Fear

Aspen is the remedy for any fear where the cause of the fear cannot be named. At one end of the spectrum the Aspen fear can be no more than a sense of foreboding, an uneasy anxiety that something unpleasant or frightening is going to happen. At the other it can be a real terror, with physical symptoms such as the hair standing on end. At this extreme Rock Rose could also be helpful.

Sometimes people think of Aspen as a night-time fear, as causeless emotions seem to be uncanny. And of course if you were lying awake in a dark room scared of something but not knowing what it was, then Aspen would be the remedy to take. But in fact Dr Bach said that for fear of the dark itself Mimulus would be the appropriate remedy to take, since the cause of the fear (the dark) can be named. And nameless Aspen fears are just as likely to occur in full sunlight as on a dark night.

Cherry Plum is one of the remedies that Dr Bach grouped together under the heading of 'Fear'. The Cherry Plum fear is very specific: it is the fear that one is going to lose control of oneself and do something dreadful, which can include injuring others and suicide. Cherry Plum is also the remedy for the loss of control when it has in fact already taken place, and because because of the frantic fear and dread associated with loss of control. (Think of the fear of a small child in a screaming, irrational rage.) Fears of going mad and of acting irrationally are Cherry Plum fears.

Cherry Plum is one of the ingredients of Rescue Remedy.

Mimulus is the remedy for known fears. In other words whenever you are frightened of something or you are anxious about something, and you can say what that something is, then Mimulus is the remedy to take. Mimulus fears are everyday fears - fear of public speaking, of the dark, of aggressive dogs, or of illness or pain.

Phobias such as the fear of spiders or of birds are also Mimulus fears, since the cause of the fear can be named. Where the phobia is very great so that the sight of a spider for example causes sheer terror, then Rock Rose might be given as well as or instead of Mimulus. And where the fear is diffuse and there is general anxiety and apprehension without a specific named cause then Aspen is the remedy to consider.

Mimulus is used as a type remedy for people who tend to be nervous, timid and shy generally. Sometimes people of this type may blush easily or stammer, and they will usually avoid social occasions and any event where they will be in the limelight. Mimulus is the remedy to encourage the quiet courage and strength that lies hidden in such people, so that they can face the everyday trials of life with steadfastness.

Red Chestnut is for people who feel fear for the well-being of others: the husband afraid when his wife goes out alone after dark, the mother fretting over what may happen to her child at school. Red Chestnut fears are natural, normal concerns magnified to the point where they may have a negative effect on the person who is the object of concern, destroying confidence and undermining self-belief.The remedy helps people in this state to send out calm, unworried thoughts to their loved ones, so that instead of making everyone anxious they are rocks of strength on whom others lean.

Rock Rose is the remedy against terror, and as such is an important ingredient in Rescue Remedy. The Rock Rose state may start out as a Mimulus, Aspen or Red Chestnut state, but it is further along the path from any of these, being a panicky, terrorstruck fear that makes conscious thought and decision next to impossible.

The remedy provides calm and courage. The self is forgotten and strength reappears.