Is it really off topic? Bach remedies can be a great addition to
homeopaths - if only as part of removing maintaining cause.
For example today a case of a lonely cat (companion died a while back
and owner is away all day) who loves attention but bites anyone
(badly!) who tries to leave him, is so easy to remedy with a few
sprays of aqueous Bach remedy, and it can be followed by simillimum
once devised (Ignatia). ......Without the Bach remedy, the cat is
unsafe to approach.
With the Bach remedy, the cat can be approached to dose its slower-
acting but more deeply and long-term acting Ignatia.
If I am wrong to answer here after all, please let me know.
My answer is:
I have consulted from a vet clinic in the use of Bach Remedies for
many years, and stopped only when I became too ill to work fulltime
in late 1999. I now still use them with email vethom consults as in
the above example. At the clinic, the owners saw how amazingly
effective they are and I often had "sidebar consults" with owners as
well. I have read every bach remedy book i could lay hands on but
there is not one that comes anywhere near to the wonderful one I
still see as the "organon equivalent" for Bach remedies. It's a
little book relatively, but it describes the nature of each remedy so
well, that it is easy to get to know each remedy and its potential uses.
I also feel that it would be a great mistake to put this into a
repertory!
Anyone who is serious about Bach remedies, can readily learn each one
individually, it's not like homeopathy where there are thousands of
remedies with tens thousand rubrics each. There are only just over 3
dozen Back remedeis, and the direction of action of each is very
characteristic once understood. A piece of cake to learn, compared
with homeopahthy, and that indeed was the intent of Dr Edward Bach
when he devised them.
I believe sincerely that a repertory approach is not useful for Bach
remedies. This is especially true because they are used differently
for different situations and personalities. It is better to stress
the need to ask lots of suitable questions (and to write a book on
doing this) to understand the personality of the individual needing a
remedy and how to select the Bach remedies accordingly. My favorite
book goes far in this but perhaps that is where there is the biggest
need - especially for the person with as yet no experience.
An example: (Excuse that it is a veterinary one please - the
principle is the same however in any species including human)
A cat was in the habit of yowling at the owner for food when the
owner came home. Without going into details on training needed - the
remedy needed would by repertory suggest the use of Chestnut Bud to
break a habit. But that would be incorrect. Instdead a study of the
remedy Rock Water, would teach one that this remedy is important
where flexibilithy of attitude is required - an d in cats it is an
attitude issue rather than an actual habit issue, that needs changing
here. So understanding the remedies mattefrs MORE here in getting a
successful case than a repertory rote "bad habit use Chestnut Bud"
type of approach.
if on the other hand you were handling a dog who indeed was
doing something by habit, (and dogs personalities are more likely to
be doing a rote habit than cats as they are pack creatures where cats
are solo hunters), then Chestnut Bud will be PART of the answer. But
not enough. It is not enough to try to "break" a habit. One needs to
replace it. Thus you would also use Wild Oat
to make sure the dog finds something better to do. OR if the reason
for the habit is specific - like loneliness - you'd use Heather with
the Chestnut Bud - or if the reason for the habit was resentment,
you'd add Willow with the Chestnut Bud - and so on.
the repertory can not tell you how to see the situation as a whole -
and thus how to select the right Bach Remedy COMBINATIONS. Back
remedies are intended to be used in groups that go together to make a
synergistic whole. Repertories are NOT geared to that.
Repertory work can not do any of the thinking here. But knowing each
Bach remedy's individual characteristics and trends - CAN do that.
Please know I am not intending to "rain on your parade", a new book
of the right kind would be great - but I seriously believe that
trying to make Bach remedy decisions by repertory will lead to LESS
success in cases, not more. Repertories can not tell you what COMBO
you need, they are single-simillimum-oriented.
Knowing HOW to choose Bach remedies is indeed needed - but that has
to do with devising the right questions that differentiate Bach
remedies. For Bach remedies the main challenge is in this area of
acquiring the right information by asking the right questions - not
with how you use the information (as is the case with a repertory.)
SO a book on how to conduct a Bach interview, and the type of
questions that differentiate specific Bach remedies - would be most
useful to a new practitioner - with lots of examples.
I hope this is food for thought. I think the principles I tried to
explain here, are why most Bach remedy books are so worthless.
Oh - The one I like is at home, I'll need to get the name and author
correct for you and the source - and send that in a new email. It has
no ISBN number - one orders it direct, an address is stamped inside -
so it is probably a less well known book - but worth its weight in
gold:-)
Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."