Practitioner Bulletin no. 59, Summer, 2005

Travelling the learning curve å

By Lynn Macwhinnie BFRP, England

One challenge of not being an employee is that we often work in isolation, without ready access to continued professional development (CPD) opportunities, or the time and money to seek them out. Our own growth can become stifled almost by default – even tumbling into an unconscious incompetence. As part of my ongoing commitment to CPD I have attended a few workshops and courses so far this year. As a result I have gained insight and ideas to aid my personal development, and enhance the leadership and coaching work I do with individual clients and with groups and organisations. These events took place in various contexts – one even involved high ropes and high trees! – but all this input, from the activities that worked really well to the less successful moments, gave me opportunities to learn.

As all my own work (output) is evaluated, the learning curve is there for me too. An example was last April when I accepted an invitation from Pharma Guri, the Nelsons distributor in Israel, to be their conference speaker in Tel Aviv. Designing and preparing a programme can be a real creative roller coaster – not to mention the presenting! The theme I chose for the day was ‘Transforming Relationships with Bach Flower Remedies’. Just writing that material brought into sharp focus areas in my own life that could do with some attention. As I said in that presentation, while we can look at our relationships with others (and at times find them wanting), the key is the relationship we have with ourselves.

Whatever the context of my work, I mention the zones: the comfort zone, risk zone and panic zone. If we feel safe we may be more willing to step outside of our comfort zone (that warm, cosy space that can be rather soporific) and try out the risk zone. This is where we can stretch, be challenged, feel energised and grow – and while it’s potentially testing to overcome instinctive reactions of fear, irritation, frustration, anxiety and so on, when we do, we can feel quite liberated. Change happens! And of course if we feel ourselves sliding into panic, then we draw back to the comfort zone (taking Rescue Remedy if need be), breathe, and try again that step into risk.

Relationships often require us to move outside the comfort zone. Rather than insisting on another person changing, this means being open to look at our own investment in changing, and risking the exploration of what change actually means to us. We might not always like what we discover. Perhaps we are too attached to our pattern of being in control, for example, or to acting out the roles of martyr, victim, or doormat or some other role.

As Bach practitioners, it’s not unusual to find that our clients reflect aspects of issues going on in our own lives, issues that need our attention. Yet our focus can remain so doggedly on our work that we do not engage with our own learning. So my questions to you are: can you honestly say you are paying as much attention to your own growth as you do to facilitating the growth of others? And if not, what are you willing to do differently?

(Lynn Macwhinnie trains Bach trainers and practitioners, and teaches Level 3 and the Bach Foundation Teachers Programme at the Bach Centre.)

Walnut, the parent? å

The Walnut tree produces tannic-acid in its nut-shell – a chemical messenger. This substance is harmless to people in the given concentration but guarantees protection of the fallen fruit because germination conditions for other seedlings become disadvantageous. What is poor for other seedlings is however positive for Walnut seedlings. Hence Walnut takes care in a remarkable way that only its own descendants find optimal growth conditions. In this way it also keeps its growing area free of unwanted competition like weeds and other tree seedlings. This self-protection one could almost regard as a type of child care.

– From Eva Katharina Hoffmann, Energiepflanzen im Haus (Energy Plants in the Home). Nicola Hanefeld BFRP translated the excerpt and sent it to us.

Practitioner fees survey å

Thank you to all those who took time to respond to our practitioner fees survey. Pollsters will tell you that any survey that relies on unsolicited responses will not be representative because it will include many more Vervains than Wild Roses. Nevertheless we hope you find the results interesting.

To present the figures we have broken the world into geographical regions. The UK is shown separately because it is still the ‘biggest’ country in terms of numbers of practitioners. Where there are several local currencies within a region we have converted the amounts to euros or US dollars to make international comparison easier – the returns for Australia and New Zealand, for example, are given in US dollars, while those for Scandinavia are in euros. For the same reason, all amounts given in pounds sterling or euros have a US dollar equivalent underneath them.

Cost of a one-hour consultation

Notes: These figures are based on standard rates. Many practitioners reduce their charges for certain groups. Reductions for students, under 18s, retired people and the unemployed or disadvantaged are common. A couple of practitioners offer special ‘group rates’ if they are treating more than one member of the same family. Several practitioners said that they typically reduce their rates for the second consultation, which is scheduled to last for less time – typically half an hour instead of one whole hour. Some practitioners charge up front for a follow-up consultation – this additional charge is not reflected in the figures above.

Cost of a one-hour home visit

Notes: Most practitioners do not offer home visits. Some of those who do visit clients at home do not charge a separate fee, but will add on an amount per mile for travelling expenses. These charges are not reflected in the figures here.

