A Case Study by  Yoko Sato

D was a workaholic whose physical symptoms were a result of her soul’s unhappiness with life. This is a fascinating case showing many stages of transformation, challenges, resolutions and metamorphosis of the soul toward a new vision and identity.

D looked even more energetic today than before. She said that fuzzy hair is beginning to grow around her forehead where she had the alopecia areata. I asked her if there were any changes in her feelings during the three weeks since the previous session.

D’s reflection:

She said, "I was thinking again about my former boyfriend, and I cried. I felt that I should've told him my honest feelings, and that I was in the wrong. But I also know that it's no use seeing him now… .”

By taking Bleeding Heart, she cried, healed her mental wounds, and was able to look back and discover that the reason for the poor relationships was that she could not express her love and emotions straightforwardly.

D was planning to go to Bali for one month on a restful vacation one week later. This was something I could never imagine when I first met her: quitting her job and going to a southern island for one month, all by herself! The fact was, D herself was surprised with this development. She said that this was a personal reward for having worked so hard. Having become able to take such good care of herself is wonderful progress indeed.

I asked her to draw a picture for me, but she refused, saying that she cannot draw pictures. So I asked her to draw a flower, pretending that she was doing some coloring. I said, "Imagine that you are a flower. I will draw a sample flower, so you can color the flower using any color you like. You are free to choose the number of petals and the thickness of the stem. You can even add anything you like, such as the sun or butterflies, etc." I drew her a simple flower as a sample and showed it to her. She finally agreed.

For today, I had her draw a flower (1) by recalling how she was seven months ago when she was still in a poor physical condition, and another flower (2) by thinking about herself two weeks ago when she quit the company she had worked with for eight and a half years, and when she said good-bye to her colleagues. The picture which she drew when she was feeling sick (1) showed a flower with pale-colored petals, a thin stem; two leaves, and the sun although it is small and has a weak presence. The picture which she drew when she quit the company (2) had a flower whose petals were orange and clear, with each petal large and thick. There were also two leaves, like in the previous picture. She drew even the veins too, so the leaves look as if they are absorbing nutrients. The sun is big, has rays, and is powerful. It was exciting to see how clearly her mental state was reflected in the drawings.

For today, I had her draw a flower (1) by recalling how she was seven months ago when she was still in a poor physical condition, and another flower (2) by thinking about herself two weeks ago when she quit the company she had worked with for eight and a half years, and when she said good-bye to her colleagues. The picture which she drew when she was feeling sick (1) showed a flower with pale-colored petals, a thin stem; two leaves, and the sun although it is small and has a weak presence. The picture which she drew when she quit the company (2) had a flower whose petals were orange and clear, with each petal large and thick. There were also two leaves, like in the previous picture. She drew even the veins too, so the leaves look as if they are absorbing nutrients. The sun is big, has rays, and is powerful. It was exciting to see how clearly her mental state was reflected in the drawings.

She agreed to show me her diary. I was surprised to find that she had written about the inner changes that had occurred, much more than I had expected. Although they were not discussed during our counseling sessions, I could see the changes that occurred in her mind and everyday life. 

Essences recommended:

Golden Yarrow - helps a person open up her mind and become actively involved with other people, so I suggested that it might be a perfect essence for her trip to Bali because she would be traveling by herself and most likely meet many different people.

Iris - an essence of inspiration; I encouraged her to receive lots of inspiration and power from Bali, the island of the Gods.

Five-Flower Formula - for anything that causes her to panic

This is the first counseling after D returned from her 1-month trip to Bali. Tanned and looking healthy—exactly the image of a person returning from the island in the south—D was very much relaxed and exuberant.

I asked her to explain the incident in which she was scammed in more detail. This was the first time in her life that she had been scammed, and the incident shocked her so much that she could not sleep at night. However, after having taken Five-Flower Formula, she reportedly became able to look back on the incident calmly as if it was something that occurred inside a movie.

D’s reflection:

When I asked her why she believed what the woman - a total stranger - had said, she replied, "… in all my 47 years of life, I have never been deceived by anybody. So I never knew how to be suspicious of other people. Then I realized this. It seemed strange why I had never been deceived by other people and I found out that people around me were all very nice, and that my parents had protected me. Especially my father. I became thankful for him. Really. There were other shocking things, too, you know. There were lots of poor people in Bali. I guess it was the first time in my life that I'd seen such poor people. It came as a terrible shock for me. I grew up, pampered and protected, and not realizing that there were people like them all over the word."

I never imagined that D would return from her trip so grown up as a human being. It appears that the pace at which she is growing is getting faster and faster and that the opportunities for gaining awareness are increasing as well. I think it's thanks to the effect of using Five-Flower Formula.

I think it was also thanks to Five-Flower that she was able to restore her cool and contemplate more. She said that she had thought about leaving Bali immediately after the incident, but she thought twice and decided to stay and enjoy herself. I think she had made a wise decision. This was something I could never have imagined from D, who was near panic when we talked on the phone.

Six days after becoming involved in the fraud, she decided to move ahead. She took part in an optional tour and began enjoying her trip. She appeared to have had a great time from this point on until two weeks later, when she returned to Japan.

