Daena Ross is an Educational Support Teacher, which includes work with children to complete their sensory motor development, memory and processing skills; support their academic development; and support their emotional health through the use of flower essences. The movement work that she does makes use of the Extra Lesson, exercises from Rudolf Steiner, Bothmer Gymnastics, Spatial Dynamics (she is a certified Movement Therapist through this discipline) circle activities, and other exercises that she has developed. She works closely with class teachers and parents.

Following are three exceptional cases illustrating Daena’s work, that show the degree to which flower essence therapy helps to mitigate challenging conditions for children.

KF: incarnation, engaging the will, self-image and self confidence  

TS: birth and early childhood traumas, security, self will, and making one's way in the world as a teenager  

JB: uniting the inner soul world with the physical body and the outside physical world, finding balance of speaking and listening, and social relations

KF: incarnation, engaging the will, self-image and self confidence

Brief background information

KF is a fourth grade boy; he is the youngest in his class with a March birthday. His mother was nervous about his development and tended to hover over him and do too much for him in his early grade school years. Both parents also tended to speak to him in an intellectual manner that was beyond his years.

In second grade, there were many indications that it would be wise to repeat that grade. He had not fully birthed his etheric body , and there were several physiological aspects that made this evident: his head was large in proportion to his body; he had not completed his trunk stretching and opening up of the chest/rhythmic area which was apparent by his gate, slight sway back, and not being able to reach his arm over his head and touch the opposing ear. He also had not developed short term auditory and visual memory capacities. These were all indications that he was having difficulty incarnating into his body.

Because of the above situation, K had a difficult time keeping up with his class and developed a multitude of fears in second and third grade. He had a melancholic temperament, but this made him even more so. He was concerned about what his classmates thought of him; he became frozen in his will because of his lack of confidence; and, he thought that he was stupid and could not be good at anything.

Writing and book work in general were quite difficult for him; his teacher shortened all assignments and book entries for him. He required assistance and frequent reminders at home to complete even the shortest and easiest homework assignments. He was frequently whiny and complaining at home and school, and at home sought a great deal of negative attention.

Qualities

I decided to first work to support K’s self confidence and self-image, while addressing will and incarnation issues.

Essences

He was given Angelica , Pink Monkeyflower, Borage , Gentian, Larch , and California Wild Rose

Angelica	Pink Monkeyflower	Borage	Gentian	Larch	California Wild Rose

Observations

Mother reporting: daily rhythms improved, more independence, and gaining self confidence

K’s appetite and sleeping patterns changed for the better. He went to sleep on his own with ease for the first time in his life. He had a softening of attitude, was not so grumpy, and had less challenging behavior. He has become more independent and responsible, and less clingy. Our whole family life has improved.

KF was making nice progress and was steadily gaining confidence and letting go of fears. In the second round, I decided to let go of the Borage and Pink Monkeyflower. The second blend still contained two essences for self confidence and self image, and now had three that addressed maturing and independence, and two to strengthen his will.

Essences

Angelica , Gentian , Larch , Chicory , Fairy Lantern , California Wild Rose , and Blackberry

Angelica	Gentian	Larch	Chicory	Fairy Lantern	California Wild Rose	Blackberry

Observations

Mother reporting: more relaxed, more mature and able to focus

Many other parents who know K are commenting that he looks different—more relaxed and more mature. He is now taking the bus for the first time and doesn’t need me to pick him up. He tried out for catcher for the baseball team (always afraid to before), got the position, and made the all-star team. He is now able to take constructive criticism about his school work. He can sometimes get started on his homework without being asked (never happened before). He can now focus for quite awhile and really get into his work. He did most of an animal report on his own. He decided to get his hair cut so that it no longer hangs over his eyes.

Class teacher reporting: more focus and manifestation of will

K is finally starting to wake up: he is more focused, and his will is much better. He can accomplish much more in a short period of time. He is now willing to do things at the board in front of the whole class.

TS: birth and early childhood traumas, security, self will, and making one's way in the world as a teenager

Brief background information

TS is a sixth grade boy. He is the second oldest in his class, and more than a year older than the youngest.

A year before becoming pregnant with T, his mother was in a serious car accident that broke her pelvis. She could not walk for 3 months. When she learned that she was pregnant, she had immediate concerns for herself and the child because of the injuries a year earlier. When she was 6 months pregnant, his mother developed preeclampsia (hypertension) and stopped working. T was born 3 weeks early; it was a 27 hour delivery.