% of practitioners who include a free treatment bottle in the consultation fee

Cost of a treatment bottle, where this is supplied separately

Notes: Some practitioners offer two free treatment bottles, but most only supply one. In some countries practitioners can’t supply mixed treatment bottles for legal reasons, or prefer not to because of liability concerns.

Cost of a refill bottle

Notes: These costs typically include post and packing. Some practitioners will include a ten-minute review of remedies over the phone in their charges for a refill bottle; for most though a refill bottle does not include a review of remedies.

Your questions answered… å

Why aren’t I on the web site?

I went to the Bach Centre’s web site (www.bachcentre.com/found/rp_list.htm) and couldn’t find my name on the list of practitioners. I am on the register and paid my renewal fee on time, so why am I not on the list?

Answer:

The list on the web site is aimed at members of the public who are looking for a practitioner to work with. It only lists practitioners who have told us that they are looking for client referrals.

When you first register with the Foundation, and unless you tell us otherwise, we assume you want client referrals. You will appear on the web list automatically – and on our other referral lists – normally within a month or so of going on the register.

When you first re-register with the Foundation we send you some forms to fill in. One form asks if you want to receive client referrals. If you don’t tick the relevant box you will be taken off the web list, and other referral lists, again normally within a month or so.

Another form is to do with Continuing Professional Development. Again, if you do not send this form back to us you will come off the web and other referral lists.

In any event, if you feel a mistake has been made you can always contact us and we will check your status. Just email foundation @ bachcentre.com.

Who gets to see my name and address?

On the registration renewal form the Foundation asks for permission to pass my name and address to ‘third-party organisations’. What are these other organisations and why do they want my contact information?

Answer:

Our definition of a third-party organisation is one that is not exclusively or mainly engaged in working with the Bach remedies. This would include, for example, companies offering discounts to therapists, publishers of online and printed directories, insurance companies and so on.

From time to time organisations like these approach us with ideas or offers that we think might be of interest to BFRPs. Most of the time we simply print these offers in the bulletin so that you can respond or not as you see fit. But sometimes it is more efficient for us to supply your details direct.

A good example is when an online directory of holistic therapists asks if they can list BFRPs on their site. If the service is provided free, and if it seems a bona fide organisation, we may provide them with a list of practitioners, similar to the list on our own site. This list would only contain the details of people who have given us permission using the box on registration and re-registration forms. Practitioners who have not given this permission would not appear on these lists.

We take a different approach when we are dealing with organisations that are exclusively or mainly working with the Bach remedies. We treat these organisations as partners, and provide basic contact information as a matter of course. For example, in the UK we provide Nelsonbach with up to date lists of active practitioners so that they in turn provide them to local retailers. This can generate new clients for practitioners, so we see it as part of publicising the register.

We also provide lists to national education co-ordinators, many of whom act as the representatives of the Foundation in their own areas and so need to know who is on the register.

In either case, whether we are providing the list to partners or to third-party companies, the Bach Foundation never receives money for providing mailing lists.

Cerato story å

By Nicola Hanefeld BFRP, Germany

Although I have been using the remedies for about 17 years there are still a few remedy plants that I have never encountered growing freely. Cerato is one of them, and this strange story began with a difficult personal situation I experienced last July when I needed a lawyer. She was competent and well recognised but quite a hard liner and was fighting (as I had indeed asked her to do) for my rights. I felt myself to be in good hands and trusted her judgement and approach to the situation – it appeared to me as the right and correct strategy. However, I started sleeping badly. Some disquiet was obviously gnawing at me.

In the middle of one night whilst neither really asleep nor properly awake, I got up and walked trance-like to my remedy box. Without looking, I took two drops pure on my tongue of the first remedy that I had touched in the darkness. Back in bed I relaxed immediately and fell into a deep sleep. I awoke refreshed, something I had not experienced for several weeks. My first activity was to contact my lawyer and ask her to change her policy to a milder one which meant loosing my cause and stopping “fighting”. I did this without making a conscious decision to act. Afterwards, I reflected and then suddenly remembered that I had taken a remedy in the night. I walked to my box and was surprised to see that it had been Cerato, a remedy that I very seldom take. There it was standing alone, outside the box. However, as I was feeling clear and peaceful, I interpreted the decision to change course as coming from a deeper part of myself that Cerato had brought to the fore. As a consequence I slept much better in the following weeks.

