Bach Flower Remedies for Women 40+

The General Theory of the Book: Body, Mind and Soul The book’s point of departure is an esoteric theory that describes the personality as having four ‘bodies’. The Soul and the Spirit are above the personality. The theory can help us be more aware of the fact that the root of our problems can, in principle, be found in all four bodies. The holistic approach is to make sure that all four bodies are getting the nourishment they need. Menopause and other transitional phases, some would call them crises, give us the opportunity to develop our spiritual qualities. But let’s start where the pain/discomfort is located: in the personality. Later in the book you will be introduced to that which is outside of your personality, namely, the Soul, your spirituality. The Four Layers of the Personality and How They Come into Play During Menopause The personality consists of 4 layers or ’bodies’: • the physical body • the etheric body (life energy (Qi), the meridians, the chakras) • the emotional body (feelings or rather, the emotions) • the lower mental body (the lower mind, convictions, ways of thinking) The physical body can, during menopause, ‘speak’ through pain and other forms of discomfort and in that way draw attention to a problem. Sometimes you can solve those problems on a purely physical level, other times you can find the root of the problem in one of the other bodies. In this book you will get concrete instructions in terms of diet, herbs, and other things that will help your physical body to function better. The etheric body is the vital energy that surrounds and flows through your physical body. The vital energy is also known as the ‘ethereal energy’ or ‘Qi’ within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). But during menopause Qi may not only decrease but stagnate. The book shows how you can take care of the energy you have and how you can get the energies flowing so that your entire ethereal body, including your cells, can be enlivened by Qi. Naturally, your emotional body represents your emotions. During menopause, many women experience mental imbalances in the form of concerns, a sense of insecurity, melancholy, anxiety and have dark days. This book has a clear suggestion as to how to create balance in your emotional life through the help of Bach Flower Remedies. The lower mental body is the last layer of the personality. It represents your concrete thoughts or your convictions. Negative ways of thinking are not uncommon but can be a burden on your health. The book shows a natural way to create more positive thoughts. The mental body (the lower mind) is the last layer of the personality. It represents your concrete thoughts or your convictions. Negative ways of thinking are not uncommon but can be a burden on your health. The book shows a natural way to create more positive thoughts. All Your Bodies Must Be Nourished When you work with menopause holistically, the point of departure is that all four bodies must be nourished, usually in each their own specific way. The physical body needs exercise and a natural, non-toxic diet. The etheric body is nourished through fresh, natural vegetables, fresh air and sun. The emotional body and the mental body are nourished by occupying oneself with the things that bring joy and create balance, as, for example, nature, meditation, love relationships and personal development. Bach Flower Remedies are a good tool for creating balance in the mind. This holistic model provides a basis for the book’s various sections, and on the list of specific problems you may encounter during menopause you will find various suggestions as to how to nourish yourself (i.e. your bodies) so that you can avoid focusing solely on only one body. p. 141 Self-Criticism In my experience, the criticism one receives from others can be hurtful and painful. But even worse is the criticism one receives from oneself. When I speak with women who are hard on themselves, what I often see is a great deal of pain and sorrow within them. It isn’t so strange that their ‘inner child’” gets afraid of constant criticism. Becoming an advocate for one’s ‘inner child’ is a great declaration of love. Everyone has done something stupid in their lives. It may be appropriate to apologise if one has made a blunder but continuing to reproach oneself is not useful in any way. Many people try to live up to extremely high expectations which either they or others have placed on them. If the demands are too high, it can only lead to constant self-reproach if and when you fail. You can get help in praising yourself and not placing higher demands than necessary with the following Bach Flower Remedies: • Pine is the remedy against self-reproach. There is often a tendency to feel that nothing is ever good enough. It is hard to be in that pattern since no matter what you do you can only fail. Pine helps us to forgive ourselves, praise ourselves and not to take responsibility for the things that aren’t our responsibility. • Larch is used when you can no longer acknowledge your own capabilities. It gives you more self-confidence and a sense that you are good at what you do and are doing your very best. • Rock Water is an excellent remedy for the person who is always trying to be perfect and does not consider herself in the process. You can get too disciplined and forget to enjoy life. This is something which Rock Water can soften up so that you get able to remember the joys of life. • Crab Apple is used when you wish for a perfect appearance, perfect clothes and have a high cleaning standard both internally and externally. Crab Apple can help you get a more relaxed attitude toward a mess and your appearance. • Walnut is good for breaking habits. • Holly helps us to listen to our heart and find love for ourselves.