Complementary Modalities—
Flower Essence Therapy and Acupuncture

Based on an interview conducted and edited by Jann Garitty

Energy moving through the body supports changes in emotions

Lindsay Fauntleroy, a licensed acupuncturist in New York, characterizes her work in this way: “Flower essence therapy and acupuncture complement each other and work well together because oftentimes the energies that are being moved through the body support changes in the emotions. And then vice versa, sometimes when someone is able to change their perspective or make very concrete lifestyle changes, they are able to shift energy on their own without having so many acupuncture treatments.”

In her teachings, Lindsay speaks about the the etheric/life forces that immediately surround the body, the astral/soul level of feelings, and the relationship between them and the two therapeutic modalities. Acupuncture primarily affects the etheric plane, but also somewhat the astral plane. Flower essences primarily have an effect in the astral plane. However, there is a dynamic cross-pollination which occurs between the two. For example, if someone comes to see her for stress, insomnia, and anxiety, she uses acupuncture to calm the nervous system, and relieve any signs of heat or agitation. Flower essences then give support in terms of what might be happening in their life—whether it’s in regard to their marriage, frustration, parenting, etc.—that is getting in the way and causing the agitation to generate in the first place. “It’s really rewarding to be able to see people with those two modalities to successfully change their lives,” Lindsay comments.

Flower essences to stimulate concrete life changes

Outside of her private practice, Lindsay uses flower essences in her women’s leadership programs. One course she teaches is called the Kamaria Circle: Leading from the Sacred Feminine . The program helps guide women manifest significant changes in their lives, whether it’s starting a new business, launching a new project, starting or ending a relationship, having a new child, or whatever it is in their lives. Every new moon, the women start a flower essence blend that aligns them with the theme of the month. The group meets bi-monthly, and the women are able to share the shifts they notice within themselves, and the concrete changes they are experiencing as a result of the flower essences. Lindsay believes, “Because the effects are so subtle, but they’re so profound at the same time, the more the women are in an engaged practice together, the more they start to know what to look for. It’s affirming because they can see themselves—and each other—changing, as opposed to me as a practitioner pointing it out to them.”  Lindsay also integrates flower essences into her business and entrepreneurship class, In My Element , to help open her students to abundance, creativity, and the confidence to follow their inner compasses.

Chinese elements and alignment with flower essence therapy

When Lindsay added acupuncture to her flower essence practice, her goal was to integrate the two seamlessly. What she loves about both modalities is the fact that both come out of an archetypal way of viewing things. Both work from patterns of behavior, emotions, and experiences that resonate. Much of her work has been devoted to understanding the alignment of flowers essences with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Elements , chakras , and other archetypal systems of healing. Lindsay is writing a book on this topic and hopes to finish it in 2016.

In addition, Lindsay conducts professional development workshops for acupuncturists, yoga teachers, and flower essence therapists, which focus on each season and the flower essences pertaining to an aspect of the associated Element. For Lindsay, this understanding has involved a process of looking at different “key notes.” For example, Lindsay says, “With the Fire Element there can be issues that come up pertaining to relationships and how we connect with others. If someone comes into the treatment room with a lot of the Fire Element present for them, it gives me an entry point in terms of asking, ‘How’s your spiritual connection? How’s your connection with your significant other? How do you approach intimacy?’ It becomes a way in, and then we can layer on a connection to the spirit of a point. Every acupuncture point has its physical function but it also has a spiritual aspect of it as well. Being able to connect those two together can be very healing.”

Simple Chart of the Chinese Five Element Correspondences

The Element of Wood: the ability to self-actualize and to push through obstructions

A patient with whom Lindsay worked was experiencing work-related stress, including working long hours. The patient felt very unappreciated. She had a creative life which she was not exploring professionally. Working with her—looking at her tongue, hearing her health history and also hearing about the areas of her life where she was feeling frustrated—Lindsay determined that The Wood Element was predominant. In Chinese medicine, one of the aspects of the Wood Element is the ability to self-actualize and push through obstructions, and come into an easy and full expression of oneself. For her treatment, Lindsay massaged the Wild Oat flower essence onto the Source point of the Yin Wood meridian on her feet, because the Wood Element also governs our ability to create a vision of purpose for one’s life. Immediately as the flower essences were applied to the patient’s foot, a smile bubbled up on her face. Lindsay asked what she was sensing, and the patient explained she just experienced a wave of benevolence. Benevolence is one of the archetypal key words of the Wood Element. Lindsay then also needled the point, and gave her Wild Oat and Columbine to take home with her. In the next session, the woman said that she had given notice to her job and already had accepted a new opportunity in another state doing more of the creative work that she loved. “This is a strong example of how the Elements and the flower essences greatly support one another,” Lindsay exclaimed.