In August I went to England for a congress. On the way, I visited the village where I grew up. I am somewhat short sighted but try to avoid a habitual use of glasses. While I was out for a walk one afternoon, I saw or rather “felt” a blur of spectacular deep blueness a few feet to my left in front of me. Enchanted, I approached the plant bordering the road from someone’s garden and recognised it instantly as being Cerato. I enthusiastically greeted the plant (I love talking to plants) and drew in the impressions of the delicate petals, the deep saturated blueness and touched the surprisingly rough leaves and wiry, wooden stems. Two days later, now in Oxford, I encountered Cerato again where I was having lunch. A whole border was covered with vibrant and beautiful masses of Cerato that seemed almost to glow from within. A lush carpet of dark, softly shining leaves surrounded the beautiful cobalt-blue flowers. I could hardly believe that I had never met this plant previously.

On the same evening I met the plant yet again in the garden of the house where I was spending the night in Oxford. I suddenly spotted a low growing small Cerato plant and commented on it to my surprised hostess. As she had only brought it and planted it on the previous day she could not understand that I had noticed it. The brilliant sky-blue flowers in the late summer light had captivated my attention. Of course I explained why the plant was special to me and also told her that the elegant Cerato is Tibetan-endemic.

A couple of days later, being not far from Sotwell I took a trip the the Bach Centre and – you´ve guessed already – Cerato was there yet again, this time hardly surprising at Dr. Bach´s home…

In September, back in Germany, I knew now that I had to have my own personal Cerato plant – but where to find one? Journeying around huge garden centres did not appeal to me, above all without knowing before hand if they had it in stock. I need not have worried; as I went shopping at my local supermarket for the first time following my return, my eyes fell on a small, solitary (and decidedly ropey-looking) Cerato plant on the floor upon entering the supermarket. It was labelled as an “autumn special offer” and cost only 2,22 Euro, which is about one pound fifty. One can imagine how I stood there bemused and smiling.

Back home I had a good chat with the plant and gave it some Rescue. Within 3 days I was rewarded by dozens of the electric blue flowers vivid against leaves now tinged autumn red.

My Cerato plant is now hibernating – and looking very unimpressive. However five tiny buds are visible. I am also anticipating the coming “flowering year”. Why? Because Star of Bethlehem and Scleranthus are the only two other remedies that I have not yet personally experienced as a plant…

Report on Bach Flower Remedies in Spain å

By Alexandra Landgraf Blanch BFRP, Spain

The original Bach remedies are distributed in Spain through Diafarm Laboratories, who are also in charge of the Bach International Education Programme. Diafarm’s head office is in Barcelona, as was the previous organiser of the education programme. This is why we find a large number of Bach Foundation-registered practitioners in Catalonia.

In Spain the remedies are classified as ‘complementary food’. The Ministry of Health does not regulate them, nor does it regulate their use or the activities of practitioners. As we are not regulated, we are not officially allowed to mix the remedies for clients. This, of course, does not prevent practitioners from continuing with their work of teaching the simple use of the remedies.

Approximately two years ago the Spanish government prohibited the free prescription of products containing holly and clematis, as they are considered toxic plants. Although the Bach remedies Holly and Clematis do not contain any physical part of the flower, but solely their energetic information, they are affected by this restriction because of the name they hold. Because of this, and with the intention of keeping the full system available in Spain, the instructions for use on the box have changed to ‘cosmetic external use’.

Of course we practitioners, conscious that these essences solely contain the energetic information of the flower, continue using them with all confidence, just as in the past 70 years.

Interest in alternative medicine in Spain grows year by year. There are several magazines on the market that have frequent articles on the use of flower remedies. There are also major natural medicine associations in Spain, who not only offer continuous CPD courses and talks, but also keep their associates well informed through news bulletins or through their web pages. Two of the most important associations are COFENAT (www.confenatura.com) and SEDIBAC (www.sedibac.org). Only by being a member of one of these associations are we practitioners in a position to get liability insurance for our practice.

Thanks to the growth of these associations it has been possible to organise for the third time a National Congress of Flower Therapy. At the end of 2005 we will celebrate the fourth Congress, which will place in Madrid. The last event was dedicated to the different forms of depression, like for example in the adolescence, post-childbirth, death, obesity, as well as the factors involved in diagnosing them. Of course, although times may change, our work continues the same, as Dr. Bach said – steadfastly to adhere to the simplicity and purity of this method of healing.

Letters å

We want you to use this bulletin to keep in touch with each other. If anything wonderful, funny, interesting or plain typical has happened to you in your work with the remedies, or if there are questions that have been nagging away at you, or you simply want to say hello, please write and tell us.

Send your contribution to the Foundation, marking your letter clearly as being ‘FOR PUBLICATION’.

We can’t promise to print every letter in the bulletin, but even if we don’t use your contribution we always love to hear from you.

