Power of “Bach” Flower
A chance introduction to the ancient treatment with Bach flower remedies (BFRs) around 2010-2012, in resolving his personal health and wellness issues proved ‘magical’ for former corporate professional Indroneil Mukerjee. Around 2016, when he suffered a professional downfall marred by significant financial implications, his initial explorations led him to seek the greater benefits of the ‘power’ of flowers. Today, he is an accomplished Bach Flower Therapist healing others in their mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. An applied and certified behavioural scientist, he calls himself an educationist and an evangelist. He shares the advent of Bach Flower Therapy as a treatment which was developed by English homoeopath Edward Bach, in the 1930s, which also has had its roots in India. Its growing popularity in India also mirrors Indroneil’s journey in bringing forth the benefits of an ancient remedy to the modern world
Indroneil Mukerjee“I did not ‘choose’ Bach flower therapy. It chose me,” said Indroneil Mukerjee, Transformational Coach, Bach Flower Therapist and Psychotherapist. He also holds a certification from the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science (ISABS) and acknowledges his former employer, CMC Ltd. for nominating him for a basic human process lab. “Every alternate year I would go through lab experiences with ISABS-every time deepening my understanding of not only the humanistic processes but also myself,” he said. Post 2003, he progressively began his deep dive into the metaphysics of life’s ‘existence’ and initiated his practice into Transformational Coaching and into the essential principles of Human Alchemy.
Indroneil Mukerjee aspired to not only take himself beyond the realm of personal transformation but also as an enabler and this wish was granted in the form of Bach Flower Therapy (BFT) for self and others. “It’s the flowers that do the alchemy. I remain an instrument, holding my client with compassion through the transformational journey,” he said.
While his journey began in 2015 leading him to discover the ‘Human Alchemist’ in him, the chance encounter with Bach Flower remedy happened around 2010-12 when a friend gifted him a bottle of a Bach essence suggesting that he try out a few drops, mixed with drinking water.
“It was safe, non-addictive and yet powerful - made out of the essence of some flowers. That triggered intense research. I found copious but authentic reading material from the Internet which, the more I read, the more inquisitive I became. Unknown to me, I had taken the ‘blue pill’ and was being led through a process of some amazing discoveries,” he said.
Healing Touch
Following his professional and underlying financial setback, when Indroneil combated a sense of mild depression, he eventually discovered a competent Bach Flower Therapist. “He guided and mentored me to find my own remedies and make my own mix. This went on for six months until one day I experienced the cloud moved away, restoring my natural sunshine. I was irreversibly healed,” said Indroneil.
Indroneil later gained accreditation and began his professional practice. “I continue to learn and I am integrating contemporary practice and the wisdom of great practitioners like Dietmär Kramer and Mechthild Scheffer,” he said.
The ‘Human’ Alchemist
He soon started experimenting and dispensed mixes of Bach Flower remedies within his family and then gradually with others with their consent. While enabling a five-day human transformation lab with about eight residential participants, he was able to lead them through their inner journeys painstakingly, step by step, and helped uncover their true selves.
“With a sense of ‘aha,’ they reflected back at themselves from the state they were in on day one to their current state-when they collectively exclaimed, “You are an alchemist. We came as tarnished metals. You got out of us our innate nobility of being,” said Indroneil.
It was a moment of realisation for Indroneil too and unknowingly, he had become the ‘Human Alchemist.’ His principle of relating his work to ‘Human Alchemy’ remains the innate mode in his endeavour that enables transformation in the lives of people using BFT.
“I felt intensely grateful to Dr Edward Bach for having discovered these thirty-eight angels of change. Haven’t ever before heard of anything so powerful and yet, safe, subtle, and simple,” he said.
The India Connection
The popularity of the therapy in India and the sub-continent is just picking up but its advent is not new. Considered to be a new age complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) system, BFT is used for emotional problems and pain. The remedies are solutions of brandy and extreme dilutions of flower extracts in water and were developed by a British physician, homoeopath, and microbiologist Dr Edward Bach in the 1930s.
Also, popular as ‘Flower Essences’ or ‘Flower Remedies,’ Bach claimed that the dew found on flower petals retains the intended healing properties of that particular plant. Bach’s therapy was based on his conviction that most human illnesses are caused by negative states of mind such as fear, jealousy, despair. He identified thirty-eight remedies-each based on one native flower which would ease negative feelings and restore health. The growing tribe of Bach’s followers and BFR practitioners have also developed and added to their own flower remedy repertoire.
The concept of flower therapy has had some references to India too. The Haidakhan Vishwa Mahadham monastery in Uttarakhand is known to have had a Bach flower kit in its hospital. Dietmär Kramer, an eminent Bach Flower practitioner indicates that Bach therapy originated in India, some 37 years ago. Dr V. Krishnamurthy, an expert in Homeopath, Naturopath and Yogic Sciences is said to have pioneered the therapy in India.
"It’s the flowers that do the alchemy. I remain an instrument, holding my client with compassion through the transformational journey"
- Indroneil Mukerjee
Placebo or not?
Countering certain studies and systematic peer reviews of clinical trials stating that Bach flower solutions have no efficacy beyond a placebo effect.
Indroneil said that, “The worst limit that man embraces is believing that which is not understood is not possible and that which is not seen does not exist. If it was a placebo effect, Bach Remedies would not have worked on animals and plants, which has been proven beyond doubt.”
“Considered as non-toxic, non-addictive and gluten- free, the BFR spares mankind from the scourge of side effects and damages that are alleged to be caused by contemporary medicine,” said Indroneil.
The BFR Therapy
The therapy itself is based on synchronising the emotional, physical and spiritual affiliations to some extent for holistic healing. Each of the 38 Bach flowers embodies a certain concept of mind and is a catalyst in restoring blocked contact between the soul and the personality - re-establishing inner as well as external harmony in an individual.
“There are no one-size-fits-all solutions in BFT. Though the system is simple and anyone can make their own personal mix, as there are more than four million combinations possible. But for the best results, it is recommended to undergo consultations with a practitioner,” said Indroneil.
The remedies are judiciously selected and combined after carefully considering the immediate challenges, behavioural / emotional patterns and personality type of the patient.
Belief: Most physical afflictions arise out of emotional imbalances.
Cure: BFT is useful in treating and curing diseases like joint problems, asthma, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and hypertension, among others. Even neurological disorders like insomnia, Parkinsonism, Alzheimer’s can be effectively treated by these remedies.
Belief: The suffering originates when a person is not in tune with his or her higher self, which can change virtues into negative images.
Cure: BFT re-establishes one’s contact with the higher self through their vibrations and is based on Dr Bach’s belief in the 38 “virtues” that lead a personality to their higher self or the higher authority/‘intelligence’.
The Power of Bach Therapy
Indroneil’s experience with BFT has enabled him to interpret healing in: Addiction, Anger, Anxiety, Depression, Fears and Phobias, Grief, Impatience, Loneliness, PTSD, Sleeplessness, Stress, Suicidal tendencies and Trauma.