see them the same?
–The spiritual part, of personal development, I met later. The situation has also changed. In German-speaking countries there was a boom in 1995. That year I appeared on almost all German TV shows, everyone was interested in Bach flower remedies. In a way it was a tragedy for therapy because there were not enough trained therapists and many people were self-prescribing without being prepared. Fortunately, that has changed a lot and there are good professionals, although they still do not take too much into account the possibilities of personal development in therapy.

What led to that boom?
–I think it was in 1975 when I asked for addresses of floral therapists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and they could only give me four. I wrote the first book in 1981 and it was a success. I received hundreds of gifts from strangers. I started giving seminars and writing books because they asked me to. Anyone who was interested in the subject at that time turned to me. Gradually interest grew.

–What is the status of Bach flower remedies in Germany today? Are they used in hospitals, for example?
-Yeah. They are considered a medicine and legally it is only allowed to be prescribed by doctors and what is known as high practitioners. But they can be used for oneself. In Switzerland and Austria they are more widespread and there are many trained therapists.

Where am I and where am I going: reconnect with the vital purpose thanks to Bach flower remedies

What is your crisis management method?
–Dr. Bach’s deepest intention was for patients to understand what “mental misunderstanding” led to their situation. This reflection is key in the process of change of Bach flowers. My idea is to help the patient to know himself through cards that graphically show different patterns of behavior with which he can identify at the moment: for example, someone who says to himself “poor me” or who asks everyone what to do. On the other side of the letter it is written what problems this attitude that he recognizes as his causes him and how to correct it.

“It’s about asking the patient: ‘Where am I now?’ and ‘Where am I going?’ Many therapists use these cards because they quickly lead to the problem.”

Do you recommend self-prescription?
-In the beginning it is better to go to a therapist. It is always preferable to have the help of someone who knows flowers well. But it depends on the problem. To self-actualize, develop your full potential, you can walk your own path. But if you suffer from any psychological difficulty it is better to go to a therapist. The problem is, however, that there aren’t enough good therapists right now.

–And how do you recognize a good therapist?
-He is able to dialogue with the patient, shows that he knows human nature. He helps the patient to reach self-knowledge that allows him to detect his fundamental errors, those that cause a conflict between what would be the soul, the Everything, and the personality.

–Give an example.
–Imagine that the vital mission of a person is to ensure justice. Her potential can be blocked if she falls into constant criticism of others or the desire to convince and judge them. On the one hand, he feels the unconscious impulse to improve the world, but since his idea of ​​perfection is based only on his principles, he separates himself from others, who are afraid that he will see their weaknesses and judge them mercilessly. His character is distorted. , feel negative emotions (irritability, stress) and may suffer from physical disorders, such as allergies. This wrong way of understanding his potential disconnects him from his inner guidance, he loses sight of Unity. Consequently, he does not reach other people’s emotions, does not find support and, on the contrary, gets rejection.

–And what should you do?
–Acknowledge your “misunderstanding”. Immediately there will be a mental change: you will perceive the situation with greater empathy and you will judge the environment in a different way. You will find the right words and criticism will turn into constructive discussions, into positive solutions. The beech (beach), which is the flower essence for tolerance, would be appropriate in this case. Promotes compassion and tolerance, towards oneself and towards others.

–Does taking flowers connect immediately with that inner wisdom?
–Flowers are a powerful tool but the process is long. Still, in every situation there is an opportunity to move forward. If only the flowers are taken, without accompanying them with a process of reflection, the interior emerges more slowly, if at all. Because as soon as the person feels better, he usually leaves the process.

The Rescue Remedy is not the only option

–In fact, the usual thing is to limit yourself to resorting to the Rescue Remedy on time.
–Yes, that’s why I put so much emphasis on developing the inner guide. 70% of the people who take Bach flower remedies in Germany only use the Rescue Remedy. And they don’t go from there. For them, therapy is reduced to that emergency remedy that helps them get out of a quagmire. That is why I am now developing new combinations that act as a bridge between the Rescue and individual therapy. They would work by responding to a dozen reactions. We are testing them in German clinics. It’s very interesting because that will attract more people and make them go a step further.

–Would they also be indicated for emergency situations, such as Rescue?
-No. They would act in a deeper field. Many people do not react as they are because of the education they have received. They act as if they are shy, for example, and yet they are not by nature. These remedies would make it possible to recover one’s temperament.

–That would imply an evolution of Dr. Bach’s original system, which is so well preserved from the Dr. Edward Bach Center in England.
–It is to develop it in a direction in which I am sure that Dr. Bach would have worked. He sure would have wanted people to go beyond the Rescue Remedy.

“I’m…