Magical Lettuce Essence
By Mona Choudhary
A Client’s Story
In February 2023, seventy-six-year-old Satpal had a stroke. He was recovering well thanks to prompt medical treatment, physiotherapy and prayers. In August that year, his sleep became disturbed, and his daily walks no longer occupied his days. He also appeared more withdrawn.
His son overheard words like “stress” and “worries” in his telephonic conversations with friends. Though when asked directly, Satpal would deny using them. He was facing some difficult family situations that had begun to take a toll on him. In September, his son sought out my professional opinion as a psychiatrist in practice for over a decade.
As Satpal’s predominant symptom was sleep disturbance, I prescribed sleep medicines, which brought improvement. I was able to discern possible early signs of depression. But not wanting to unduly prescribe antidepressants at this early stage, I cautioned his son, himself a medical doctor, about the possibility.
Though Satpal’s sleep improved, other symptoms were aggravated over two weeks. He began a low-dose program of antidepressant Sertraline, keeping in mind his age, stroke. and mildness of symptoms. Results were apparent after a month. Within two months of medications, Satpal seemed his former self. We were able to gradually reduce his sleep medicines; the antidepressants were continued.
A Holistic Approach
Being a holistic health enthusiast, I enrolled in December of 2023 in a certificate course on Yogananda Flower Essences under the mentorship of a fabulous and highly experienced teacher, Lila Devi. Lila had created this line of flower essences at the behest of Swami Kriyananda. Swamiji, the founder of Ananda Sangha, was a direct disciple of Sri Paramhansa Yogananda.
Before enrolling in the course, I’d already worked with flower essences for both myself and my son. I found that the Grape Essence, for love and devotion, had deepened my meditations and the Tomato Essence, for mental strength and courage, had cured my child’s nightmares.
I was excited about the potential of flower essences for use in my field of mental health, especially for children. I decided to join the course in order to have an in-depth knowledge of the essence before giving them to mental health and behavioural issues in patients and children.
Progress for Satpal
Meanwhile, Satpal had nearly recovered from his stroke and was able to perform daily chores by himself. He also practiced yoga, as he’d done throughout adulthood. He took his medicines on his own and would tell his son beforehand when refills were needed. Unfortunately, he went off the meds for five days and experienced a setback.
Satpal had been on Sertraline for the past four months. With a high probability of relapse, it’s not advisable to discontinue antidepressants too quickly, even if one is feeling well. Thus, it was no surprise when, a few days later, his appetite decreased and he began to withdraw from his family.
His son wanted to try the placebo effect first. He put some vitamin tablets into Satpal’s bottle of antidepressants. Unfortunately, there were no signs of improvement. Satpal then stopped taking his daily walks in the park, and in fact didn’t even want to leave his room. Also, his interaction and playtime with his grandson further decreased over the course of the week.
When Satpal’s son sought my opinion, I thought of seizing the opportunity to try Yogananda Flower Essences, as the symptoms of depression returning were still mild.
I explained to his son that flower essences are natural remedies which stimulate the life force—that potent prana that can initiate healing. His son granted permission to give the essences a try. Lettuce Essence was chosen for Satpal. It has profound fifth-chakra calmness along with the restorative properties to put to rest many emotional disturbances.
Initially, Satpal had to be reminded to take them three or four times a day. But then family members left it to him to take the drops. I stayed in regular touch with his son. In the first week on Lettuce Essence, little improvement was noticed. His son grew worried and impatient. Usually, flower essences start showing their effect within the first week, often within the first few days, and then stabilize in the second week. But with antidepressants, the time to see effects is longer than that. So I requested that Satpal take the Lettuce essence for another week.
Success at Last
Around the tenth day, Satpal’s appetite improved. Next, over that week, he resumed his daily walks in the park. Although the essence was completed by this time, we noticed that his healing continued. Another week saw his interactions improve, and he started playing with his grandson again. It was magical.
A month later, Satpal seemed to be his former self once more. Wonder of wonders, he agreed to a small family outing at the nearby shops and restaurant. His son was both pleased and astonished by this turn of events. Another one and a half months have passed, and Satpal continues to thrive.
I thanked his son for trusting my wisdom and intuition. It took only a few doses to activate his life force. That life force, once awakened, brought about the restoration of the natural flow of his well-being with a renewed interest in life.
Onward with Flower Essences
Satpal’s healing has given me the confidence to use these flower essences for other clients as well. With due discernment and a dose of wisdom and intuition, I can usually assess where medications are needed, when flower essences may suffice or when to use both. This can help to keep the dosage lower. I can then offer these suggestions to my clients and let them decide.
I feel empowered to have Yogananda Flower Essences as a powerful option in my toolkit of wellness, along with lifestyle modifications, yoga, meditation, affirmations, medicines as required, and healing prayers. These tools help me to serve my clients better and to usher them on their journey toward everlasting wellness.