Pamela Deaver's flower power offers alternative
KENT's FLOWER emPOWERment, located across from the Morrison Gallery on Old Barn Road, is not a haven for refugees from the 1960s.
It is, instead, an alternative health practice that uses flower essences to treat problems ranging from anxiety to addiction.
Pamela Deaver, owner of FLOWER emPOWERment, melds what she considers the best practice models for addiction counseling with the use of flower essences. She holds degrees in philosophy, psychology, teaching, addiction and flower essences.
"FLOWER emPOWERment is indicative of a trend that is taking place in the medical community," Deaver said in an interview Monday. "The blending of old wisdom from Eastern healing and wisdom with Western technology and healing methods."
Many flowers are already used medicinally. For example, marigold and periwinkle are used in chemotherapy. Deaver has more than 130 plant essences at her disposal, which enables her to personalize treatments for each client.
The use of essences should not be confused with aromatherapy. Deaver's treatments are neither homeopathic nor based on spiritual belief. She does not claim the essences are medication.
Rather, the essences work in conjunction with a client's neurological, endocrine and immune systems to assist in changing patterns, dealing with fears, and changing the way the body deals with stress and pain. Deaver's goal is to help the body heal itself.
The essences are meant to affect the attitudes that cause emotions and to promote the growth necessary for substantive change.
"The way a session works is first my client and I would get to know each other a bit," Deaver said "Once I've gotten to know my client better, I match the essence that is best suited for their situation. It is not limited to dealing with addiction; however, it happens to be very effective in that area."
The essences are created through extraction, a process that uses steam distillation to create a juice from the flower. Extraction allows the essences to achieve maximum potency, according to Deaver.
She also pointed out that hospitals and clinics have started to use essences and that the trend in the medical community is toward a holistic approach, addressing the whole person rather than just a particular illness. The philosophy is that what affects the mind also affects the body.
Deaver's love of flowers stems back to her youth and the influence of her mother and grandmother, whom she described as gardeners and flower people.
"I refined a family tradition," Deaver said. "To match the point where my own life has led me, I have been able to combine my passion for flowers with my passion for helping people."
Deaver said the use of flower essences is safe and will not affect or inhibit the effects of prescribed medications. The most common dosage of the essences is three drops three times a day on a pulse point such as the wrist.
Deaver said she finds satisfaction in helping her clients overcome their problems.
"When I help to serve someone else's highest good I feel rewarded," Deaver said. "When people are helped with whatever stressor they are dealing with and they advance, that is the goal: to overcome the things that are holding us back. Everyone needs help from time to time."