I have been asked to speak at a small conference in October on using complementary therapies within the National Health Service. The theme is ‘Making it Work, Now and Tomorrow’, and the audience is a group of NHS nurses and practitioners who have a particular interest in complementary therapy.

Can you ask via the newsletter if any practitioners have been successful (or not!) in offering Bach via the NHS structure? I need some case studies to use for the workshop part of the day. Please publish my contact details.

– Clare Midgley BFRP, England

You can contact Clare via her web site www.balance-holistic-healthcare.co.uk. – Ed.

I thought you would like to know that I have been asked to do a concurrent session in September 16th and 17th in Birmingham for the Royal College of Nursing Complementary Therapies Conference. I will be doing the session with Ann Hull from Trinity Hospice team in Lancashire, who lectures at the University of Lancashire. We will both be talking about our use of the remedies with palliative care patients, including my work at the Helen Rollason Cancer Care Centre in Chelmsford.

Karen Chapman will be setting up a stand for Nelsonbach.

– Marion Hodges BFRP, England

It’s good to see the growing interest in the remedies among the UK’s health service professionals. We’d be interested to report on similar activities in other countries, so please let us know of any developments. – Ed.

I wonder if there are any BFRPs who are also aromatherapists. I am currently taking an aromatherapy massage course, and I am seeing more and more a link between the two therapies and the potential for combining them.

If you are already using these two fantastic therapies together I would love to hear from you. Contact me by emailing trace_deaconoz @ hotmail.com.

– Tracey Deacon BFRP, England

Uma experiência trata-se do plantio de uma muda de Pau-Brasil, que teve suz raiz danificada durante o transplantio. Recebi um telefonema pedindo o auxílio dos florais para que a plantinha não morresse. Orientei que fosse aplicado Rescue directo no caule e na raiz e que todos os dias ela fosse molhada com água de regador contendo quatro gotas do Rescue essência. Em uma semana não só foi salvo o Pau-Brasil como as folhas existentes, apenas de um lado, dobraram de tamanho e um broto novo surgiu com muito mais força e maior tamanho.

– Sonia Maria Cardoso Dutra BFRP, Brazil

An elderly friend, 87 years old, confused and physically very frail, had graduated from hospital and was in care on a permanent basis in a nursing home. She had become poorly, and I was extremely shocked on returning from holiday at her condition. Physically there was nothing of her, which became, amazingly, less and less, until there was just skin covering bone. There was no response from her for ten days, but equally, no laboured breathing. She was just very quiet.

The nursing staff were amazed each day that she was still there. She had quite a strong pulse and they said the conventional thing, that she was ‘a real fighter’.

This was not the case. I had made treatment bottles for her for many years, although she always took the remedies erratically. I thought long and hard – what on earth was keeping her?

She was a classic Heather and Scleranthus person, and I decided that it was the fear behind Heather that may be uppermost. There was no way of confirming this, but as I was the only person with the specialised knowledge I felt it essential to do something appropriate.

I almost forced myself to visit, and explained to the staff what I had in mind. They were very interested and said to try.

So I explained quite strongly to this old lady that there was nothing to fear, she wasn’t alone, there was always someone with her, that it was okay to go and that she would be safe. Of course there was no response, and only a chance that she could hear me, but I felt glad I had been able to make use of my knowledge of what made her tick.

I have just heard that she died peacefully early this morning, about 18 hours after I spoke to her. It may be unconnected, but somehow I don’t think so, and I feel both very relieved that she has ‘passed’ and privileged that perhaps Heather, Hornbeam and Scleranthus thoughts helped in some unspecified way.

– Mavis de Mierre BFRP, England

Bits and pieces å

• • Bach Foundation-approved Level 3 Animal Practitioner courses run every year at the Natural Animal Centre in Wales. The course is in three parts: Stage 1, a two day introduction; Stage 2, a 3-day course; and Stage 3, a 4-day course followed by a period of home study and supervised case studies. For more information contact the Natural Animal Centre, Penhill, Trawmawr, Carmarthen, SA33 6ND, Wales: Email natural@globalnet.co.uk or phone 0870 991 3334.

