Flower Essence Therapy: A Significant Adjunct to Dream Therapy

Archetypes and Synchronicity

Symbol-Making Activity

Numinous Dreams

Theoretical Aspects

The comprehension and interpretation of dream phenomena includes two prevailing psychological theories in the field of depth psychology: Psychoanalysis , developed by Dr. Sigmund Freud and Analytical Psychology, formulated by Dr. Carl Jung. These schools of thought differ in important aspects and this article is not an attempt to explain or compare these methods. Rather, my purpose is to briefly outline key concepts from both approaches and their relevance to the integration of flower essence therapy with psychotherapy.

Jung: The Archetypal Realm and Individuation Process

According to Jung, dreams are the product of a transpersonal or collective consciousness. They are characterized by an "objective" function that maintains psychic balance—what Jung calls compensatory function. The objective psyche is the realm of archetypes, from which are generated the symbols shaped into dreams. The gradual realization of these aspects in the psyche, initiates an individuation process . According to Jung, this process of psychic development entails the gradual transfer of psychic activity from the lower personality or ego, to the transpersonal Self as the center of activity.

Jung believes that all dreams present a compensatory aspect . They show the real situation of the psyche as it strives for psychic balance and integration. Every step of the individuation process begins with a psychic conflict involving the resistance of the temporal personality when confronted with the intrusion of incompatible thoughts and feelings. This conflict stimulates the psyche to transcend the conflict, and integrate the polarities being experienced. Many dreams produce a symbol which is the "solution" to the problems being presented.

Initiating Dreams, also called "Big Dreams," typically contain the full-blown dramatic components that call for transformation at the onset of the client's journey. They can stir memory of forgotten experiences from the past, or draw attention to severe wounds in the developmental process. They can also point to current realities that may be ignored by the conscious mind. These dreams can present a diagnosis as well as a prognosis for an individual’s psychic condition. They also inform us about the attitude towards therapy and the therapist.

Freud: Freeing the Psyche from Resistance and Repetition

Freud postulates that in the course of treatment it is typical for the client to not remember situations and/or personal experiences directly related to the state of psychic imbalance. This forgotten or suppressed material is often re-enacted in daily life scenarios without full awareness. These repetitions can occur in the context of the therapeutic relationship or in any other aspect of one's life. Freud calls the phenomenon that prevents the subject from recalling these situations and/or experiences resistance. It is necessary to give the patient some time to emotionally comprehend this resistance and overcome it by through psychotherapeutic work.

Through such inner work, dreams dramatizing the submerged personal experience begin to emerge. The individual stops repeating the unconscious aspects in daily life, and instead, transfers the content to dream activity. Thus, the repetitive experience is transferred from dysfunctional aspects of daily life to a more specific level of psychic reality. The ability of the psyche to remember, reflect and engage in the process, frees the individual and brings a successful conclusion to the experience.

Vibrational Medicine: Facilitating Soul Dialogue

Dr. Richard Gerber, writing in his ground-breaking book, Vibrational Medicine, discusses the relationship of dreams to energetic healing. He believes that dreams originate in the right brain hemisphere, as a special mode of symbolic communication from the soul or the Higher Self. In this way, dreams can transmit information of importance to the conscious, vigilant personality represented by the left hemisphere of the brain. The vital force of vibrational remedies activates this process. They also address energetic blockages, which result from emotional trauma and dysfunction. Flower essences represent a vibrational method for the correction of these behavioral patterns which can be precursors for physical illness.

Flower Essence Therapy: A Significant Adjunct to Dream Therapy

As a clinical psychotherapist, I have noted consistently that flower essences stimulate and increase the processes of psychic and spiritual maturation. Below, I have outlined three of the most significant dream phenomena that regularly appear in the course of treatment with flower essences. My cases show that these phenomena are more active when flower essences are used, compared to cases treated only with psychotherapy. In many instances, these phenomena appear only when flower remedies are used.

Archetypes and Synchronicity

When the psychic identity becomes activated, a series of dreams may occur that lead to actual breakthrough experiences in real life. For example, a couple may form a stable relationship and conceive a child. Jung coined the term synchronicity to designate the increased ability of the soul to bring correspondence between psychic realities and physical events. These synchronistic events are a signal that the soul has become more self-actuating and creative, allowing the archetypes in the soul to manifest in daily life. At the same time, total or partial remission of the client's symptoms can be observed, such as phobic symptoms or sexual dysfunction.

Symbol-Making Activity

Flower essence therapy facilitates new symbol-making capacity in the soul. Images of completion such as rings, or circles may be observed, as well as experiences related to birth. The appearance of "babies" and/or "pregnancy" occurs at a very high frequency when flower essences are used in the psychotherapeutic process. It signals the passage towards a new stage of treatment and the resolution of the psychic conflict. The client becomes more self-responsible and begins to integrate the shadow aspect of the personality.

Numinous Dreams

Finally, it is necessary to mention "big dreams" which appear more prominently when flower essences are used with dream therapy. They are generally expressed in mythical terms and show a timeless realm of existence. The dream images which appear are strongly archetypal. These dreams in particular have a transcendent and numinous quality. No single interpretation will ever encompass their whole meaning.

Bibliography

Freud, S., Complete Works , Ed. Amorrortu, Buenos Aires
Berber, R., Vibrational Medicine, Ed. Robinbook, Barcelona.
Jung, C.G., Collected Works, Routledge, Londres.
Matton, M.A., The Jungian Analysis of Dreams, Ed. Paidos, Buenos Aires.

Case Studies

About María Susana Koreck

María Susana Koreck resides in Bahía Blanca, Argentina and is a Licensed Psychologist who is a Doctoral candidate at the Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales in Buenos Aries. She has vast experience in clinical work, and in teaching, writing and presentation. She is a FES Certified Flower Essence Practitioner and has been practicing and combining psychoanalytic psychotherapy with the use of flower essences. María Susana can be contacted at mskoreck@criba.edu.ar .