Bach Flower Database

Botany: Aesculus hippocastanum
Preparation: Sun Method
Represents: Tranquility

The negative white chestnut personality is marked by the inability to organize thoughts. Negative white chestnut people have a high level of "mental chatter" going on in their heads and they often have trouble controlling that chatter throughout the day and turning it off at bedtime.

Negative white chestnut personalities often compare their mental processes to a hamster running in a wheel. The wheel turns and turns but nothing is resolved or accomplished, despite all the energy being expended.

People who struggle with a negative white chestnut state may keep tightly-focused day planners and take copious notes during classes or meetings. This is an attempt to capture, in a tangible way, the dozens and dozens of important ideas that the negative white chestnut person fears will get lost in the mental chaos raging inside their heads.

This state may be related to a lonely childhood. It is almost as though the mind is offering up an imaginary "talking partner" to compensate for the lack of meaningful human conversation. Unfortunately, for adults in this negative state, the quality of life is very much affected.

Imagine a woman who in conflict with her mother-in-law and imagine that the mother-in-law seems particularly bent on criticizing this woman for no good reason. During a disagreement, the woman may have no trouble standing up for herself, especially if the criticism is unwarranted. But later, this woman finds that the memory of the argument runs over and over in her mind.

The woman may also have moments of "I wish I'd said that" when she thinks of numerous witty comebacks or even just bits of wisdom that might have arrested the discussion completely. These memories and regrets intrude upon her time with her family and her leisure activities. They refuse to "turn off" at bedtime.

This woman is in a negative white chestnut state and no amount of relaxation or distraction will quiet the voices in her head. Unfortunately, this scenario repeats itself frequently in a negative white chestnut personality.

The Positive White Chestnut State

People in a positive white chestnut state have the ability to concentrate deeply and convey that concentration into positive, constructive outcomes. They are very much in touch with their "mental" side and are great problem solvers.