School of Shamanism

S1 EP13: Trusting the body’s quiet wisdom with Maria Doherty

• Giada Gaslini • Season 1 • Episode 13

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In this episode of Walking In Between Worlds, Giada is joined by the wonderful Maria Doherty - therapist, flower and vibrational essence practitioner and long-time bridge between the NHS and the subtle world of nature-based healing.

After nearly four decades working as an occupational therapist with children with additional support needs, Maria shares how her path slowly expanded into Reiki, flower essences, crystal and animal essences, and intuitive work — without ever abandoning her grounded, practical roots. This is a conversation about learning to trust what the body already knows, and about honouring both science and subtlety without forcing them to compete.

We talk about walking between institutional healthcare and intuitive practice, working ethically inside the system, and why children and animals often respond first — without explanation, belief, or resistance. Maria demystifies flower and vibrational essences, explains how they’re made, how they work alongside conventional medicine, and why curiosity matters more than belief.

Together, we reflect on intuition versus fear, the intelligence of nature, and how tuning in, even gently, even sceptically, can open a doorway to deeper balance. This episode is a soft invitation to listen more closely, trust yourself a little more, and remember that healing doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers.

Connect with Maria Doherty:

Instagram: @mariadoherty.floweressences
Facebook: Empowering Sensitive Children

Connect with Giada Gaslini:

About the Host

Originally hailing from the vibrant city of Milan, I’ve spent the past two decades traversing the globe in a quest for spiritual and personal growth and combined with 25 years of international corporate work experience. From navigating the vast landscapes of Australia in a campervan to finding tranquility living in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal, my journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Along the way, I’ve delved deep into Buddhist teachings, yoga, and shamanism, becoming Shamanic Teacher,  Forest Therapy Guide, Esoteric Numerologist, Shamanic and Integral Yoga Teacher and Ikigai Coach. In 2013 I settled in Edinburgh, where  I founded the Art and Spirituality Centre, a social enterprise and the School of Shamanism, where I passionately help others on their own transformative journeys.

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CHAPTERS

Welcome Maria Doherty

When care becomes curiosity

Tuning into nature’s intelligence

Where to find Maria

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Maria

But what I have found, which is very interesting, and I tell people stories about this, you know, real factual cases, that I've used essences on animals, and I've used essences on children, and you know, and and children who are non-verbal, and the parents and the owners of the animals have been able to say, Oh, I noticed a difference.

Giada

Hello everyone, I'm Giada from School of Shamanism. Welcome to my season Walking in Between Worlds. And today I've got the pleasure to be here with a very beautiful soul, Maria Doherty. And of course, I would love to ask her to introduce herself. We've been knowing each other for a few years through her second uh or main job about flowers, as I always call her the lady of flowers, so she will let us know what she does and also what she used to do. Okay, right.

Maria

Okay, so thank you very much. Lovely to be here, Giada. So I suppose I I would say that I am a therapist, first and foremost. I started my career 38 for 38, 38 years ago. Well, actually 40 years ago. Yeah, because it's too and I'm retired two years. I'm retired two years. So I worked for 38 years as an occupational therapist, and 36 of those years was with children with additional support needs. So that was my passion working with children. And then it probably wasn't until maybe I was maybe in my early 40s that I got interested in complementary therapies. So, first of all, it was Reiki actually. Um, I used to go to see a Reiki practitioner, and the reason I got found out about her was at the time I had a very stressful job and it had a lot of responsibilities, and I had issues with my sleep, so I I went for Reiki. And then through her, through my Reiki master, she used to give me flower essences, so that's how I found out about flower and vibrational essences. So I then went on to become, you know, do my level one and then year years later, level two, level three to become a Reiki master. And then I also did some education in essences. So I started off with the batch flowers or the back, some people call it bach, some people call it batch. So I did qualifications in that back in 2006-2007. So I did that for a few years, and I was quite interested in how they help with the mental and emotional and spiritual balance. And then a number of years later, I think it was about 2014, I found out about another lady who was teaching a diploma in flower and vibrational essences, and I ended up doing that over two years, so that introduced me to a much wider range of essences. So, as well as your flower essences, I found out about crystal essences, environmental essences, animal essences, lots and lots of different types of essences. And through that diploma, I learned about I think it was 12 different ranges, 12 different ranges of essences, including the batch. We did batch as well. So it opened up things for me to know that there were other ranges out there. Although I always say the batch is the core, is the foundation. There are lots of other ones now, maybe that are dealing with more modern issues, shall we say, of the of the 21st century. Because Dr. Batch was he made his essences in the 1930s, and while they're still relevant, and they absolutely are, and I still use them, and my clients still use them. There's a lot more other essences now that we can life was much easier.