His mother was given magnesium sulfate for high blood pressure and Pitocin after 14 hours of labor. T was lethargic at birth with an APGR score of 7. He had an overactive gag reflex and eating was difficult. His mother felt that he had weak will forces from birth.

TS has been an observant child from an early age, but not very joyous. He experienced major separation anxiety when his mother left him at preschool. He was and still is hypersensitive to sounds; he experienced a major trauma during a preschool fire drill. In grades 1 and 2 he used to hide and try to become invisible. T did not speak inside a classroom before fourth grade, and he has kept himself isolated from the class socially, especially in the last year. His teacher for the last 6 years is a very kind, loving, patient man.

T’s parents separated when he was 4½ years old, and it was difficult for him because he is deeply connected to his birth father. He rarely saw his father in the first year of separation because of his instability, but now he sees him about every other weekend; T worries about his dad. He has a good relationship with his step father, whom he has known since age 5½.

T has sleep apnea and is a light sleeper. To this day, he needs to touch and feel his food, and certain textures bother him. He does not do things in a conventional way; and he can be quite stubborn, persistent, and accurate in his memories. He has tended to live in his own world, and appears to be like “a deer caught in the headlights.” He could easily receive a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or autistic spectrum. He has been extremely dependent and overly tied to his mother and younger sister. He has frequently been frozen in his will by his fears toward every part of life.

T was given some flower essences in the fall to work with flexibility and they were helpful.

Qualities

I decided that it was time to address the key issues for TS from his birth and early childhood traumas, making it difficult for him to incarnate properly. As he is a teenager who needs to find his way into the world, I wanted to help him feel more secure, and come into his will with confidence.

Essences

He was given Echinacea , Evening Primrose , Holly , Larch , California Wild Rose , and Self Heal

Echinacea	Evening Primrose	Holly	Larch	California Wild Rose	Self-Heal

Observations

Mother reporting: dramatic change, letting go of fear, self-centeredness, anxieties and becoming more independent

It is amazing how dramatically he has changed. He is really working through his fears. He is not needing the same kind of support that has been essential to get through life. He is starting to see the world outside of himself. Up until now, his life has been oriented from a self-centered perspective. His anxieties were huge in the past; they colored every experience and overwhelmed him. He seems to have a lot more control of his emotions. He seems like, for the first time, that he is ready to let go of some old ways that he should have outgrown.

There are many “first happenings” that have taken place in this last month since he started taking the essences:

1. This is the first time that he has been able to go away from the family (class trip) and not cry. His last words were not expressions of fear as they always have been. Instead he asked if his sister would be okay on her trip without me (originally I had planned to go on his sister’s trip) and if he could call once while gone to see how I am (I just received a fairly substantial injury to my foot).

2. He is asking to have a group of guys from his class over to practice music.

3 . He cares about his school work and how he is doing.

4. He cared how he did at the Medieval Games, an athletic competition with five schools.

5. He was very pleased to be noticed and complimented by classmates on his Sixth grade project presentation. (In the past he was just glad that he had survived, it was over, and he did not attract any attention)

6. He is more willing and independent in completing his school work. There was a new openness to approaching his work. He is able to focus and complete an assignment in one sitting on his own.

Class teacher and other faculty members reporting:

T is much more at ease and more present.

RS: working with emotional balance within her family life, finding herself, balancing giving and receiving

Brief background

RS is TS’ younger sister. There are 22 months between them; she is in the fifth grade. As we have worked to allow TS to be more independent, RS has struggled with who she is and how she fits into her family.

Essences

Baby Blue Eyes , Buttercup , Centaury , Chicory , Pink Yarrow , Self Heal

Baby Blue Eyes	Buttercup	Centaury	Chicory	Pink Yarrow	Self-Heal

Observations

Mother reporting: maturity and self-actualization

R has been doing very well. She is generally less anxious and more thoughtful, with more balance in her emotions, and no tantrums or big arguments. Her relationship with her dad is better. She has been making moves toward developing her own interests. She made a list of things that she wanted to do this summer. She is no longer ambivalent and over-attached in her relationship with her brother.

JB: uniting the inner soul world with the physical body and the outside physical world, finding balance of speaking and listening, and social relations

Background information

JB is a sixth grade boy; he is the oldest in the class. He is of average height, thin physique, and has narrow fingers. He has a narrow face with a long narrow nose, small square chin, blue-green eyes with spots in them, a pale complexion, and long bushy hair that comes down to his eyes. He could be labeled as an Asperger child. He speaks very quickly and his voice is starting to deepen. He is centered in his head and very protective of his feelings.

