Flower Essences for Psoriasis

A person living with psoriasis may feel self-conscious, embarrassed, angry, helpless or a range of other emotions about their condition.

In my practice, I often use flower essences for the emotional states brought on by psoriasis. Several writers have helped me think more deeply about the questions worth asking. Here are some flower remedies that I think match their approaches.

Ted Grossbart

Ted Grossbart, a psychologist and author of Skin Deep, explored the relationship between emotions and skin conditions. In his work with people who had psoriasis, he noticed that some seemed to live in a state he called “fast, fast, fast.” They were capable, active people, but often pushed themselves far beyond an ordinary busy pace.

Impatiens (Bach) Speed with irritability: “Everything is taking too long; other people are holding me up.” More fitting when haste has a sharp, impatient edge.

Oak (Bach) The person who keeps going despite strain, feels responsible and finds it difficult to let go. This fits overdrive driven by duty more than by impatience.

Dandelion (FES) Overstriving held in the body: pushing beyond one’s limits, with a sense of accumulated tension. FES describes it in precisely that context.

Dr. Anne Maguire

Dr. Anne Maguire was a dermatologist and a Jungian analytical psychologist. In Skin Disease: A Message from the Soul, she explored how a skin condition might reflect something significant in a person’s inner life. Her book includes a chapter on psoriasis, but her approach invites us to look beyond a fixed emotional label. What was happening in this person’s life when the condition appeared? What feelings or conflicts might have been difficult to recognize or express?

Agrimony (Bach) would be my persona essence. It fits someone who says “I’m fine,” stays pleasant and makes light of things while privately feeling troubled. The Bach Centre describes the cheerful exterior concealing inner distress. In a consultation I would ask whether keeping up that face costs the person energy. 

Black-Eyed Susan (FES) is the most direct shadow match. FES associates it with recognizing aspects of oneself that have been avoided or kept outside awareness; it even documents a Jungian psychologist using it in shadow work. I would consider it when a person is curious about a recurring pattern but says, “I can sense something there, yet I keep turning away from it.” 

Pink Monkeyflower (FES) speaks to shame and the fear of exposure. Its description centres on wanting connection while protecting a tender, vulnerable part of oneself. That may be especially resonant if someone describes hiding their skin and fearing that others might see their emotional pain. Those two experiences need to be explored separately; visible psoriasis alone does not imply a hidden wound. 

Dr. John Sarno

Dr. John Sarno, a physician known for his mind–body approach to chronic pain, paid particular attention to perfectionism, the need to be good, and anger that a person feels unable to express. Applied as a question in a psoriasis consultation, his work might prompt: Am I saying yes when I want to say no? Am I allowed to feel angry? Sarno’s approach does not establish that suppressed anger causes an individual’s psoriasis.

Centaury (Bach) would fit the person who repeatedly says yes when they want to say no. The Bach Centre describes difficulty refusing others’ demands. Through Sarno’s lens, I would be interested in what happens after the agreement: does the person feel trapped, depleted or privately angry while believing they have no right to complain? 

Rock Water (Bach) reflects the severe inner rulebook: I should cope. I should need less. I should have more discipline.The Bach Centre links it to rigid self-denial and self-repression. This is my choice when perfectionism is directed inward, especially if rest, pleasure or an honest expression of frustration feels undeserved. 

Scarlet Monkeyflower (FES) is perhaps the closest match to Sarno’s central emotional question. FES describes fear and repression of intense feelings, particularly anger and powerlessness. I would consider it when someone can talk readily about being stressed but struggles to say, even privately, “I am angry.” It invites exploration of the feeling without assuming that expressing it must mean acting it out. 

Dagger Hakea (Australian Bush) would become relevant if that unspoken anger has settled into bitterness or a longstanding grudge. The maker associates it with resentment and holding on to past hurts. I would distinguish this from a momentary flash of anger: Dagger Hakea is the candidate when the person keeps returning to an old injury while feeling obliged to appear forgiving. 

Dethlefsen and Dahlke

Thorwald Dethlefsen and Dr. Ruediger Dahlke, authors of Krankheit als Weg, offered a symbolic reading of psoriasis as both armor and vulnerability. Their image holds two apparently conflicting wishes: to protect oneself from being hurt and to experience closeness.

Water Violet (Bach) would fit someone whose reserve has become a barrier. They may be self-reliant and outwardly composed, yet feel lonely and unable to let others come close. The Bach Centre describes precisely that point where natural reserve turns into isolation. In Dahlke and Dethlefsen’s imagery, this is the armour side of the picture. 

Flannel Flower (Australian Bush) is especially apt for their theme of wanting contact while shrinking from it. Its maker associates it with discomfort around emotional intimacy and physical touch. A useful distinction in consultation would be whether touch feels unwelcome in general, or whether the person wants it but worries how someone will react to their skin. 

Mexican Shell Flower (Desert Alchemy) is my closest match to the resolution of their image. Its description concerns allowing softness and vulnerability while still feeling protected and strong. The aim, symbolically, would be a boundary that can open and close appropriately, rather than a choice between complete exposure and complete withdrawal. 

Deb Shapiro

Deb Shapiro, author of Your Body Speaks Your Mind, considers skin the place where we meet the outside world. Her questions about boundaries, touch and feeling invaded are especially thought-provoking: Is something getting under my skin? Am I holding myself back? Do I feel safe with closeness? Her broader discussion of skin is a source of questions, rather than a fixed emotional meaning for psoriasis.

Pink Yarrow (FES) fits a more porous emotional boundary: absorbing other people’s moods, needs or distress until it is hard to tell what belongs to oneself. FES describes it in terms of emotional sensitivity and clearer boundaries. This differs from Centaury: a person may say no quite well and still feel overwhelmed by what others are feeling. 

If you want to learn more give me a call.