by Jann Garitty  

Kimberly Rockshaw, DIHOM, became acquainted with holistic medicine because of her own chronic health problems, which were not remedied by allopathic medicine. She learned about and utilized herbs, acupuncture, nutritional information, and homeopathy, and she regained her health again. As her health improved, Kim began working as the Medical Director of an animal shelter in Illinois. It was there that she first started using flower essences, specifically   Rescue Remedy    ( Five-Flower Formula ). She also employed her knowledge of homeopathy and vitamin supplements, and was successful with a number of serious cases that originally had been given a poor prognosis.  

In 1992, Kim moved to California, and at the same time began to do more reading and studying about flower essence therapy. She began working on her degree in homeopathy in 1997. Shortly after that time, she attended a workshop given by Patricia Kaminski and Richard Katz, and she was so completely impressed that she obtained a copy of the   Flower Essence Repertory   to learn more. She has also completed her training for certification as a Registered Bach Flower Essence Practitioner.  

Healing Crises Leads to Life’s Work

In late 1997, Kim’s mother had a stroke and, as a result, entered a coma and died. At the same time, Kim became very ill herself, and, as she says, almost died as well. She was so ill that she was not even able to attend her mother’s funeral. Kim’s immune system was extensively damaged, and became even more devastated when she was administered antibiotics. One of her symptoms was severe pain in her stomach, which made her unable to eat. She was not able to use homeopathic remedies, herbs, or supplements because of the ill effects they had on her stomach. She was also unable to sleep for more than two hours a night. This pain and sleep pattern went on for seven months.  

Kim continued to read and study during this time, learning about the   Self-Heal   (photo at left) essence. She began to rub   Self-Heal    on herself, which she feels fostered her will to live in a most gentle manner. She continued on her quest for healing, and soon after, found and used a Chinese herb that healed her stomach inflammation. Prior to her experiment with the herb, she had seen four gastrointestinal specialists, all of whom could not give her any help. She also began using a combination of essences ( Bougainvilla, Fire Prickly Pear Cactus, Foothills Paloverde, Klein's Pencil Cholla Cactus , and   Smartweed   ) for immune dysfunction. She rubbed this combination into her skin on her ears, acupuncture points, and wrists. Her sleep issues resolved within two days.  

Kim says, “I owe my life to flower essences!” She says flower essences are gentle but powerful healers. Her own healing with the flower essences influenced her decision to include flower essence therapy in her work with others.  

Flower Essence Therapy and Homeopathy:  
Complementary Modalities

Kim successfully utilizes both homeopathy and flower essences (along with supplements and herbs) with her clients, both animal and human. She takes each case into consideration before determining whether she’ll prescribe homeopathics, flower essences, or a combination of the two. Often her decision is based on the severity of the symptoms, both physical and emotional, as well as whether she is able to ascertain whether the health problems are manifesting as a result of underlying emotions. At times she will start with a homeopathic remedy, evaluate the result, and then incorporate flower essences into the therapy.   Self-Heal   essence is one Kim uses often, almost as a foundational component of the therapy. For instance, when treating animals for cancer, she will often have the owner rub    Self-Heal  directly onto the cancerous area. 

In her determination of which therapies to utilize, Kim concentrates on current and past issues, taking into account whether the issues involved are physical or predominantly emotional in nature. If emotional issues prevail, she’ll start off by using flower essences. Conversely, if there are many physical symptoms, she’ll begin with homeopathic remedies. When she first talks to a potential client by phone, she will have an idea of which therapy she might begin with, though when she works long-term with an individual, the therapy evolves over time. Kim chooses flower essences for her clients purely by the interview process, listening closely to what is being said. She feels she is a good communicator, which enables her to easily determine which essences are needed. She has found, in general, that essences tend to work slowly but surely if they have been correctly chosen.  

Though Kim has seen astounding change take place when using homeopathy, she sometimes experiences frustration if she’s unable to find the right remedy. In contrast, she loves the simplicity of flower essences because they “either work or they don’t,” and they’re powerful but gentle. She says, “Flower essences promote physical and emotional healing by permanently changing emotional and behavioral patterns.”  

