The Healing Power of Stories
in Flower Essence Therapy
by Julia Capistran de Early
Stories about the Bach flower essences were an invaluable aid in Edwin's healing journey. They served as a mirror he could see himself through. This helped him to shape his own story and also helped me to select the flowers that would assist him through our sessions.
— Julia Capistran de Early
Edwin — "I Am Shy and Super Angry."
His mother was a 24 year-old chain-smoker who described herself as very nervous. She said that Edwin was out of control and she did not know what to do with him anymore. When they arrived at the appointment, Edwin’s mother seemed very stressed and exasperated.
I was impressed upon meeting him because he was able to identify his issues clearly and was willing to share how he felt. He described himself as “shy and super angry.” He said, “My memory is bad, I am 8 years, and I still don’t know how to read.” This seemed to be the issue that bothered him the most. He was also able to identify the things that made him angry and the things he did wrong. He told me about his nightmares and fear of darkness as well.
Edwin's greatest bliss was listening to stories. Through these stories, I gained important insights about which flowers to give him.
He looked very clean and neat, but seemed emotionally disturbed. In his
mom’s words: “I have never been loving. It’s hard for me to show
affection.” The mother’s lack of showing affection was reflected in his
attitude. Every two or three sentences he'd say, “I am SUPER ANGRY!” “I
have bad dreams,” he added, “I wake up often and I sleep badly. When I
wake up I am afraid. I don’t like it if it’s dark. I am afraid of
darkness. I flunked 2nd grade. I don’t know how to read yet; my memory
is bad. My mom always yells at me when I try to do my homework. I don’t
have friends at school. I pick fights. I hit other kids badly because
they make me mad. I just play with one boy, who lives next door but he
is 5 years old. My teacher makes me mad, she blames me even if I don’t
do anything. I am never happy. I am super ANGRY. I am happy with my
grandparents.”
Having faced abrupt changes in his life, as well
as bearing some of his mother’s issues as a young and single mom, the
stakes for Edwin were even greater. Resolving his behavioral issues was
essential in helping him to move forward while facing the challenges
that his environment had presented.
A Volatile Home Life Leads to Physical and Behavioral Problems
Edwin's father left them when Edwin was just 3 years-old, so his mother, sister, and him moved in with his paternal grandparents for a few years. They were very controlling and supportive at the same time. The grandmother raised Edwin until they moved out, but she maintained a good relationship with them and Edwin said that he still missed them. She hardly had any contact with her own family.
Since leaving Edwin's grandparents house, Edwin had been living with his mother, his sister, and his mother's boyfriend. Edwin got along well with his mom's boyfriend, though they did have some differences. His mom worked from noon to 8:00 p.m. and sometimes Edwin and his sister would stay by themselves without supervision. Her boyfriend kept an eye on them after 6:00 p.m. Edwin had to serve himself and his sister and keep the kitchen clean, so he had to assume responsibilities that were beyond his age. The neighbors had complained about that and had even filed complaints to the Department of Family Services (DIF).
It was after leaving his grandparents' house that Edwin began to have both physical and behavioral problems. It was a dramatic change going from a large extended family where he got a lot of attention to a small apartment where he was isolated. While his mother was working, Edwin and his sister stayed with a babysitter. Later, she found out that one of the babysitters was abusing them verbally and physically and she decided not to hire anybody anymore. His mother's boyfriend was also very strict and demanding with Edwin and his expectations for an 8 year old were very high which increased the pressure Edwin felt. This was perhaps a reason why he got so angry when he was rushed. Edwin said that he got along well with his mom's boyfriend, but at the beginning said that he made him mad all the time.
Setting Goals To Resolve Fears, Dissolve Anger, and Improve Learning Abilities
My immediate goals were to solve his sleeping problems and resolve his fears. I addressed these with flower essences and reading children’s stories. I used the book Flores y Cuentos by Diana Drexler. Editor's Note: This book is now available as a series of eBooks and audio recordings under the title Cuentos que Sanan (Stories that Heal). Only available in Spanish.
During the intake session I read him two stories and he asked me to photocopy one of them so his mom could read it to him. The second time he came he was sleeping better and did not have bad dreams, but was still afraid of the dark.
My intermediate goals were dealing with his anger, aggressiveness, and shyness and help him to be able to make friends with other children. I continued to use flower essences, stories and drawings and we talked a lot in a non-directive manner. I found it interesting that he preferred to be read stories rather than to draw. He was very open and receptive to stories and greatly enjoyed being read to. The third time he came he was placed in a new school and was beginning to change his aggressive behavior. He began to make friends and play with them.
Long term goals for Edwin were reading and improvement in school. He would always say that he was shy and had a bad memory. Other long term goals were to get along with other children and his teachers. He would say, “The teacher makes me angry and blames me for things I did not do. I am super angry!” To address these issues I relied again on flower essences, stories, drawings and conversation. The fourth time he came he was happy because he was beginning to read. His mom said there were no longer complaints from the school about his bad behavior. The fifth session he was happy and he said “my memory is better and I know how to read now!!!”
Healing Through Stories and Flower Essence Therapy
Grumpy Paco, the Grouchy Porcupine
During our first session, he seemed very much at ease and made himself at home. He would even go in the house, run around the kitchen and talk to anyone he bumped into. He tried to be helpful, bringing things for the session and putting them away at the end. He was more talkative and less tense. He was smiling and excited, and was particularly looking forward to having stories read to him during this session. He identified himself with some of the characters and explained to me why.
