Nature Baby Bloggings

Flower Essence Sample Case Study – Postpartum Depression

My favourite thing about flower essences is how highly specific they are. Each essence addresses a particular issue and the resulting imbalance. The key to choosing the right essence is to look at the underlying theme causing the current situation. Because of this, two people using flower essences for similar outward issues might end up being best helped by altogether different essences.

To demonstrate this, I’d like to take a look at two fictional case studies. For this example I’m going to say that there are two women in their mid-20′s dealing with postpartum depression, both with babies under the age of six months. I’ll call them Alice and Betty.

Alice has been dealing with increasing levels of depression, fatigue, and inability to focus on daily tasks. She feels she is constantly failing her son by not being the mother he deserves. She feels anxious whenever he cries and she confides that she wonders if he might be better off in a different family.  These feelings are more intense when she doesn’t get enough sleep, but insomnia and a baby who wakes at night make it difficult for her to get the rest she needs. Over the past few weeks she’s been suffering from headaches and her husband has told her that he hears her grinding her teeth at night.

Betty’s symptoms are also becoming increasingly overwhelming. She feels a deep sadness that she can’t seem to shake. Her heart breaks every time she thinks of her son’s birth, the emergency c-section that bore little resemblance to the low-intervention birth she’d been hoping for. She has been plagued by low milk supply issues and is struggling with breastfeeding. She’s also fallen into a pattern of napping for long stretches during the day with her son and then staying up most of the night.

As we can see already, two individuals falling under the same label can be dealing with very different symptoms.

With Alice, the key essence would be Pine. Pine is used with individuals who feel extreme levels of guilt over their imperfections. Trying to live up to her unachievable expectations of perfection has led Alive to feel anxious and depressed. Alice’s other symptoms (fatigue, headaches, and grinding her teeth) are the result of this underlying issue.

For Alice, I would put together a blend of essences including Pine, Lavender, Mariposa Lily, Olive, Walnut. Pine will address the underlying issue of self-blame. Lavender will help her to release the tension that she’s holding in her jaw and head. Mariposa Lily will foster the development of the nurturing, mother-child bond. Olive will address her deep exhaustion and will help her to create a space for self-renewal. Walnut will help her to break away from this depression, where she can transition into a healthier state.

With Betty, Yerba Santa will be the key essence to use. This essence is for individuals who have internalized feelings of grief in their heart and chest. Betty isn’t coping with the trauma of the emergency c-section and is holding on to these emotions in her heart chaka. The breasts are impacted by the functioning of this chakra and there is a possibility that her low milk supply is related to the grief that she holds here.

I would make for Betty a blend made with Yerba Santa, Arnica, Morning Glory, and Self-Heal. Yerba Santa will help Betty to release the feelings of grief and pain which she is holding in her heart. Arnica will address the way the traumatic birth has been locked into her body and will help her to release the experience. Morning Glory will gently bring her day/night cycles back into balance. Self-Heal will help her tap into her ability to fully heal and become healthy again.

The blends of flower essences would be taken for a cycle of 28 days after which point I would meet with  Alice and Betty to re-assess their situation. At this point we would decide if their blend should stay the same or have some of the essences switched out with more appropriate ones. Typically, the key essence would remain the same and the supporting essences would change as the client continues their healing journey.