Simple success strategies for children with ADD

One young girl with whom Kim worked exhibited restlessness and an inability to keep still. After using her first bottle of a mixture containing   Impatiens   and    Indian Pink , the girl was able to sit down throughout dinnertime without running around the table.  

Indian Pink	Impatiens

Another child, a boy who had problems with concentration, was helped by the combination of    Madia ,    Clematis , and    Larch . He has improved greatly since beginning the formula. Recently, Kim has added Blackberry to this combination for motivational issues.  

Flower essences help elderly woman transcend depression

An elderly woman in her 70s was referred to Kim by a chiropractor. She was chronically depressed, and had even received shock therapy at an earlier age. At the time she started seeing Kim, the woman was in transition after leaving her home of many years. She also had severe health problems.  

Prior to seeing Kim, a holistic practitioner had given the woman numerous homeopathic “combination” remedies, and the result caused much confusion. While first working with her, Kim tried single homeopathic remedies, but the woman was extremely sensitive and reacted negatively to them. Kim stopped giving the woman homeopathic treatments and turned exclusively to flower essences. One issue she worked on was the extreme grief the woman still felt about the death of her husband. Kim initially gave her    Borage ,   Olive   (for the physical difficulties), and   Walnut   (for going through life changes). During her treatments which occurred over many months, she also used    Heather ,    Olive , and    Gentian , because the woman talked a lot about herself and her difficulties. Another formula Kim composed for the woman consisted of    Heather ,    Rock Water ,    Olive , and   Gorse   for the “rigidity” she imposed on herself.  

Borage	Olive

Overall, the woman started doing well emotionally. Her attitude was more optimistic, and she was more “perky.” When the time came for her to move, she felt overwhelmed, so Kim gave her a combination of   Elm, Honeysuckle   (because she felt she was still living in the past with her husband),    Walnut  and  Gentian   . As a result, Kim says the woman got through the moving process “beautifully.”  

Working with animals: The synergistic effects of FE and homeopathy

A dog named Coco who had severe “separation anxiety” was brought to see Kim. Coco would bash herself against barriers, break through gates, and drool severely when left alone. Kim first gave her    Walnut, Red Chestnut , and    Bleeding Heart . She then thought to give her   Grape   flower essence. Coco experienced a three-month plateau and improved, but still experienced some relapse phases. Kim felt Coco was only 50% improved and that more was needed. She treated her homeopathically with high-potency Stramonim, because she found that Coco also had vision problems (difficulty focusing, which caused her great fear at times) and feared being in a dark room. The Stramonium cleared up the symptoms. Finally, Coco was much improved.  

Kim maintains a small feline sanctuary  for older, seriously ill, and special-needs cats.

 Kim was involved with the case of a rescued cat that had been severely injured in an accident and required major internal surgery involving many organs. It was thought the cat had a 25% chance of survival from the surgery itself, and a poor chance of recovery. The combination of anesthetics, steroids, and pain medications – all of which suppress symptoms – block the work of homeopathics, whose purpose is to stimulate symptoms. Kim chose to use flower essences because they can work past such substances on a completely different level. “That’s the beauty of flower essences – they can work through all that.” Though the surgeon didn’t believe in homeopathy or flower essence therapy, Kim advised the staff to give the cat homeopathic Arnica and flower essences before the surgery, as well as immediately afterwards. She recommended that Arnica, Star of Bethlehem,  and  Self-Heal  essences be given orally, around the clock, every four hours. Remarkably, the cat survived, began to heal immediately, and was able to leave the animal hospital two days earlier than expected!  

Arnica	Star of Bethlehem

Kimberly Rockshaw, DIHOM, earned her degree from the British Institute of Homeopathy. She incorporates flower essence therapy in her practice, as well as other modalities such as vitamins, immune building/modulating supplements, and herbs (Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic). She continues to further her education by attending seminars and workshops, and has completed courses in physiology and anatomy.