When applying the remedies to the skin during the massage session, use stock strength. Diluted essences seem less potent for this style of work. When you have identified an area which feels tight, inflexible, painful, cold or insensitive, clarify your intent: "I want more feeling in this joint," or, "I'd like to experience flexibility in this muscle."

Apply one to five drops of the chosen essence to the skin over the area, and gently massage it into the tissue. Rest your hand there, with gentle pressure. Have the person breathe deeply, letting the breath out with a deep sigh. Does the area feel warmer, more flexible, more alive or looser? If the body is ready to release, it will.

Here are some of the remedies I have found especially relevant to body work. Unless otherwise noted, they are Bach remedies.

FUCHSIA, made by Flower Essence Services (FES). If an area of your body consistently acts up under stress, FES's Fuchsia can be very helpful, as it is linked to "psychosomatic" conditions. This remedy is excellent for hip and low back tension. Best when applied to the hip joint, which should then be gently stretched. Fuchsia seems able to dramatically increase the amount of feeling in any area of the body.

CHESTNUT BUD for chronic injuries. If we keep reinjuring the same muscle or joint, it may be that we have not yet learned the lessons that the original injury held for us.

AGRIMONY is very effective for jaw tension. Agrimony types tend to use their facial muscles to hide painful emotions and smile to hide their pain. This remedy is very effective for TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) problems. Try applying it to the joint of the jaw, either inside or outside the mouth.

CERATO is for awakening. When one feels the need to understand the deeper meaning behind an injury or chronic problem area, apply Cerato and verbally ask the inner self for information and guidance. This is a marvelous way of beginning a physical healing process.

CHERRY PLUM is good for throat tension. If you have lost your voice or the throat feels constricted, there may be something you need to say but are holding back, perhaps out of fear of hurting someone else. Cherry Plum can help, particularly when applied at the base of the throat in the hollow between the ends of the collarbones.

CRAB APPLE is well-known for when the body feels unclean or one is feels shame. We can carry shame anywhere in our bodies, but, especially in women, it tends to focus in the chest. Try putting a few drops of Crab Apple on a hot flannel cloth, gently applying to the chest and abdomen. If you tend to find fault with your body or appearance, add Beech.

DOGWOOD, by FES, is a remedy which brings a feeling of lightness and ease. It often comes up for people who have experienced their bodies as awkward or burdensome.

Since GORSE refers to a feeling of despondency, it is no wonder that it is effective for tension in the upper back and lower neck arising from a slumped posture. It seems to encourage one to stand upright without effort.

HORNBEAM helps one achieve a feeling of wholeness, especially when one area of the body is fatigued. For some reason, it is very effective for cramps in the hands and forearms (writer's cramp).

MIMULUS and ASPEN: Wherever fear is stored, use these two remedies. The abdomen is the most common site: That unnerving feeling that something bad is about to happen tends to be carried in the pit of the stomach.

OAK and OLIVE are good for muscles which have been overworked and are fatigued and for areas which suffer repetitive stress, particularly the forearms. They are especially good for "type A" personalities, who have become used to high levels of muscle tension. (EDITORS NOTE: For an in-depth portrait of Olive, see Daniele Lo Rito's article in this issue.)

ROCK ROSE, for terror and panic, seems particularly useful for pain and tightness in the knees. When we are afraid, our knees tremble and feel like they are about to give way, so we may lock them.

STAR OF BETHLEHEM (Bach) is a wonderful general remedy for shock and trauma. It can have a powerful, multi-level effect in treating scarring. (EDITOR'S NOTE: See Paul's in-depth portrait of Star of Bethlehem in our premiere issue.)

ROSEMARY is listed in FES's Repertory as helpful for poor circulation and cold extremities. I apply it to the skin after ice packs and have found it an energetic "magnet." The healing properties of ice come from its secondary effects (i.e., what happens when you remove it), and Rosemary seems to help these along.

SPAGNUM MOSS, made by both the Alaskan Flower Essence Project and the Canadian Forest Essences, is a remarkable remedy for unconditional love. Its effects are amazing when applied to the spine, especially where the vertebrae are compressed. Try placing two drops on either side of the spine at the base of the back and the top of the spine where it joins the skull.

VINE is for control issues, which we often hold in our necks, especially at the base of the skull. Vine can help release control issues, and some find it useful in relieving tension headaches.

ZINNIA (FES): As children, we instinctively knew how to carry ourselves. We learned bad posture from the adults around us. Zinnia, which enables us to reconnect with our inner child, can also evoke the child's physical ease and sense of invulnerability. Wherever we are feeling "old" in our bodies (dry, brittle, hard, inflexible), apply Zinnia. I have found it to be particularly effective in conjunction with moist heat.

It is worth noting that when chronic injuries are ready to heal, there can be an intense release of energy. If this process is scary or if one feels internal resistance to the healing process, Rescue Remedy (for shock), Lavender (for energetic overload), and Walnut (to prepare the psyche for a change) will be powerful allies. For myself, these remedies have been most effective and their effects most noticeable when applied to the area in question and then continued orally.

EDITORS' NOTE: To see Paul's bio and more of his excellent articles in Vibration, visit his Frequent Contributor Page.

ART CREDITS: This beautiful background is part of a collection at Pat's Web Graphics. The dogwood is from Caroline Dean's Wildflowers of Alabama Slide Show. The Star of Bethlehem is from Healing Herbs.