The Element of Fire: our true self connected with the higher self

Lindsay’s work with another woman involved the Fire Element. “One of the aspects of the Fire Element,” says Lindsay, “is the idea of a little spark of divinity that lies within each of us, the idea of our true self connected with the higher self.” There was a significant amount of trauma work done in the beginning of their work together, but Deerbrush was used in many of the remedy formulas. There was a moment when she said to Lindsay during the course of treatment, “The more that I become who I’m supposed to be, the less familiar that old person is.” Lindsay explained, “She was really coming back into herself, as we say in Chinese medicine, her Shen was coming back. The Shen left in times of her trauma, and ever since, there was some aspect of herself that was missing. She had been functioning without this connection to herself for such a long time that she didn’t even notice it. Through the work with the Fire Element, Deerbrush , Star of Bethlehem and other essences, she had a ‘coming back to herself’ and regained her capacity for self-awareness and meta-cognition. She expressed, ‘That wasn’t even really me, just me functioning through life in a way that was more of a survival mode, but not really my true self.’”

FloraFusions (Seasons of the Soul oils) resonate with corresponding body meridians

Lindsay will often instruct patients to massage particular FloraFusions ( Seasons of the Soul oils) into certain meridians that are resonant. She also sometimes offers the oils to students during yoga classes. For example, Benediction oil works well when used on the heart meridian. She has also found that Dandelion Dynamo oil is good for the Gall Bladder and Liver Meridians, the meridians of the Wood Element. Dandelion Dynamo is often indicated following the same pattern of the flower essence for internalized embodied stress, the source for which a person may not be conscious. Lindsay also uses it for back or shoulder tension even if the patient doesn’t identify as being stressed.

Calendula Caress works well on the Stomach and Spleen meridians, the medians of the Earth Element. The Earth Element typically deals with the our capacity for comfort and nurturing. Says Lindsay, “It’s where we take in our food, but it’s also where we take in our first food from our mother and encompasses the idea of receptivity.”

Lindsay uses Mugwort Moon Magic if someone presents with a cold abdomen. In addition, she then uses a heat lamp or moxa on the area, and sends the oil home with them.

There are no accidents, no coincidences, and our lives have purpose and meaning

“One thing I love about flower essences is that they are very intuitive. A big part of the work is coaching patients to trust themselves and coaching patients to capture these little moments of magic that happen throughout the day. In terms of trusting themselves, it’s the idea of, for example in the beginning, you might want to take this essence often, and then it starts to wane down, or it’ll be lost or dropped. And, that’s okay to trust that what they’re doing is just fine. It’s a reframing around the idea of self-healing and inner knowing. The other important aspect is being present to synchronicities that happen—chance moments, fleeting insights,” Lindsay explains. Lindsay often tells patients or people with whom she’s working, “It’s a little bit like catching the dew before it fades or evaporates. There’s going to be little moments of deep wisdom or deep insight or a moment— ‘That message was for me!’—even though it may have come on a billboard. It is about living in a space of imaginal magic and trusting it. Flower essences bring their magic but also help us to live in magic and see it around us, knowing there are no accidents, no coincidences, and our lives have purpose and meaning. And, that we are going to be okay in spite of it all.”

The Earth Element: addressing issues regarding conception

Lindsay's insights in regard to fertility began with her own life experiences. Despite premature menopause—and against all odds—she was able to successfully become pregnant. Lindsay writes of her experience: “When I was in my late 20s, I received the devastating news that I was unable to conceive children due to Premature Ovarian Failure. Doctors told me—and I consulted several—that I had a less than a 1% chance of conceiving on my own, and that my only chance for motherhood was fertilization by a donor egg. At the time, that was an unaffordable and personally unacceptable option for me.”

