Edward Bach

3 Pages 630 Words

Edward Bach (1886-1936) was not a hypnotherapist and so his work is not well know in some hypnotherapy circles. Nevertheless, his philosophy is consistent with that of modern hypnotherapy and we have found that the flower remedies that he developed provide an excellent adjunct to hypnotherapy.

Dr. Bach entered medical school in London in 1906 at the age of 20 and graduated five years later. He practiced conventional medicine from 1912 until 1919 when he joint the staff of the London Homeopathic Hospital as a pathologist and bacteriologist. Impressed with the work of Hahnemann, the father of homeopathic medicine, he developed seven nosodes from the seven types of bacteria that he had associated with chronic illness. At the same time he noted that patients with the seven different types of intestinal bacterial pathogens exhibited particular personality types or temperaments. He began to prescribe his nosodes solely by observing the patients’ personality types and temperaments.

Bach did not like using pathogen-based nosodes and began to use herbs and plants in place of intestinal bacteria in homeopathic remedies. After using flowers as the basis for developing several homeopathic remedies he sold his medical practice and in 1930, at the age of 43, he left London for the English countryside. Over the course of the next six years he developed 38 flower remedies (discussed below) and the more well know Rescue Remedy. Dr. Bach died at the age of 50 in 1936.

Dr. Bach’s Philosophy
Dr. Bach’s philosophy about healing and life are set forth in his short book, Heal Thyself. The crux of his philosophy is summarized in two statements:
“The main reason for the failure of modern medical science is that it is dealing with results and not causes . . . Disease is in essence the result of conflict between Soul and Mind, and will never be eradicated except by spiritual and mental effort.” (Centre, 1997, 9-10)
As hypnot...