Flower Essence Formulas Aid War-Stricken Ukraine
by Richard Katz
Bombed out residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine
Development of the FES Ukraine Aid Project
Since April 2022, soon after the February Russian invasion of Ukraine, FES has been providing donations of flower essence formulas to doctors in Ukraine to address the trauma of the war. FES has helped with donations after many disaster situations, including earthquakes, fires and floods. These trigger events can be over in hours or days, but the trauma and recovery last for months or even years.
However, with a war lasting many years, the traumatizing events themselves are on-going, and recovery from past trauma is layered with confronting repeated crises. In the case of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, civilian homes, schools and critical infrastructure for energy and water have been deliberately targeted with the intended result to traumatize the civilian population.
In our interactions with our Ukrainian colleagues, we have been impressed and inspired by their resilience and determination to continue living their lives as best they can, not to be defeated by fear or intimidation. We have worked closely with four Ukrainian doctors who, despite all the personal challenges they face, have dedicated themselves to supporting the well-being of their patients and their families. All four are trained in anthroposophic medicine, a holistic approach to spirit-mind-body healing originated by Rudolf Steiner and Dr. Ita
Wegman a century ago, and which is now well developed in Europe and throughout the world. These physicians incorporate herbal, homeopathic. nutritional and body therapies and have been receptive to using the FES flower essence formulas that we have donated for their efforts.
We were introduced to our Ukrainian colleagues by Dr. Tamara Potselueva, a Russian-American naturopathic doctor and nurse in Connecticut, USA. Dr. Potselueva has been arranging numerous donations of medical supplies for Ukrainian doctors. She suggested to FES that the Ukrainian doctors could make good use of our flower essences and she facilitated communications and transportation arrangements for the donations. Read more about Dr. Tamara Potselueva’s holistic medical practice.
Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova received the first donations of FES flower essences and found that they helped with sleep issues and trauma recovery. Dr. Ksenia Veklicheva first used our flower essence formulas with her own young children, and after sharing their story with her patients and followers, she arranged for our donations to be distributed widely to her patients. Dr. Aloyna Permyakova founded the Alviia Family Center where children and families receive schooling, physical activity, medical treatment and psychological counseling. Dr. Shcherbakova brought the flower essences to her work at the Aurum Medical Clinic, offering treatment for soldiers returning from the war. She and Dr.Yevhen Volchenko, the head of rehabilitation services at the clinic, specialize in body-centered therapies. They now include flower essence formulas and the FloraFusions oils, which combine flower essences, essential oils and herbal infusions.
You can read more about these initiatives by following the links at the bottom of this article.
Major Flower Essence Formulas Used in the FES Ukraine Relief Project
Kinder Garden children’s formula helps those young ones who are the most sensitive and vulnerable to cope with the effects of the war. They have spent much of their childhood sheltering from bombings, being restricted to online learning because it is unsafe to go to school or because schools have been destroyed. Many never experienced in-person learning since the COVID-19 pandemic closures preceded the war.
Many families have become internal or external refugees. Others are trying to create a semblance of family life amid the destruction and disruptions. Many children have lost their fathers to the war.
Flower essences cannot change these tragic outer circumstances. What the Kinder Garden formula has done for many of the children is to strengthen their resilience, calm their fears and panic, and allow some of the childhood joys of play and exploration of life to continue amid the chaos in their world. The stress of the times also exacerbates the normal challenges of childhood, amplifying temper tantrums, anxiety and fears. Kinder Garden has brought a calming and soothing quality to those situations.
Read about Kinder Garden formula use in Ukraine by patients of Dr. Ksenia Veklicheva
Flora-Sleep is a key formula for both adults and children in Ukraine, with sleep disrupted by air raid sirens and bomb blasts, and even when it is quiet, there is the ever-present anxiety that the stillness will at any time be pierced by an attack.
When sleep is interrupted, Flora-Sleep helps them to fall asleep again. It also has helped them to deal with anxiety around the need to be vigilant to awaken and take action in case of an emergency. For many children, the combination of Kinder Garden and Flora-Sleep is a bed-time ritual.
From Dr. Ksenia Veklicheva: Many people have trouble sleeping. To be honest, I don’t go to bed without Flora-Sleep. And if I wake up at night from the noise outside the window from the bombing and shelling, I have to use it again to fall asleep.
