A few years ago I carried out a review of the case notes of the first 100 clients treated in my Bach flower practice. This does not claim to be a scientific study, and would certainly not meet the requirements for publication in an academic journal, due to various limitations: it was retrospective rather than prospective, no standard questionnaires or other valid measurements were used, no independent assessment was carried out, and there was only enough information for a short-term follow-up. All the same, when I came across it again last week I thought some of my readers might be interested in a summary.
These 100 clients, a consecutive series, had come to my clinic either through word-of-mouth recommendations or through my website. They included 83 females and 17 males, and ranged in age between 8 and 87 years.
Their presenting complaints were often complex and multiple, but the most frequent main problems were anxiety (37 cases), depression (13 cases), and physical illness (13 cases). Others included adjustment to change or loss, relationship difficulties or long-term psychological imbalances.
Treatment was usually short-term: 39 clients received only one treatment bottle, and 24 had only two. Others chose to continue taking remedies for several months, and there were four clients who came back for 10 or more bottles.
Six clients did not attend for further appointments, but the other 94 provided progress reports after 2-3 weeks, that is after their first treatment bottle had finished. I classified the outcomes at this stage as follows:
Excellent or very good: 33. Clients in this group spontaneously mentioned feeling calmer, lighter, more focused, more in control, balanced, joyful or peaceful soon after starting their remedies. Comments included ‘The flowers are fantastic’, ‘I need another of those magic bottles’ and ‘I think I’m going to keep taking this stuff for the rest of my life’.
Moderately good: 38. These clients reported definite, but more subtle, changes for the better.
Slight improvement: 18. This category includes three clients who did not actually take the remedies but had found the consultation useful for ventilating and reframing their problems.
No change: 3.
Some of those who showed little or no response to their first treatment bottle went on to take further courses and reported a delayed benefit, but the follow-up on this group is too incomplete to be analysed.
Worse: 2. These two clients were unwilling to continue treatment because of marked healing reactions, despite having been advised that such reactions were usually only short-lived and often predicted a good response. Both of them felt ‘spaced out’ after taking their drops, and one reported worsening of her presenting complaint of tightness in the throat. About ten of the others had also reported healing reactions, of a milder degree, but continued with their treatment.
Though the data was not detailed enough to permit a separate study of individual symptoms, I noted that both physical and emotional complaints often improved alongside each other in those clients who responded well.
The results of this modest audit confirms what all Bach Foundation Registered practitioners already know – that the majority of clients find the Bach flowers to be an effective and pleasant treatment. How much of this benefit can be ascribed to the ‘placebo effect’ is impossible to tell from a descriptive study like this.
And finally: a note to say that my short novel Carmen’s Roses, in which the Bach flowers play a small role, is now available in various ebook formats on Smashwords – price just $2.99 USD. Please click here for details.
Jennifer Barraclough 