There are 38 remedies in the Bach remedy system and each remedy is associated with a basic human emotion. The Bach remedies work by encouraging the corresponding positive quality that lies dormant within us, without suppressing negative state, for example, intolerance into understanding towards others or despair into positive faith and hope.

 The remedies work gently on us, and the layers of emotion are peeled back to reveal the next underlying negative feelings that may require other corresponding Bach remedies. By working on layers of negative emotion one by one at your own pace, gradually the core problem will be revealed and resolved.

 A quick example will be the Impatiens remedy, which in a negative state is someone who is impatient, irritable and always in a hurry. The positive state of an Impatiens person is actually patience. The remedy works by balancing this particular aspect. So if the person is in a negative state, it will aid in re-balancing this aspect. It is a gentle process and the usual outcome is awareness of the reduction of the hastiness and irritability. If the person is already in a positive state, the remedy does nothing more as there is no re-balancing needed. Thus, there is no risk of wrong use as there will simply not be any effect for a wrong selection as there is nothing to balance.

The other significant advantage of the remedy is that there is no risk of overdose as taking more than the required dosage simply yields the same result. Thus, the remedy is safe for anyone’s use.

 As much as the remedy is important for the Bach system, it is really a means to an end. The pivotal aspect of the system is the ability for self-healing and becoming our own healer. This is achieved through Dr Bach’s philosophy in using the remedy to build our awareness and in understanding ourselves.

Through this journey of peeling through our layers of emotions, we will start to see how our emotions and personalities drive our lives. Peeling the onion is the metaphor we use to describe how our emotions layered one on top of another through the tumbles of our lives, and as work with the emotion of that layer as it balances, it is peeled away thus revealing the underlying emotions or issues we might have.