What is Bach flower therapy and how does it soothe anxiety? A doctor explains

Anxiety, which is a type of mental illness, has shown a significant rise amongst adults during the pandemic and resulting recession. During the pandemic, 2 in 5 adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder. This share has been largely consistent, up from 1 in 10 adults who reported these symptoms from January to June 2019.

Now, experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with frequent, intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations are considered to be suffering from anxiety. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes. These are often termed panic attacks.

The effects of anxiety can be restrictive. Anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, are out of proportion to the actual danger and can last a long time. One can always avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings, but unless the illness is cured, it lurks deep inside.

Symptoms of anxiety may start during childhood or the teen years, continuing into adulthood. Moreover, it is believed that women are more prone to anxiety than men.

There’s no doubt that we need to bring our anxiety under control. Today, there are many therapies that one can resort to for managing anxiety, but Bach flower therapy is the safest, surest and simplest.

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Symptoms of anxiety to look out for

Some of the common signs and symptoms of anxiety include:

• Nervousness
• Restless or feeling tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• An increased heart rate
• Hyperventilation
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Weakness or tiredness
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry
• Trouble sleeping
• Gastrointestinal problems

What is BACH FLOWER THERAPY?

In the early to mid-’90s, the world of alternative medicine witnessed a revolution with Dr Edward Bach, a Harley Street physician, discovering Bach flower remedies. These are subtle liquid extracts of flowers of wild trees and bushes, used to uniquely address profound issues of mental and emotional well-being.
The 38 remedies along with millions of possible combinations are being used currently in over 70 countries the world over. They are quite popular amongst people in the West and beginning to gain popularity in India, particularly amongst sensitive, health-conscious individuals.

Bach Flower remedies contain no biochemical component and are purely energetic in nature. Hence, the remedies can be used for complementary therapy alongside any other course of treatment with no danger of side-effects, over-dosing or contra-indications.

Besides addressing day-to-day issues and restoring harmony, Bach flower remedies address and heal most mental health issues like addiction, anger, anxiety, depression, fears and phobias, grief, isolation and loneliness, low self-worth, mental exhaustion, PTSD, sleeplessness, stress, suicidal tendencies and trauma, among others, prevalent at the workplace.

Soon after its discovery, therapists, healers and even homoeopaths started including Bach flower remedies in their practice. Gradually, this gave birth to the practice of Bach flower therapy – an evolving discipline that is aimed at healing individuals, irreversibly, from the root.

TREATING ANXIETY WITH BACH FLOWER THERAPY

Anxiety can very well be addressed with Bach flower therapy without the risk of any side-effects, overdosage or addiction. Depending on the severity of the case, it may take as little as 8 to 12 weeks to as long as a year or more to heal an individual of anxiety using Bach flower therapy.

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Here are the remedies for different types of anxiety:

• MIMULUS- Anxiety and fear of objects, places or situations that might cause one to panic and feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed.
• ASPEN- Vague apprehension of something going terribly wrong.
• ROCK ROSE- Repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes.
•  LARCH- Consistent failure of children to speak during certain situations, such as school, even when they can speak in other situations, such as at home with close family members, or fear of failure in adults.
• RED CHESTNUT- Anxiety that’s excessive for the child’s developmental level and related to separation from parents or others who have parental roles.
• WATER VIOLET- High levels of anxiety, fear and avoidance of social situations due to feelings of embarrassment, self-consciousness and concern.
• CHERRY PLUM- Intense fear and helplessness due to feeling not in control of one’s mind.
• CRAB APPLE- Anxiety of one’s environment getting contaminated, soiled or dirty.

Bach Flower remedies can safely be used for self-healing anxiety. However, as Bach Flower therapy heals in layers and work with combinations of remedies, customised to individuals’ personality and emotional map, it is advisable to consult a therapist, go through a complete therapy and get the combination that is particularly prescribed for you in order to heal from the root.