Giada

Yes, it was. It was, yeah, yeah. Yeah, and nowadays she has really has uh lots of essences. Lots. I do, I do, I do, yeah. Just finish a session with her, and it's always amazing, it's always so accurate, opening your mind, your heart, your vision to another entirely different world.

Maria

Yes, and I think that's where I was very fortunate to meet such a wonderful teacher for the diploma because it was bringing in the intuition side of essences, but also the kind of more logical kind of, you know, so it's your right brain, left brain, you know, you know, being able to do both because you had to learn about what the essences, the qualities of each of the essences, and know about that, but also you had to in develop your intuition as well. So it was not just factual and book learning, you also had to develop your intuitive skills. And I was very much, you know, I've come from the NHS, I worked as a therapist for all that time, so so using my tuition didn't come maybe as naturally as it might come for some people. So I had to kind of you know develop those skills, which of course we all can do, and then I was able to kind of combine both.

When care becomes curiosity

Giada

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Because in the question uh walking in between the two worlds, the NHS, the national health system that we have in the UK, and the the world of flowers, uh, was it an easy walk or not?

Maria

Well, I was very fortunate because I had a very open boss, my immediate supervisor was very open, and she was interested also in complementary therapies, and she had received some herself, and she'd received some flower essence consultations with me. And what she said was, Well, Maria, you know, that information on essences is out there in the world. You know, there's websites, there's books, you know. So, of course, you can tell the parents of the children, you know, about them. You can signpost them about the essences, but of course I couldn't see them as clients because that was, you know, that would be um would not be ethical, yeah, you know, while if while they were still on my caseload. So I was able to discuss essences and say, um, you know, this is something that you might like to think about. I'm just giving the information. And at that time I just stuck to the batch essences because I thought it was the simplest and the easiest, and ones that most people would be familiar with, yeah, not to get overwhelmed by them all. And I would direct them to the Healing Herbs website, which is Julian Bernard's website, who makes the essences by hand, like Dr. Batch did back in the 1930s, and it's a beautiful website that's got lots of really good information for people who are starting out about the essences, and little audio clips and lots of beautiful pictures of the flowers. Because that was the thing about when I did my diploma, I learned about using the photos of the flowers or the photos of the crystals. So it wasn't just talking about you know how this would bring into balance, you know, it wasn't just words, and people could then relate to the flower, you know, the colour of the flower, the shape of the flower, all of that. And of course, I found children were so open to it, they're the most open at all of all. So they were very good at you knowing what essence they needed.

Giada

Yes, because we know the answer is always in our heart. Yes, yes. But many times there is this lack of confidence that we think we don't trust our inner answer and we need the external validation of that. Yes, exactly, exactly, exactly.

Maria

It's like the body knows, the heart knows.

Giada

Yeah, exactly. And what would be an advice that you could give to people in order to trust themselves more?

Maria

To do with what their body needs. Yeah. I suppose it's it's just I suppose it's just tuning in and just being able to, you know, get that still space within. And what is you know, what is my body telling me type thing?

Giada

As a practical, I mean, from the practical point of view, would would recommend people to place their hands on the body and feel what the body is saying to them, or people that let's say are hundred percent into the traditional medicine and not at all into the other world.

Maria

Yes. Well, so what would I recommend they do if they weren't if they were coming to it from the first time?

Giada

Yeah, let's say they come from a world of traditional medicine, science, and skeptical towards powers.