From a patient of Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova: After only a month of taking Flora Sleep with Five-Flower Formula, my sleep returned to normal. If I wake up at night, I can fall asleep again. Previously, if I woke up at night, it took me two to three hours to fall asleep again. I now wake up rested in the morning.
Post-Trauma Stabilizer is sometimes paired with Flora-Sleep for adults, when Flora-Sleep alone is not sufficient to relax into sleep. It has also been used in a clinic for soldiers getting respite care after coming back from the front line.
Post-Trauma Stabilizer is essential for civilians in war zones, for even when there is a break in the bombardments, the trauma remains ever-present in the psyche.
From Dr. Alyona Permyakova: Post-Trauma Stabilizer helped a lot. Patients have calmed down, slept better, and have more vitality.
From a patient of Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova: After taking Post-Trauma Stabilizer, I had the feeling that I was standing on the ground, rather than being up in the air. I no longer was consumed by hatred for the Russians. I wanted to do something, somehow express myself. I went to school to weave protective nets for the military. Before that I was paralyzed. I couldn’t go out into the world. I couldn’t take a deep breath. Now I’m open to new things and I can breathe deeply.
Grief Relief addresses the wide range of losses suffered by the Ukrainian people: loss of loved ones; break-up of families; loss of bombed homes, offices, and schools; and loss of the normal routines of life due to the war.
From Dr. Ksenia Veklicheva: There have been many divorces. Many women have left, while the men stayed in Ukraine, and families are falling apart. In these cases, Post-Trauma Stabilizer and Grief Relief help. For those patients who have buried their loved ones and relatives, I also prescribe these preparations.
From a patient of Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova: After taking Grief Relief, I have less anxiety in my body. There is an acceptance of reality as it is. Yes, it’s terrible to look at the ruined city, the loss of everything that was. But I no longer wish death to all Russians. God be their judge. I accept myself and I can manage my anxiety.
Yarrow Environmental Solution (YES) strengthens resilience of our vital energies (sometimes called the “etheric body”) against disease and toxic pollution. It has been particularly helpful to mitigate the effects of the excessive screen time spent by adults and children. After the COVID-19 pandemic, when most of the world returned to in-person learning and events, the war necessitated continued reliance on mostly online connections for both adults and children.
From patients of Dr. Ksenia Veklicheva: I already felt the effects of the YES preparation on myself. It really helps to relax in the evening, after a long day working on electronic devices.
Since I have a small child and have to work a lot online, by the end of the day I felt I was not on the earth, half-blind and exhausted. Now that I am using the YES formula, my well-being, quality of sleep and even productivity have become much better. I even have more energy. These miracle drops have significantly improved the quality of life of our entire family ❤️
Thank you for taking care of people in such difficult times! I am currently trying the YES preparation. My work is related to the computer, at which I spend most of the day. After that I feel distracted and lethargic, but at the same time it is very difficult to fall asleep. I might toss and turn for several hours. My sleep is superficial and disturbed. After taking the YES preparation, it became easy to fall asleep. I wake up with a clear head, and during the day I am collected and productivity has increased🙌🏻 Thank you 🙏🏻
Fear-Less, sometimes combined with other formulas, was used in stressful situations to bring more calm, presence and ability to move forward without paralyzing fear. .
From a patient of Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova: After taking Post-Trauma Stabilizer and Fear-Less, there are shifts. Somehow, I became more optimistic and there are glimpses of hope. Several times I had breakdowns, when I lost control and was filled with hopeless thoughts. But already I see the sun, and I understand that at thirty years, life is not over yet.
Magenta Mantle was used in the Irpin area where there had been massacres and wanton destruction. After the city was liberated, the Magenta Mantle spray was a balm to bring healing to a place that had witnessed so much suffering and desecration of life.
From a patient of Dr. Snizhana Shcherbakova: More than 500 people were killed in Irpin . My friend and I went around the park where there were many deaths, then along the streets where there were bombs. We sprayed everything with Magenta Mantle, taking turns, as it was too difficult to do alone, carrying a tank of water for the spray. It was five in the morning, but the sun was already shining brightly. We prayed for the repose of the souls of the innocent victims. After that, we had the feeling of grace, as if we had done something significant. Now it is much easier to walk in those places. It felt as if those innocent souls had found peace.
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