Nine remedies seem to fit, that's usually a good sign, if you know what to do next
If there is one thing my past students reach out when they start practice, it is to ask - “I have selected nine remedies and they all seem to fit. What to do?” Or words to that effect because seven is the ceiling that most practitioners are called to aim towards.
Contrary to what one may think, it doesn’t mean that they have not understood the assignment. Rather they have understood the process well. When we start going over the case together, I see it. The fear, guilt, indecision, exhaustion and overwhelm – everything is visible along with repetitive thoughts.
And the student could be noticing and prescribing for all of the states at once. So what do we do? We prioritise the remedies.
You don’t Prescribe for everything that seems True
In a consultation, a client can tell you twenty true things about themselves, and everything might seem like needing address. But not every emotion does, nor can you give twenty remedies at once. Usually clients don’t come to you at the first sign of trouble, they maybe having issues from earlier but they try to ride it over. It’s human nature to be resilient.
First thing to do is to look at it from the state vs personality lens. What's changed recently? Which state is creating the greatest disturbance in their life at this moment, rather than which state is simply present? They might have had issues with say, control, then slowly, with events it turned to guilt, blame and maybe fear too.
Second is to look at where the surface complaint overlaps. Indecision, for example, can take you towards Cerato or Scleranthus, but what kind of indecision is actually presenting? Which behaviours or states, which appear separate are actually traced back to the same pattern? Address the underlying pattern rather than going for a separate remedy for every behaviour.
The Question That Exposes Guesswork
When I had learnt and started prescribing, I noticed that I was using the full spectrum of seven remedies permitted in a blend. Now it is okay sometimes because of a complex client but every time? Then, before finishing the prescription and making the vial, I started to question myself that is there an overlap? If I removed one remedy, would I miss something?
And that question many a times would expose a remedy or two that I had added ‘just in case’ rather than the case actually calling for them. So these are the three tests I use to check whether the prescription reflects the case, or my own uncertainty. And learning to tell uncertainty and necessity apart is worth as much practice time as learning the remedies themselves.
About the Author
Lt Col Abhinav Sharma, SM (Retd.) is a Bach Flower Remedies practitioner and educator at Soulvyom Research LLP. He teaches live Foundation and Comprehensive Bach Flower Remedies programmes and works individually with clients through personalised BFR consultations. His teaching focuses particularly on distinguishing similar emotional states and applying remedy knowledge to real conversations.