Maria

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I I always say to people, unless try it, and then then you will know. Try just if you're open to trying it, then you will know. If you're if you're resisting and you're saying it's a load of rubbish, you know, well, then you're never going to be open to it. So you're never gonna want to sort of try it. But what I have found, which is very interesting, and I tell people stories about this, you know, real factual cases, that I've used essences on animals, and I've used essences on children, and you know, and and children who are non-verbal, and the parents and the owners of the animals have been able to say, Oh, I noticed a difference, you know. So, so you know, people say, Oh, it's the placebo effect or whatever, but you know, the animals didn't know they were taking anything different. And often the children, because if the children think they're taking medicine, they they maybe don't want to take it, so maybe they they the parent might put the essence into some body lotion, rub it into their feet or something, or you know, do it, do it that way, or have put it into a bowl of water that's in the room so that it's you know, they're not thinking, oh, it's something I have to put in my mouth and you know, ingest. So, yeah, so I think it's just be curious, I would say. And uh, like I said, when I tried it with people who are not grown-up adults, that we got results. Yeah, we and the the owners of the animals or the parents of the children said, Oh, I I have noticed a shift in how they are presenting, how my child is feeling, you know, maybe they're more confident or less fearful or less anxious, yeah, that sort of thing.

Giada

Yeah, exactly. And and by the way, working and having nature in you mean it can it can do any harm at all. Yes. We are natural beings.

Maria

Yes, exactly. And the the the beautiful thing about flower and vibrational essences is it doesn't interfere with anything else the person might be doing. So if they're taking orthodox medication, it's perfectly okay to take the essences with them. It's not going to interfere with the medication. So that's a really important, important thing to know as well. So it doesn't interfere, it's very safe, yeah, very safe, yeah, very safe.

Giada

Yeah, but beautiful, beautiful. And now, I mean, now you have the time to dedicate yourself to one of this world only.

Maria

Yes, so now I'm doing it feel it's uh yes, so now I'm doing flower essences, and I do it not all the time, but as and when you know somebody approaches me, I do some group work, some work with a charity for carers. I do workshops with them and then some one-to-one work either online or or face-to-face. So yes, I enjoy doing it. I am retired, so I have the I'm in a fortunate position that I can do it as and when it suits fits in with my with my agenda or my diary type thing. Yeah, uh-huh. So and I have more time to maybe do more research about different things. Yes, and of course I've made my own essences. I've made my own essences as well, and that was something I was taught in my diploma course, how to make essences from flowers or from gems, and you can even make an environmental essence with the energy of the beautiful environment you're in, whatever that might be, you can make an essence in that environment. So I've made I've made environmental gem and flower essences. Yeah.

Tuning into nature’s intelligence

Giada

That's beautiful. And let's say if we need to let's have uh main differences in between the essences coming from animals and flowers, what would you say?

Maria

Yes, well, first of all, to say the animal essences, no animals are harmed or used in any way, they are made shamanically through a through a ceremony, and the particular ones that I use are the wildlife, wild earth animal essences. So he makes them through a ceremony that he goes out in nature, and you know, then he he calls in, say it is the lion or whatever, who's he kind of asks the line if the lion's gonna help. So the line the line you won't be surprised to know is all about courage and bravery. Yeah, the dove is about peace, you know. So that's how he makes them. He makes them in Virginia, that's where he's from. Um the guy who makes the Staniel Maple is his name. So, and I also have bird essences which are from Patagonia. So the lady who makes them brings in the energy of the birds. So you're again doing it through shamanically through ceremony. Whereas with the flowers, you're putting the flowers in the water when you're making them in the sunshine. With the gem essences, the crystals, you put you what the best thing to do is put the gem into a small bowl, a small bowl or glass, and then immerse the glass into the spring water and then have it in the sunshine or in the moonlight because some gem essences, some gems I should say, are water soluble. So you so for you so it's you put it into a small glass and you just leave it there for a few hours. Yeah, uh-huh. And then you tune in to see what is the message of the flower, what is the message of the environment, or what is the message of the gem, how's it going to help? What are its healing properties? What is it good for doing in terms of emotional balance? Yeah, it's extremely fascinating. It is, and it's it is kind of interesting because when when I was doing my training, my teacher showed us pictures of this particular flower, it was a white flower, it was some sort of a blossom on a tree, and we all had to just not consult with each other, just tune in and think, well, what's this for? You know, just tune in. So we all did that, and then we all gave feedback, and it was really interesting. It we had a common theme, so it was like we were all tuning in to what the message of the flower was in slightly different ways, slightly different words, but it was basically the same thing, what the essence was for. I think it was to do with calm and you know, peace and feeling tranquil type thing. So yeah, yeah.

