Interview by Jann Garitty

About Rebecca Dawn, R.N.

Trained as a registered nurse, Rebecca Dawn first worked in the Mother/Baby Unit at St. Mary's Hospital, in Grand Junction, Colorado. For decades she has specialized in providing medical services through the Kodiak Area Native Association, in Kodiak, Alaska, flying to the six remote native villages on the island. In addition to standard medical care, such as Specialty Clinic nursing, Dawn focuses on the special needs of women and children. She cares for women during pregnancy and childbirth, providing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and AIDS-prevention education classes for junior and senior high school children in the island's remote villages.

Dawn's discovery of flower essence therapy began with her own personal experiences, then with the experiences of family and friends, spreading gradually to include a wide spectrum of her community. She is especially impressed with the role flower essences can play in nurturing and resolving basic family-life issues. For example, she notes that flower essences are highly beneficial for babies who are not able to nurse well. Rebecca Dawn currently teaches about flower essence therapy to many groups in her area, and presents at the annual Women's Wellness Conference.

Kodiak, Alaska

Dawn prefers to preserve most flower essence formulas in vegetable glycerin due to strong concerns involving alcohol sensitivity in the population she serves. She gets outstanding results with these formulas.

Her approach to educating about flower essences is practical and direct, relying on kinesiological testing to verify her choices. "The essences simply work," she notes. Dawn believes that the most important strategy is to engage the client in the healing process itself, being careful not to "over-explain" each flower essence.

Key Flower Essences Used in Dawn's Practice

Five-Flower Formula - Each of Dawn's clients starts out with a free bottle of Five Flower Formula. Calming the emotions is an essential first step in the healing journey when using flower essence therapy.

Broccoli addresses issues involving one's sense of personal power. It deals with many aspects of the "victim" archetype - giving power to another or letting a drug take over one's life. Dawn uses Broccoli in cases involving substance abuse and in domestic-violence situations.

Self-Heal is used frequently with children. It imparts confidence and self-reliance and is a foundational remedy for nearly all issues involving children's wellness.

Pink Yarrow helps those who are keenly over-sensitive to their environment. It is a highly beneficial remedy for children who internalize family trauma. Pink Yarrow stabilizes the aura while allowing the innate psychic sensitivity to operate. This essence re-instills strength in those who would otherwise be unable to handle the interface between body and psyche.

Sweet Chestnut -The need for many flower essences comes in waves that involve larger cultural patterns. Since the national tragedy on September 11, 2001, Sweet Chestnut has been indicated for many clients. This flower addresses a certain kind of pressure and desperation in the soul, a feeling of "not being able take any more." Dawn frequently combines Sweet Chestnut with Scotch Broom and Borage.

Rosemary is a powerful remedy for all embodiment issues. It helps the soul "come back home" to the body. Its warming qualities are important for those who do not properly inhabit the body due to domestic violence, drug abuse, or other traumas that involve not feeling secure in the body.

Helping Hyperactive and
Attention-Deficit-Disorder Children

Dawn credits flower essence therapy as an important part of her extensive case work with children who suffer from hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). In her beginning sessions, Rebecca works exclusively with the child to get a good sense of the emotional identity and family situation. Many problems with children stem from control issues with parents, as well as extreme hypersensitivity to their domestic environment. Adolescents who show initial signs of drug abuse also respond well to flower essences. Dawn finds the following essences to be foundational in her work with children and adolescents: Yarrow, Mariposa Lily, Shooting Star, Star of Bethlehem, Dill, Impatiens, Chicory, Holly, White Chestnut, Buttercup, Calla Lily, and California Wild Rose .

Dawn's healing work with children began in a very personal way with her own daughter, who was five years old at the time. She had learning disabilities, hyperactive behavior, and emotional wounds from being abandoned by her stepfather. Now, at age 15, Dawn describes her daughter as "a shining example of what flower essences will do." She is more mature than many in her peer group, according to Dawn, and has excellent communication skills, internal values, and self-esteem.

Resolving Wounds from
Sexual Violence and Abuse

Dawn uses flower essences to support many clients who suffer emotional trauma due to past sexual abuse and violence. A typical case involved a woman in her mid 50s who was severely suicidal. Abandoned as a young child by her own mother, she was raised by an aunt. This woman was frequently tied and beaten, sexually violated, shamed, and isolated. As an adult she could not experience safety in her own body and suffered from many physical ailments, as well as from emotional wounds.

Broccoli and Dogwood flower essences were two of the most instrumental essences at the outset of this woman's therapy. Rebecca has continued to offer this client healing support for nearly nine years. Initially poverty-stricken, this woman now holds a good job, has healed many emotional wounds, and can speak openly about her past trauma.

Domestic Violence and Substance Abuse

Dawn helps many who have been involved in domestic-violence situations. Often these problems are compounded by substance-abuse issues. It is important not to feed the "victim" mentality in such persons, Dawn says, but to help them reclaim responsibility and take control of their lives. A typical case involved a woman in her 30s who initially sought help for a domestic-violence situation involving her spouse. She was drug dependent, was unable to assume financial responsibility for her personal life, and had many problems with personal honesty and social boundaries. She exhibited what Dawn terms the "emotional storm pattern" - controlling, impatient, angry behavior with a restless mental disposition.

Breakthrough flower essences for this client included Chicory, Beech, Holly, Impatiens, White Chestnut, and Five-Flower Formula . Broccol i was also a key support essence throughout the therapy. Eight years later, this woman and her husband are fully recovered from their domestic-violence and substance-abuse problems. She is financially and socially responsible, with a renewed sense of spirituality in her life.

Cocaine and Alcohol Dependency

Dawn provides flower essence counseling for many men who have used hardening drugs to cope with life circumstances. A typical case involved a construction worker. His sense of personal power was dependent on the use of cocaine and alcohol, and his marriage was dissolving. He had many negative emotional states, especially the need to be controlling and judgmental. He became easily overwhelmed and angry and lacked an internal sense of calm. Five-Flower Formula, Beech, and Broccoli , as well as many other flower essences, were instrumental in breaking through these patterns. He no longer uses hard drugs and has tempered his use of alcohol. He has addressed the dysfunctional patterns in his marital relationship and has initiated a process of spiritual exploration. He finds the essences to be a constant and steady source of support and keeps them close at hand.