Introduction
These guidelines are for the use of Bach Foundation Registered Practitioners (BFRPs and BFRAPs) and relate to their work with the system of 38 flower remedies discovered by Dr Edward Bach.
Who can give a talk?
Anybody can give a talk on the remedies. However, we often hear of untrained people, or people trained in other disciplines, spreading mistaken ideas about the system.
The Bach Centre encourages BFRPs to give talks as a way of communicating with more people and encouraging them to use the remedies for themselves. BFRPs have a valuable part to play in making sure that reliable information is available to the public about Dr Bach’s work.
From the BFRP’s point of view, a talk can be a good way of networking and contacting future clients.
How should I start planning a talk?
You need to consider first of all the number of people you will be talking to, the layout of the room, and the time available. A half-hour talk to fifty people will probably be a lecture because there is unlikely to be time or space for group work; a two-hour talk to six people will be more informal and give you more space to play with the subject and find new ways to teach it.
In general, it’s a good idea to tailor your talk to the audience. Talk about pregnancy and childcare to pregnant women; about stress and career choices to executives; about exams and motivation to students. In each case you will be able to give examples of situations and remedies that will apply, which will bring the remedies alive for your audience and make them relevant to their lives.
Try to vary your approach. Use visual aids such as overhead slides and flipcharts. Where the size of the group permits, prepare worksheets for them so they can take part in group activity. Encourage input from your audience. For example, instead of launching into a discussion of fear remedies, try asking the audience to describe times they were anxious or fearful and write up the key words.
The Bach Remedies Workbook contains activities and exercises that you can adapt to your teaching. BFRPs have permission to use these in educational contexts as long as the source is mentioned in any printed material you give out.
Whatever the length of your session, try if possible to allow some time for questions and answers. This gives the audience a chance to focus on their own interests. You may find the FAQ page on on this site helpful in preparing for the kind of questions you are likely to get.
What topics can I cover in my talk?
When planning your talk you might want to think about including at least some of the following headings. Which ones you actually use depends on the constraints of time and audience size, level of existing knowledge, interests etc.
Dr Bach’s medical background:
- Highly qualified Harley Street physician, bacteriologist and homoeopath
- Successful orthodox research into bacteriology and vaccine therapy
- More interested in patients as people than in their ailments alone
- Took a post at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital and was influenced by homoeopathic methods
- Concluded that the personality and emotional outlook of the patient played a causative role in disease
Principles of the therapy:
- Natural and non-invasive
- Treats the emotions and the personality, not physical problems
- May be used in conjunction with other therapies or medicines, whether orthodox or complementary
- Not a physical treatment: selection and effect is entirely on the emotional level
- Helps to bring about harmony within the individual, which enables the body’s own natural healing processes to take place
- Aims of the remedies are self-help and self-awareness
- The simplicity of the system: self-help
- The role of the professional practitioner
About the remedies:
- 38 remedies, each covering a state of mind, personality type or mood
- Examples of commonly-ysed remedies, eg. Mimulus, Scleranthus, Gentian, Walnut
- Find a focus: for example,
- the most popular remedies in your country
- concentrate on one group (Dr Bach in his talk in Wallingford concentrated on the fear remedies)
- remedies that mean most to you or for which you have good stories
- remedies based on a particular issue or area of use, e.g. remedies at exam time; dealing with redundancy or bereavement; dealing with the past; remedies for pets etc.
- Examples of use: eg a couple of brief case histories, to show how the remedies are chosen and how they work.
- The traditional crisis formulas (liquid and cream) for emergencies and crisis situations
Taking the remedies:
- All in liquid form
- Usually contain brandy as a preservative
- Very safe and no contraindications (except sometimes to the brandy)
- Can’t overdose, build up tolerance etc.
- Dosage from the stock bottle: 2 drops of each for any of the 38 remedies; 4 drops for the crisis formula
- Day-to-day moods – drops of each selected remedy in a glass of water, sip at intervals
- Longer term difficulties – prepare treatment bottle and take four drops at least four times a day
Background information:
- Founding of the Bach Centre by Dr Bach in 1936
- Bach Centre as the source of remedies until the early 1990s
- Activity of Nelsons in continuing the Bach Original Flower Remedies brand; and of other manufacturers who produce alternative versions of the 38 remedies
- The Bach Centre today: independent organisation focused on the original system; its role in education and as holder of the Bach Foundation International Register
- The Code of Practice
- Bach Centre’s web site www.bachcentre.com
Further information:
It’s a good idea to have some books, DVDs etc. available for people to look at and/or buy after the talk. Try to make the books on display fit the topic you have dealt with – e.g. have animal books on sale if you have been talking about animals.
You might want to display or distribute information on Bach Centre-approved courses including the Centre’s own Distance Learning Programme. If you recruit students for the latter you can give away personalised enrolment forms, so that you will be the mentor for any students you sign up – which means you get the marking fee. Contact the Bach Centre for more information.
Are there any topics that should be avoided?
Set clear boundaries when you start. For example, if you are giving a talk to beginners say so clearly that this is an introduction to the topic. Then if somebody in the audience tries to lead you to more ‘advanced’ topics of limited interest to the rest of your audience, you will able to remind them politely that such subjects fall outside the scope of your talk.
Remember that the remedies are for everybody, regardless of their personal beliefs. If you have a strong belief in God or reincarnation be aware that your audience may not share this, and avoid giving the impression that belief is a prerequisite to remedy use.
Similarly, beware of making medical claims for the remedies: remember that they do not treat physical illnesses direct and are not chosen for physical symptoms. Their role is to address emotional and spiritual imbalance.
Try to avoid criticising remedy manufacturers. You can criticise products if you feel they are not in line with Dr Bach’s philosophy, but be even-handed. Most remedy manufacturers include products in their range that are of doubtful use. Once you have said this, though, move back to the real subject of interest, i.e. the original system of 38 remedies and the traditional crisis formulas in liquid and cream form.
How long should a talk last?
Most talks last between 1 and 2 hours. If you are asked to speak for longer make sure you allow time for you (and your audience) to take a break.
How much should I charge?
Under the Code of Practice charges should be fair and reasonable, so it really is up to you how much you charge. Some practitioners talk for free when dealing with charities, or charge expenses only. But normally when costing out giving a talk you would start with your normal hourly consultation fee as a guide, and multiply this by the time you spend on the talk.
When making the calculation remember to include preparation and travelling time, as well as the time actually speaking, and add in any expenses such as preparation of overheads, travel costs etc. This should give you a reasonable basis for arriving at your fee.
What support is available?
In some countries BFRPs can get leaflets and display items for talks from the local Bach International Education Programme Co-ordinator. Contact your nearest BzIEP Co-ordinator to ask about what may be available where you live.
These items will be branded by the BIEP sponsors and organisers Nelsons, but they are usually provided free or at cost.
Contact the Bach Centre for Bach Centre leaflets. The Centre can also help with ideas for talks and approaches, so feel free to use us as a sounding board if you are having trouble planning your event.
Disclaimer
The information here is provided in good faith but does not constitute legal advice or opinion. No responsibility will be taken by the Bach Centre or any of its agents or officers for any act or omission carried out by a practitioner following these guidelines.
In line with clauses 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 of the Code of Practice practitioners are responsible for their own actions at all times.