Giada

So it's that's tuning in, yeah. Which is exactly also the way of working that you're using nowadays, is tuning in, of course, when you're guiding a client into an initial meditation, apart from the consultation at the beginning, which then clients always come with a specific intention, but then of course the intentions may evolve, change also throughout the session. The moment they are tuning in, and through the meditations, there are colors coming in, other flowers coming in, and they're of course always the first element in which the body is uh answering in an instinctive way, which is different from the mind.

Maria

Yes, yes, uh-huh. And and Daniel and Maple would say about the animals, the animals are probably closest in vibration, they're the highest vibration of the animal essence in terms of you think of the human vibration, then you've got the flowers, sorry, the human, and then you've got the animals. So they would be higher in vibration maybe than the flowers or the crystals. So yeah, they all have cyclists. Why that? I think it's because they're if you think of I suppose if you think of our soul, I suppose, or is I suppose, but uh we're kind of got a similar vibration in terms of our of our yeah, I guess it's to do with yeah.

Giada

The question is also also what this what they say in Buddhism that if they because they of course in the part the they're not recognized as sentient beings, trees or whatever. Yes. And is that element do they have or not a soul uh which is a huge uh huge topic? Yes. Yeah, we could discuss about that because of course animals do. We can reincarnate animals. Yeah, what about the flowers and trees? Do they have a soul or not? What do you see?

Maria

Well, they have they have the we talk about the diva of the the flower or the diva of the tree. So they have a vibration, they have an energy, absolutely, and they do, you know, so it you can tune into what that flower, um the properties of that flower would be in terms of healing and bringing someone into balance. So, you know, we probably don't call it soul, but we would call it the diva of the tree or the diva of the flower, or the you know, the the vibration of that flower, you're tuning in at that sort of level with the flowers, yeah, and the and the same with the gems, the crystals.

Giada

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which of course lots of people work work with that that's that's the the the two easiest ways to for having people working uh nowadays, but then of course there is much more that you still haven't explored, and definitely you you will, or you might too, but what would be the the easiest way to for people to approach this world apart from coming to you and have a session, have a full session with you? Yes. If they want just to be open, what would be the first easy step to do?

Maria

Well, like I said earlier, I think the Healing Herbs. Healing Healing Herbs website is a really good place to start because it's got all 38 of the batch essences or bach essences plus rescue remedy. So the 38 essences and um they're the kind of foundation of essences. They were, you know, in modern days, you know, essences have been made for time immemorial, like you know, the the the Aber what the Australian, the native people from Australia, what used to be called Aboriginal people, Native American people, Australian people, sorry, and Native American people, they all used they all used flowers and flower essences in their healing. But in modern times, if you like, it would have been Dr. Batch in the 1930s. Yeah. So I think starting with maybe the Batch Essences is a good place to start because the is the that particular website is a really good resort, tells you all about the 38 essences, their healing quality, shows you photos of them. There's a little audio that gives you a little bit more detail. So it's a nice learning, a nice place to learn and find out, and it's nicely structured and laid out. So you can buy the essences there, but you also can just read. It's for free. It's for free.

Where to find Maria

Giada

You can read, you know. Yeah, uh huh. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. And then, of course, do a little bit of work with you and starting with you, and then you will discover a huge world. So that then it can accompany, of course, your journey throughout all the different changes and and and issues that we all have. Uh, it's an extra support that, as you said before, even if you don't believe it, it works. Yes, yes, it definitely does. Yes, it definitely does. And how can people contact you? Where can people find you to work with you?