• The Bach Foundation Teachers Programme is aimed at UK-based BFRPs who want to improve their teaching skills and eventually run Bach Foundation-approved level 1 courses. The programme includes a two-day course at the Bach Centre followed by a period of supervised teaching, and access to support and training materials. The next course takes place on the 3^rd & 4^th May 2006 – so coming to the course would be a great chance to see the garden at its best! Contact us for more details.
• Aquí se habla español – The Spanish version of the Bach Centre’s web site is at www.floresbach.com, or click the link on the Bach Centre’s main home page www.bachcentre.com. Spanish translations of the Bulletin are at www.floresbach.com/found/bulletin.htm.
• The UK’s Bach Practitioner Network North West has meetings scheduled at Barton Grange Hotel, Preston, on 12th November 2005, and 8th April and 11th November 2006. For more information telephone 01253 885512.
• Dan Heany, volunteer talks co-ordinator for the UK’s Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals, is looking for skilled and enthusiastic speakers who can help publicise their work by talking to associations, clubs, societies, groups and schools, etc. on a voluntary basis. For more information email danheany @ aol.com.
• In the UK, the 12th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care will take place on 19th-21st September 2005 at the University of Exeter. For further details please visit the symposium’s web site www.pms.ac.uk/compmed/symposium.
• A reminder that the Bach Centre web site includes back issues of the Bulletin and guidelines on subjects like giving a talk on the remedies and working with animals. The addresses to go to are:
  www.bachcentre.com/found/bulletin/ and
  www.bachcentre.com/found/guide/

Welcome to… å

Since the last issue of the bulletin was prepared, 103 new practitioners have joined the register:

• in Argentina, Mirta Edith Martinez, Adriana Elena Chappetti, Roberto Eduardo Groppo and Lina Rosa Jemma;
• in Australia, Tania Valkovic and Ana Kondic;
• in Belgium, Jo Desramault, Ann Decoene and Greet Roose;
• in Brazil, Veralice Gandia, Aline Fabron Barbosa, Lilian Fialho Toledo, Maria Elisabete Batista Antunes, Magdalena Hartman Espósito and Marli Da Silva Fernandes;
• in Canada, Lori Ens, Sarah Brune and Myriam Auber;
• in Denmark, Charlotte Toftedal, Bjorg Ravn-Nielsen, Helle Skinnerup and Pernille Frisch;
• in England, Julia Macleod, Stamatoula Tetlow, Annalisa Fraddosio, Penny Brown, Natalie Lee, Stella Rose Carmichael, Kate Lawrence, Sarah Owston, Julie Claiborne-Dixon, Kirsty Preston, Maria Laben, Sarah O’Mahoney, Amber Swift, Linnet Armengol, Moira Mallon, Valerie Chater and Julianna Rhodes;
• in France, Bérengère Berlioux, Selma Raoui, Antoine Ijras, Marie Crouzat, Dominique Moly, Brigitte Tcharbatchian, Danielle Werbrouck, Patricia Noguera, Christine Damiens, Pascalinne Renard, Viviane Elola, Sylvie Brunetot, Bruno Noblet, Christine Veyrenche, Florence Jaubert, Yolande Bernard, Pascale Aupest, Marion Roseline, Gelibert Vanderstichele, Linda Vidal-Ferrandes, Nicollet Severine and Martine Rodriguez-Biros;
• in Germany, Michael Helfferich;
• in Greece, Anne Cragoe;
• in Ireland, Adrienne O’Brien, Carmel Clarke, Aisling Mooney, Deirdre O’Sullivan, Audrey Frazer and Danielle van Buuren;
• in Israel, Ofir Adiv;
• in Italy, Venera E Oddo, Loek Botterman and Alessandra Turconi;
• in Japan, Tamaki Tezuka, Yuji Chiba, Yoshie Tanaka, Sumiko Yonekawa, Asai Hitomi and Yako Egawa;
• in the Netherlands, Nancy van Gelder and Arina J Arink;
• in New Zealand, Lenette Moore and Melodie Brinkman;
• in Norway, Iselin Hudtwalcker, Anne Grethe Lynne, Trine Hamnvik, Inger Grostølen and Inga-Marit Høysæter;
• in Scotland, Iris Mathers, Alison Cameron and Lorraine Denise Barker;
• in Spain, Teresa Belda Chazarra and Begoña Holgado Roig;
• in Switzerland, Sarah Müller;
• in Taiwan, Chia Ping Lin;
• in the U.S.A., Carolyn Miller, Martha Briggs, Linda Haas Carney, Cheryl L Hamada, Laurie Lachance and Nancy S Troubh;
• in Venezuela, Leda Orejarena;
• and in Wales, Gwyneth Hopkins.

There are now 1,558 practitioners on the register.

Remember to tell us if you move
or change any of your contact details (phone, email etc.).

Short history of medicine

Doctor, I have an earache.

2000BC Eat this root

AD1000 That root is heathen – say this prayer

AD1850 That prayer is superstition – drink this potion

AD1940 That potion is snake oil – swallow this pill

AD1985 That pill is ineffective – take this antibiotic

AD2000 That antibiotic is artificial – eat this root