Lindsay turned to holistic modalities, including acupuncture and spiritual practices. Additionally, she utilized flower essences to help her with the difficult emotions associated with the process. The overall experience redefined her understanding of the relationship between her spiritual and physical bodies. She began to understand the interconnection between thoughts and emotions, and the impact on those aspects of our being. Lindsay embarked on an in-depth journey into holistic health with flower essences guiding each step of the way. The essences served as a catalyst for attracting resources that she needed to heal her body, but they also guided her to become an acupuncturist and pursue flower essence therapy as meaningful work with patients.

Following is a case example showing how another woman was able to eventually conceive and birth a beautiful, healthy daughter—

"My work with Lisa illustrates how flower essences and acupuncture can seamlessly work together. Lisa orginially came to see me two years ago while trying to conceive. On her first exam, I found her abdomen to be very cold, and her pulses thin and weak. Following her first acupuncture treatment, Lisa described having a strong emotional release of resurfaced memories of her miscarriage. She also reported the first menstrual period she had had since the miscarriage.

Lisa’s first flower essence blend included Star of Bethlehem , Gentian , Hyssop and Forget-Me-Not to support her as she moved through the guilt and loss of the miscarriage. As we continued with her treatments, I combined kyotoshin-style moxabustion to externally warm her abdomen, along with flower essences such as Hibiscus and Alpine Lily to bring warmth and consciousness to her womb.  After one month of treatment, Lisa began IVF treatments.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, Lisa was diagnosed with Yin deficiency, as evidenced by the color and shape or her tongue, her pulses, and symptoms such as night sweats and malar flush. On a psycho-emotional level, Yin also represents our capacity for receptivity, stillness, and rest. Though the changes in Lisa’s body in response to the acupuncture were remarkable, what was even greater was Lisa’s opening to spirit as a result of working with flower essences. She began becoming more present to synchronicities, and trusting her intuition. Once, in a moment of anxiety around her fertility, she recalled unexpectedly looking up and seeing a sign that read, “Don’t Rush the Baby.”  She knew that the message was specifically for her. Mariposa Lily, Impatiens , Gentian, California Valerian, and White Chestnut opened Lisa’s capacity for soul receptivity and patience, and they became her allies through the challenging IVF process.

During one session, I misted the Grace Formula over Lisa during her acupuncture treatment. Afterwards, she reported seeing images of and hearing messages from her grandmother, and became aware of generations of grandmothers supporting her fertility. It was a turning point in her treatments.

Lisa received acupuncture just before and immediately following her embryo transfer. Throughout her subsequent pregnancy, we combined acupuncture with Calendula Caress on her abdomen to ease her anxiety and morning sickness. Months later, Lisa gave birth to a beautiful, healthy daughter."

About Lindsay Fauntleroy

Lindsay Fauntleroy is the first authorized teacher for the Flower Essence Society Practitioner Certification Program in the U.S. Lindsay also teaches an Advanced Clinical Mentorship for experienced practitioners. Lindsay explains, “I believe that flower essences are that missing link for many body workers and wellness practitioners, and are a necessity if we seek to shift they way we think about the mind-body-spirit connection in healthcare. I had such a life-changing experience at Terra Flora , and I have so much respect for the level of research, integrity, and spirituality that Patricia and Richard bring to this work. It is such a huge honor to be able to work with FES in this way.”

Lindsay is a licensed acupuncturist, FES Certified Flower Essence Practitioner, Alchemical Transformation Coach, and yoga instructor. For over 15 years, she has studied and practiced the healing arts as tools for self cultivation, including meditation, yoga, the I Ching, and Qi Gong. Lindsay integrates these energetic practices to facilitate healing in the space between body and spirit, and is a rising thought-leader in the field of mind-body medicine. Lindsay writes about the intersection of flower essences, Chinese Medicine, yoga, and contemporary urban living in her blog www.AlwaysinmyElement.com .

In addition to facilitating professional training in flower essence therapy in collaboration with the Flower Essence Society (FES), Lindsay was awarded a prestigious grant from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) for her work in women's holistic health.

For more information, visit www.OceansandRivers.com .