Maria

Well, usually I I have uh I'm on Facebook and I'm also on Instagram, and they're probably my main two uh ways of kind of people get in touch with me. Yes, and Instagram. Which one is the name of the account? Uh so so on Instagram I'm Maria Doherty.flow essences, so that's probably the easiest. Yeah. Yeah. Um and then I'm Maria Doherty on Facebook, but I also have a business page that's called Empowering Sensitive Children. So um yeah, so either via via Facebook Messenger or through the Instagram would probably and do you just work in person or also online? I do both. Yeah, yeah. And actually nowadays I find it's mainly online work. Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah. People it's funny, people I think people have gotten you since we had lockdown and all of that, people got used to doing online work.

Giada

But you know, I mean if you're not busy in anybody, I can understand why if you are here, why I mean some people are just just a lack of I mean a time optimism. I think it's time for people, yeah. Yeah, I think for yeah, but that's I mean, I'm saying that because I'm a busy person. Yes. But if you're taking the time for yourself and you're not making the time for a session, I mean it's of course it's better also for you instead of having people coming to to your place and it's it's less time consuming, but still it it really and truly probably it's the same amount of time.

Maria

It isn't any less time consuming online or in person because you still have to do the preparation, you're reading the person's consultation for you're tuning in to what they might need, you know, you're doing the session, you're then you have to put everything away. The cards really show them the card, send them the card. Yeah. So actually, time-wise, it's it's the same, I would say. I would say it's it's the same. But I think yeah, some people have just gotten into the habit of being used to doing online. Yeah. And and and some other don't want to do the online anymore. Yes. Yeah. And obviously when I do the work for the charity, I do work for vocal, the cares charity. That's in person. Because we actually have a session where we talk about essences and then they choose a blend for themselves. So that's you know, that's much more interactive where they're actually well interactive.

Giada

Hands-on. Yeah. And when you do that on a group level, how do you how does it work in terms of like because it's not personalized?

Maria

Well, it it it is personalized because it's what they're drawn to or what they need. So I always say I don't have any more than 10, and usually, you know, just with the situation, often maybe six turn up or seven turn up, because often with cares, things happen at the last minute. And I find like we do it over two hours, so I do an introduction, like a presentation, and talk about essences in general and show them specific ones, and show them the pictures of the flowers, and so make so I mainly do the flowers in the presentation. Then I have all the pictures out afterwards, and then they go around, and then I I say they can say to me, Oh, I would like an essence that'll help with confidence or grief or you know, maybe something like you know, clarity or being being more decisive, whatever. They can have that chat with me, or I will say to them, if you want to just tune in and see see what you're drawn to. What I often find is they say, Oh, I've got this, this, and this, Maria. Can you tell me what this is for? And then I tell them what it's for, and they're saying, Oh, that's perfect. That's just exactly what I need. So actually, you have to kind of trust and let go a little bit, uh, and and rather than feeling you know, that you have to give loads of information about this essence is for this and this essence is for that. And the person, like we said at the beginning, you your heart knows your body knows what it needs, and then I emphasize that, and and it always works out being you know exactly what they're needing when I read that and say, Well, this is what it is for, this is what it helps balance. They say, Oh, yes, that's yeah, that's what I need.

Giada

This is absolutely uh perfectly aligned with what I have. We know, yeah, yeah, we know, we know. Wonderful, yeah, wonderful. Thank you so much. It's really been uh a pleasure to to have you and just to get an introduction into your uh world of essences. Now I have to stop you to call you the lady of flowers, the world of essences in uh in general. So it's really been uh a pleasure. Thanks so much. And I will leave all the details then below for people to contact you and to find you. So thank you so much, Maria.

Maria

Thank you for you're very welcome, and thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about the world of flower vibration along. Awesome.

Giada

I hope to have you for a workshop in the center.

Maria

Oh, lovely. I'd love to do that. Yeah, or it would be too popular. That'd be fabulous.

Giada

Yes, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Maria

Thank you.