Silicea (was: Causticum (was: Help with possible epilepsy case?))

[Celia M. Malm]

Joy,

I thought about Silicea, especially when I spied "obstinate child" in the
MM. And there are a number of other indicators for it. But I confess I am
somewhat prejudiced against Silicea because it has *always* failed to treat
well-indicated acutes in other members of my family. (Although I don't
believe I've ever given it to my daughter.)

I hate to ask so much from all of you, but can you post similar information
on Silicea? Again, many thanks.

Cee
doesn't like to be
own thing
(following your
especially water). Just a

[Rochelle Marsden]

From Sankaran Soul
REMEDY NAME:SILICEA

Silicea is a sycotic remedy.
It is a mineral, belongs to Group-IV of the Periodic Table, and lies below
Carbon.
The mineral qualities of organization, order and even fastidiousness are
prominent in Silicea. It also has much to do with cover up, i.e. it sees its
survival as dependent on covering up its inner weakness. This makes of it a
sycotic remedy.
Silica is flint, crystal, and is one of the main components of glass: this
shows its quality of maintaining a specific shape and being inflexible. It
can break but not bend. It stands hard and keeps its shape at any cost.
Silicea people stand defiant, obstinate, and try to retain the fixed image
they have created for themselves. The most important feature of a Silicea
person is his concern: "What do others think about me". It is not important
that people should think of him as a good or a nice person (in Palladium
there is longing for the good opinion of others), but that he is thought of
in a particular way, in a fixed manner.
It is a fixed, definite opinion that he longs for, rather than a good
opinion. For example he does not care much whether or not others say: "This
man is a very helpful, sympathetic person", but if he thinks himself to be a
great scientist, then he would want that others must also think him to be
one.
Whenever there is a possibility of this fixed image being lost, e.g. while
appearing on stage or meeting new people, during an interview or at the time
of exams, Silicea develops tremendous anxiety and apprehension with a severe
fear of failure. Silicea may appear like Lycopodium because Lycopodium also
has lack of confidence. But in Lycopodium, it is whether he is capable of
doing the action that bothers him, while in Silicea it is his image that must
be protected at all costs.
Whereas a Lycopodium person's survival depends upon reaching a particular
goal, the Silicea person's survival would depend upon fulfilling a particular
image. So Silicea is afraid of appearing on stage, whereas Lycopodium is
afraid to speak. Silicea people constantly feel the eyes of others on
themselves and are very conscious of the impression they are creating. This
can make them very fidgety during the interview, and often make the physician
adopt the stance of an examiner at a consultation. They give very ready-made
answers, even rehearse a lot of replies which are to the point and very
formal. They have difficulty in being informal.
Silicea comes from a situation where fulfilling a specific image is a
necessary condition for acceptance, for example a child is told that he will
be accepted and loved if he achieves in a specific way. This could be his
doing exceedingly well in sports, becoming a good cricketer. So it becomes
very important for this child that other people think of him as a good
cricketer, even better than he is. This creates the tension and the timidity
in the presence of others.
So, a Silicea woman is actually trying to fulfil an image made for her by
somebody else. In that sense she yields to that image, but she also becomes
fixed to it and so in her effort to maintain it, she is obstinate. This
combination of yielding and obstinacy is found in Silicea in a peculiar way.
On one hand there is the desire to be magnetized, i.e. she wants to be
completely under the suggestion of somebody else. On the other hand, she is
so fixed in her opinions that if contradicted she can become violent:
"Contradiction, intolerance of, has to restrain from violence".
Silicea does not openly revolt but sticks to her opinion. Samuel Butler used
to say: "Convinced against her will, but of the same opinion still". She will
say "yes" finally so as not to make an issue, but the feeling inside is still
"no, this is all wrong". Silicea is dependent. She is not one to revolt but
she knows that if she yields completely and gives up her goals and image,
then the one she is dependent on will start disliking her. This is a peculiar
contradiction.
One could also imagine the Silicea situation to be that of an uneducated
woman whose husband wanted an educated wife. If she doesn't become literate,
her husband will start disliking her. So she becomes a student of literature,
starts studying very hard and tries to become perfect and builds up her image
that way. She has:
Ailments from anticipation.
Anxiety, examination, before.
Fear, of failure.
Delusion, fail, she will.
She becomes nervous when people come home to visit because her ignorance may
be exposed. She yields to her man. At the same time, if the man says: "Forget
about literature, let's go out", she will become stubborn because if she
gives up he will lose respect for her. The man wants her to be yielding and
at the same time he wants her to have individuality. So he is pushing both
messages at her and she responds in this way. She can't yield too much, but
at the same time she can't be too stubborn.
This is her situation. Her survival depends on constantly proving to others
that she is very good in a specific way: monomania.
Another situation of Silicea could be that of the eldest son of a family, the
crown prince, the one who has to uphold the family name. The focus of
everyone's attention is on him. He has to talk, sit, etc., in a particular
way in public. If he goes to a discotheque no one will care for him anymore
or respect him. Silicea may be confused with Aurum. But whereas Aurum is
duty-bound, Silicea is image-bound.
It is obvious that childhood, the time when these images are not yet
established, is the time Silicea enjoys the most. In fact, the most important
dreams of Silicea are "Dreams of youth".
Silicea often seems to lack emotion. He is unable to communicate warmth and
affection unless this too is a part of his image. I have seen Silicea people
who are social workers, working in slums, but then this too is part of their
image.
Silicea persons do not require company and do not react well to consolation.
So they don't display much gratitude or affection, and therefore can be quite
difficult to get along with. Eventually they become unable to accept
affection just as they are unable to give it. They can only accept
acknowledgment and praise that they are excellent in their field. But if you
say: "I like you as you are", they will run away from you. They can't accept
themselves the way they are.
Silicea people can be late to develop relationships and marry. They may
occupy themselves with books, trying to add more and more degrees to their
name. The work they do is precise and organized but often lacks imagination.
Thus the essential features of the "coped-up" state of Silicea are fixed
ideas, obstinacy, fixed image and rigidity. In the uncompensated state the
main symptoms are yielding, irresolute, desire to be magnetized, nervous,
timid, self-conscious.
Calcarea silicata's obstinacy and desire to be magnetized sometimes makes it
look similar to Silicea, but the obstinacy of Calcarea silicata is not as
strong as that of Silicea. Silicea has rigidity along with conscientiousness,
which is not found in Calcarea silicata. Calcarea silicata gives an excuse
for the non-achievement and dependence whereas Silicea is a person who will
try to reach high ideals.
Both Silicea and Ignatia are "Conscientious about trifles". Both these
remedies have to live according to a certain image and both have monomania,
they think of particular things to the exclusion of everything else. The
difference is that the image which Silicea has to live up to has to do with
ego ("Timidity, appearing in public" and "Fear, of examinations"), whereas
the image which Ignatia has to live up to is to be affectionate and
sympathetic.
Pulsatilla and Silicea are two completely opposite states; they complement
each other.

Registered Homeopath, EFT(Advanced)Practitioner
www.southporthomeopathy.co.uk

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