Paco would constantly poke other animals with his quills until one day, an ant named Holly came out of a flower to crawl all over Paco's belly and tickle him. Paco laughed and laughed and the two learned to play together. With time, Paco's quills began to break off as he no longer needed to poke anyone. This was Edwin's favorite story.
We read a story about a porcupine named “Grumpy Paco” who was always grouchy. He would constantly poke other animals with his quills. One day an ant came out of a flower and started to crawl all over his belly and tickle him. That ant, named Holly, called her ant friends and the all came to crawl all over Paco and tickle him. He laughed and laughed and had the time of his life. The next day the ant came back, hugged him and laughed, and they learned to play together. With time, almost without him noticing, Paco’s quills began to break off and got as short as a hair brush. It didn’t matter, because he no longer needed to poke anyone. This was Edwin’s favorite story. “I’m like Paco, I’m always super angry,” he said. I read him this story the first time he came, and he asked me to read it to him again.
Edwin continued with the night-time formula he was given at intake and was given a new day-time formula of Holly, Chestnut Bud, Beech, Stinging Nettle, Pear, Cherry Plum. In addition to flower essence therapy, Edwin also received Chi Kung therapy—a type of massage using the acupuncture meridians—applied by my husband for about one half hour at the end of each session. It offered a chance for Edwin to have some physical contact. Learning to accept physical contact also helped ease his issues related to the lack of physical contact from his mother. He really came to look forward to the Chi Kung sessions.
Silvina, the Angry Lioness
I read Edwin a story about a lioness named Silvina… she attacked one of her friends and later felt like a monster. A group of fairies draw her anger until a mane of tiny white flowers appear around her face. Edwin said he could identify with Silvina, because he often felt like a monster that could lash out and hurt others. Cherry Plum is one of the principle flower essences used during his treatment.
Edwin's greatest bliss was listening to stories. Through stories and conversation I gained important insight as far as which flowers to give him. In this session, I read him a story about a lioness named Silvina who couldn’t grow a mane and got angry at the other lions who made fun of her. One day, she attacked one of her friends and later felt like a monster. A group of fairies appear, but she asked them to leave for fear that she might hurt them. They asked her to draw her anger, which she accepted to do and drew and drew, until much later her anger disappeared and a mane of tiny white flowers appeared around her face. Edwin said he could identify with Silvina, because he often felt like a monster that could lash out and hurt others. I saw Cherry Plum in this story, which was one of the principle flower essences used during his treatment.
School was still a priority, so we set new goals to improve his learning skills, self-confidence and concentration. For this, I gave him a new combination of Buttercup, Cotton, Clematis, Iris, and Indian Pink. Though he had improved in regards to his sleep problems and nightmares, I chose to continue with the same night-time formula to maintain and avoid relapses.
The Weeping Willow
We read a story about a Willow who felt like the most important tree around. As more plants moved in, he grew jealous, until one night he saw a tremendous monster trying to attack him. He ripped each part of the monster out of the ground, only to realize that there was no monster and that he had destroyed all of the other plants. He cried and cried because of the destruction his hate had caused. Edwin saw himself in this story, so Willow was included in his new day-time formula.
We read a story about a willow who was the most important tree around, until other plants and flowers moved in. The willow got jealous and hated the other plants, and his hate grew more and more until one night he saw a tremendous monster trying to attack him. He ripped each part of the monster out of the ground by the roots. Suddenly, when the sun came out, he saw that there was no monster. He had ripped out all of the other plants with his hate. The willow cried and cried because of the destruction his hate had caused, and had been crying ever since. Edwin said that he felt like the willow in the story. “I’m kind of like him,” he said. Because of this, I decided to include Willow in his new day-time formula, along with Madia, Elm, and Cherry Plum.
A Complete Turnaround
A year after our sessions had concluded, Edwin showed dramatic improvements. He was doing better in school, his behavior had improved, and he was no longer having headaches.
A year later, I stopped by his mom’s work-place to see if she had some documentation and asked her how Edwin was doing, to which she replied that there had been a complete turn-around. Although I had felt reluctant to visit, his mother was very friendly and smiling. She offered to show me his report cards which she just happened to have there. They showed dramatic improvements. She said he was doing better in school and there were no more complaints. He didn’t miss a single school-day either. She also said that he no longer had headaches.
The stories about the Bach flower essences were an invaluable aid in Edwin's healing journey. They served as a mirror he could see himself through. This helped him to shape his own story and also helped me to select the flowers that would assist him through our sessions.
About Julia Capistran de Early
Julia Capistran de Early was born in Cordoba, Veracruz in 1947. She attended the National University of Mexico in Mexico City and received a degree in history. She taught social sciences in Mexico City and worked in the mountains of Nayarit, Mexico with Cora Indians and did research with Nahuatl (Aztec) speakers in the mountains of Veracuz
Julia married and moved to Bend, Oregon where she taught Spanish at Central Oregon Community College for twenty-five years. She also ran a summer program for college students in Spanish language and Mexican culture in Cordoba Veracruz. Julia was also involved organizing groups in Bend promoting Human Rights in Latin America, and in organizing the Latino Community in Central Oregon. In addition, she has worked in the Western United States as a cultural consultant in death penalty and murder cases involving Mexican defendants.
Julia was introduced to flower essences by Kathleen Gault, a practitioner in Bend, Oregon. She has been practicing in Fortin, Veracruz and in Mexico City.
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