[I read in her diary] her accounts of her enjoyable trip continuing after that. It was as if to reward her for having been hurt by the incident, and being able to gain awareness after doing extensive soul-searching. Besides a variety of awarenesses, changes were seen in her emotions that were believed to have been the effects of Iris. Since her trip was tremendously exciting, D found it impossible to return to her ordinary daily life. Also, it could be that she is exhausted after a long trip.

I also asked her to draw pictures of flowers during her trip. She remembered how she was depressed after being swindled and drew the first picture (3), and how she enjoyed herself afterwards in Bali (4). The first picture (3) where she was depressed showed clouds but no sun. The flower's stalk is thin and curved. The color of the orange petals is also faint. The petals' orange is the color she used in the picture she drew when she quit her company. It appeared that the color orange represents distress for her. Compared with this, the picture she drew about the time she was enjoying her trip (4) shows pink petals and vigorous sun; the stalk is thick and the veins are evident on the leaves. Strangely enough, both pictures show three leaves. In the picture she drew before she left for Bali, she drew two leaves. It is as if the number of leaves represents the growth of her soul. Although D said that she was not good at drawing, it is amazing to see how clearly her simple pictures depict her inner world.

Her tan having faded, she looked as if her face had become slightly plump. She appeared to be in good health but showed none of the desperate energy she had before, and appeared calmer. I asked her about her new job.

D’s reflection:

"I am able to get up more easily in the morning, so I feel less depressed now. … I'm not regarding this job as something I'd do for the rest of my life. It's like warm-up exercises for the time being, because I still don't know what I really want to do."

I asked her what sort of flower essences she wanted to try the next time. She replied, "I think it would be better if I had fewer emotional ups and downs. Can you give me something that makes me more motivated?"

Essences Recommended:

Agrimony - helps eliminate emotional fluctuations

Mountain Pride - helps put the aggressiveness, courage, and confidence of male energy to use in her work

I get the impression that the effects of the essences are coming out extremely quickly for her these days. Perhaps because she continues taking the essences, she looks vigorous. Her complexion was better than the previous time.

D’s reflection:

She said that people around her tell her that her skin has become beautiful. She said however, that she is concerned because she sometimes experiences dizziness as part of menopausal symptoms. She explained that she had the same symptoms four years ago.

...

Although she used to stay lazily at home, not being able to decide the day's schedule, she can now leave home for work with vigor in the morning. The problem, however, is that her work has become monotonous; she said that walking a set route in the same town has become boring.

At around the time she decided to quit her previous job, D said that she wanted to look for a meaningful job that would please her soul. Although she initially said that her current job was close to that goal, she is beginning to feel that this is not the job she was looking for. She said that she envied me. I told her that, since she could not have imagined her current self one year ago, she should go about things without losing patience.

Her physical condition has improved this much; she has become able to focus on her own feelings, she was able to refresh herself with an extended trip and she was able to encounter her new work. So I am certain that she would have many more encounters of all kinds which would inspire her. Today, D seemed to be at a loss after realizing that her current job is not the one she was born to do. I felt that, since changes are occurring so dramatically, she should settle down a bit to allow her body and mind to catch up with her. I became a little concerned that she might push herself, like in the past, to work like crazy and lose her physical balance again.

Essences Recommended:

Tiger Lily - to treat the dizziness that comes from menopause (I, too, used Tiger Lily, and saw my menopausal-related anger subside).

Wild Rose - to deal with her work becoming monotonous. The essence will help her make new discoveries in her daily life and carry out her work with interest.

Gorse – to help to harbor hope of encountering her "line of life" one day.

D looked lively today. It appeared that she has freed herself from worries again.

D’s reflection:

I asked her about this, and she said, "I stopped working too hard. I thought about it a great deal, and what you said made perfect sense to me. About this time of the year last year, I had lost about 10 kg of weight, was told at the hospital that I had clinical depression, and was very down. I'm lucky just to be this much better, right? I've just gotten over of my disease, so it's stupid of me to worry about how I was doing at my new work and getting irritated. I know that I'm performing poorly now, but I've decided to forgive myself for that. Besides, although I felt that this job was close to my natural calling, I'm beginning to think that that's not exactly the case. You know what I really want to do? I want to change women from the inside and make them younger. My current job is not quite it. I guess I should consider it like a warm-up exercise after recovering from an illness...I was mad at myself for not being honest, but I guess I just have to make the effort to do better from here on. I got tired of blaming myself each time," she said. It appears that she had overcome one obstacle and has become able to look at situations objectively.

Although she is finding her work monotonous, she said that she was beginning to enjoy it by looking at passers-by and imagining what their inner personalities are.

I think that Wild Rose is working. As for the dizzy spells that came from menopause, Tiger Lily seemed to have worked immediately. Symptoms went away two days after taking the essence, and have not recurred since then.

D's physical condition has improved 100%, and I'm sure that she would be looking for things she really wants to do, and continue to live her life positively and powerfully. I feel very fortunate to have encountered her at an important juncture of D's life, and to help her overcome her problems. She said that she wished to continue taking flower essences for a while. I wish to assist her, at least until she realizes what her calling is and can proceed along that path.