Mechthild Scheffer has been active in the field of Bach Flower Therapy since 1978. She introduced Bach’s work into German-speaking countries in 1981 with her first book and has represented the English Bach Centre in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She is the founder of the Institutes for Bach Flower Therapy Research and Education in Hamburg, Vienna, and Zurich and is the author of many of the most authoritative books on the subject, including The Encyclopedia of Bach Flower Therapy. She lives in Hamburg, Germany.

Introduction
The Amazing Effectiveness of Bach Flowers for Crisis Care

How to Use This Book

Part 1
Crisis Situations and Bach Flower Reactions: 50 Sample Cases

Family and Children

1. My baby wants to be breast-fed all night long. I can’t stand it anymore!
2. My daughter won’t eat.
3. My child always wants to be the center of attention. Nobody wants to invite us over anymore.
4. My daughter (age 4) is in kindergarten. The separation is difficult for both of us.
5. Since my divorce, I have made sure my child (age 6) has everything he could possibly need. Am I neglecting myself?
6. Switching schools: yes or no?
7. As a single mother, I’m totally overextended.
8. My son (age 14) does nothing but sit at the computer.
9. Am I a good enough mother for my blended family?
10. My family is taking advantage of me.
11. Lena (age 14): No one understands me or my world.
12. Judith (age 37): I no longer understand my fourteen-year-old daughter’s world.
13. My son (age 19) doesn’t want to live at home anymore.
14. I have become unexpectedly pregnant in the middle of college. What should I do?

Partnerships and Relationships

15. I always fall in love with the wrong man.
16. It’s difficult for me to commit myself to a relationship.
17. Does my husband belong to his extended family, or to me?
18. My husband wants more sex than I do.
19. I have too low a priority in our relationship.
20. Should I confess my infidelity?
21. I can’t stand being in a long-distance relationship anymore.
22. I found out that my husband cheated on me.
23. My husband always accuses me of wasting money.
24. My husband is like an overgrown kid.
25. Should I take my husband back?
26. My wife has suddenly filed for divorce. Why?
27. We’ve gotten tired of each other, but I’m scared of the separation.
28. Thirty-something and single: When I don’t have anything going on over the weekend, I feel emotionally lost.
29. My friend sees me as nothing but a psychic dumping ground.
30. I’ve moved my bedridden mother in with me.

Career and Professional Life

31. Help, I’m in the wrong job!
32. I’m scared of public speaking.
33. I always take on more responsibilities than I can comfortably handle.
34. I’ve suddenly been promoted to management, but I’m not equal to the role.
35. I feel as if I’m being attacked.
36. I feel burned out.
37. I’ve lost my job, and I have massive fear and anxiety.

Aging

38. I’m upset about getting older.
39. I’m having trouble adjusting to my husband’s retirement.
40. Now that I’m retired, I feel useless and frustrated.
41. I feel exploited in my role as a grandmother.
42. The idea of having to move into a senior home makes me panic.

Other Crises

43. My nineteen-year-old son died suddenly.
44. Since my accident, I can’t sleep anymore.
45. As a foreigner, I keep going back and forth on whether I should stay in the United States.
46. I’m upset that I’m so disorganized.
47. Help, I can’t control my weight!
48. My horse broke his leg. Do I have to have him put to sleep?
49. I have to give away my beloved dog. I can’t bear it.
50. My dog rules this house.

Part 2
The Practical Application of Bach Flower Therapy

The Reaction Clusters

Elements for Individual Bach Flower Combinations according to Mechthild Scheffer

Selecting Your Personalized Bach Flower Crisis Combination

Determining When Rescue Remedy Is Needed as a First Step

Reaction Cluster Pool Questionnaire

How to Prepare Bach Flower Combinations

The Bach Flower Remedies

Dosage and Application

Number of Flowers, and How to Combine Them

Basic Principles of Flower Selection

Duration of Therapy

Initial Reactions

The Empowering Statements

The 38 Individual Bach Flower Remedies, Plus Rescue Remedy

1. Agrimony: The Honesty Flower
2. Aspen: The Psychic Flower
3. Beech: The Tolerance Flower
4. Centaury: The Service Flower
5. Cerato: The Intuition Flower
6. Cherry Plum: The Openness Flower
7. Chestnut Bud: The Learning Flower
8. Chicory: The Relationship Flower
9. Clematis: The Reality Flower
10. Crab Apple: The Cleansing Flower
11. Elm: The Responsibility Flower
12. Gentian: The Belief Flower
13. Gorse: The Hope Flower
14. Heather: The Identity Flower
15. Holly: The Heart-Opening Flower
16. Honeysuckle: The Past Flower
17. Hornbeam: The Vitality Flower
18. Impatiens: The Time Flower
19. Larch: The Self-confidence Flower
20. Mimulus: The Courage Flower
21. Mustard: The Light Flower
22. Oak: The Endurance Flower
23. Olive: The Regeneration Flower
24. Pine: The Self-acceptance Flower
25. Red Chestnut: The Cutting-free Flower
26. Rock Rose: The Liberation Flower
27. Rock Water: The Flexibility Flower
28. Scleranthus: The Balance Flower
29. Star of Bethlehem: The Comfort Flower
30. Sweet Chestnut: The Salvation Flower
31. Vervain: The Enthusiasm Flower
32. Vine: The Authority Flower
33. Walnut: The Manifestation Flower
34. Water Violet: The Communication Flower
35. White Chestnut: The Thought Flower
36. Wild Oat: The Vocational Calling Flower
37. Wild Rose: The Zest for Life Flower
38. Willow: The Destiny Flower
39. Rescue Remedy: The Emergency Remedy

A Note for Practitioners

About the Author