JB’s mother believes that he had a twin. She had strong cramping when about two months pregnant with a lot of bleeding, and she thought that she had miscarried. It was a difficult birth; it kept starting and stopping; not much happened after the water broke. An acupuncturist came and treated her and that helped the labor to gain strength and regularity. JB presented "sunny side up," and kept going back up the birth canal with each contraction. No progress was being made and so they went to the hospital.

The mother was given Pitocin. The doctor reached up, turned him and pulled him out by the neck. It created a problem with his Atlas bone [the first cervical vertebra which sits just below the skull]. Neuro-feedback has shown that there was head trauma as a result of this birth that has affected his temporal lobes. This has made it difficult for him to remember names and rote math facts. A Handle Institute practitioner told her the same thing.

JB has a weak etheric, and he also has mild asthma that only shows up when he runs. His mother discovered that she had Lyme disease when he was in the fourth grade and was told to test her children. It turned out that JB was born with Lyme disease, and he has had mercury issues, common with Lyme disease. They worked to strengthen his constitution for 1 ½ years and worked to leach out the excess mercury before starting to treat the Lyme disease directly last fall. He has a great sensitivity to his head.

JB has had major learning problems and difficulty remembering some things, such as math facts or how much various coins are worth. He can have a hard time focusing. His teacher makes accommodations for him in the length of assignments.

JB has required a great deal of assistance from home to get any of his homework completed. He has felt separate and different from his classmates; he is aware that he cannot learn in the same way as others and this is painful to him. He is self critical and has a difficult time with sadness. As he has begun to enter adolescence, he has been getting very melancholic, verging on depression. He has felt stuck, hopeless, unable to learn, and friendless.

His teacher expressed that JB has been living in his own world, that he has been a loner without real friends. He is not ostracized, but is out of sync with the class. He tends to stay in at recess, and he has more of an adult focus and speaks intellectually. He is sensitive, endearing, earnest, and real, with a strong soul life; this inner life is transparent. He gets flustered easily and has severe performance anxiety. He does not do well with speed and needs to take his time, which makes math and dictation difficult.

His drawings are light, contracted, and tend toward the geometric. He has difficulty with handwriting as well as organizing his writing. He has a wonderful imagination and loves to create stories; he uses a multitude of fabulously descriptive, pictorial adjectives and he creates good characterizations. He was a sanguine phlegmatic temperament until this year. With the 12 year change happening, he has become more melancholic.

Qualities

I decided to try to help JB incarnate into his body more, helping to unite his inner soul world with his physical body and the outside physical world; find balance of speaking and listening ; and thus improve his social working.

Essences

He was given Angelica , California Wild Rose , Madia , Clematis , Heather , Yellow Star Tulip , and Calendula .

Angelica	California Wild Rose	Madia	Clematis	Heather	Yellow Star Tulip	Calendula

Observations

Class teacher reporting: incarnation and maturation

JB has become much more incarnated. His facial expression has changed; both his facial expressions and behavior have matured, and he is more his age. He is going out more socially and he doesn’t sit in the classroom at recess anymore. Social connections are still not easy, but he has made progress. He finished his homework assignment by himself with no help from either parent for the first time ever.

Mother reporting: independence, improvement in social relationships and communication skills

For the first time in J’s life (age 13) my husband and I went out in the afternoon and left him by himself. Not only was he okay, but while we were gone, he got on the computer and completed a book report completely by himself. This was a first also. He had never even attempted to complete a homework assignment on his own. Usually he needs loads of encouragement and support. He seems to have taken a giant step in maturity.

He is now able to engage in more meaningful conversations with a boy that he rides to school with on the bus with whom we car pool from the bus together. There is much more give and take in the conversation, with J listening and then responding to what he heard. This is in contrast to the past where J gave long monologs that totally lost the other boy’s attention. I see a marked improvement in his overall communication skills.

About Daena Ross

Daena Ross has decades of experience working in Waldorf Schools as an educational support, class, kindergarten, games, handwork, and/or music teacher. She has experience in adult education as a faculty member when at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair Oaks, California. Daena developed the Remedial Education Program and taught remedial education, and form drawing and movement to a variety of programs. In addition, she has worked in a public home school program, and has taught at local, national, and international conferences on home schooling and Waldorf Education. Daena operated her own business, Gateways Educational Services, working as a consultant to parents, teachers, and schools, and did support work with children.