Minutus

Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2002 14:02:59 -0800
From: "EarthLink User"
Subject: Re: Re: designer diseases

Hi All,
I'm so grateful for the many thought-provoking responses on these issues.

Some more comments of mine follow:

Sue said:

"it turned out that each
interview was a mini psych dissection and the assumptions at the end of
each, led to wildly incorrect remedys. We can go way too far with psych stuf
if we are not careful and bring no healing or help to our clients."
I am aware that much of what we're saying about trying to understand
psychological generalities is of no help in finding the simillimum, which
has to be strictly individualized. Jayesh Shah gave an example, to
illustrate the importance of never making assumptions: A man had been ill
since his wife's death. (I can't remember the specific illness--insomnia
maybe?.) Jayesh had given him a number of grief remedies with no result.
Then he asked him how he felt when his wife died, and the patient replied,
"It was the happiest day of my life!" So Jayesh used the rubric, "Ailments
from excessive joy", and gave him Coffea, which was curative.
"Whitmont
claimed that homeopathy should only be used with therapy, which means a lot
of us wouldn't do what we love and feel that we make a differnce doing."

Why can't therapy and homeopathy happen concurrently? I often suggest this.
We can refer to a good therapist, or people can find one on their own. I
find this is most effective in keeping the healing process fluid.
----------

Wendy said:

"A practical approach which might be helpful: I learned this from Ian
Watson,
and I've found it very useful, not just with patients like these, but with
all patients presenting for treatment of chronic conditions.

Before commencing treatment, discuss with the patient their goals: ie. what
it is they want the treatment to achieve. A wishy-washy "I just want to get
better" is not acceptable. The patient needs to be able to define where they
hope to see improvement. This whole process is an enormous step forward in
helping the patient take responsibility for themselves, and to engage them
in their own healing process. It sets readily identifiable targets against
which changes can be assessed (ie. no shifting goal posts). It also helps
the practitioner to set boundaries clearly and to avoid inadvertently taking
on too much of the patient's "stuff". Ian himself refuses to accept people
for treatment unless they are able to do this. He will work with them to
help them define their goals if required, but will not commence treatment
until this is done.

There are many people who turn up in our clinics looking for
someone/something to "get them better" and who enter treatment in a very
passive state. In essence looking for the method/practitioner to do all the
work. Underlying susceptibility no doubt plays an enormous part, but this
situation can often arise simply because passive compliance is, after all,
actively encouraged by conventional medicine, and the patient may tacitly
assume the same dynamic applies in all "medical" situations, unless some
effort is made to *actively* disengage that assumption - ie. it's not enough
just to pay lip service to it. Passive compliance is an unbalanced state,
and should the patient choose to adopt this state, or be coerced into
adopting it, a compensatory balancing impulse will arise in an attempt to
restore a more equitable balance of power in the therapeutic relationship.
This may, if it is unable to find a consciously-mediated outlet, result in
the patient subconsciously ensuring the failure of the treatment.

By using Ian's approach, the practitioner has an effective method for
identifying those patients who are perhaps not yet ready to fully engage
with their own healing and to make the choice as to whether or not they're
willing to enter a therapeutic relationship. It can also help the
practitioner focus on aspects of their own dynamic which might need
attention."
Yes, I finally stumbled upon this after years of frustration, having people
quit after one appointment when they found out how in-depth the casetaking
process is with me, when they were just hoping for something to clear up
their acne, for example. One turning point was a woman who became
infuriated with the way I take a case, exploring deeper feelings and fears.
I spent a long time in her presence (a mistake maybe!), trying to understand
exactly how her two sons felt. She felt it was "unprofessional" and wanted
to report me to a teacher or supervisor. She said she prided herself on
being "efficient", and my manner "set her teeth on edge"! She obviously had
her own ideas about how homeopathy should be practiced.

So I've avoided a lot of grief since then, and connected with the people
most compatible with me and my approach, by offering a free 15-minute
consultation for us to meet each other and get a sense of whether we're a
good match, and for me to explain a little about the process, how different
it is from regular medicine, how it takes time, how Hering's Law works, etc,
etc. I also say that since I've seen how homeopathy can be so effective on
emotional and spiritual levels, I prefer to work with people for whom that
level of healing is a priority.

That puts the ball in their court. I've explained where I stand, and they
can choose to come or go. A number of people have not made further
appointments, and I trust have found practitioners and approaches that they
resonate with more. The ones who stay definitely stay longer than clients
usually stayed before, although the issues we have been discussing still
come up.

________________________________________
Tanya wrote:
"And then there is issue of 'matching.' A number of years ago I had a
discussion with a therapist friend of mine about patient-practitioner
relationships. Her statement that we cant resonnate with all people has
always stayed with me. It's very empowering to us to realize when this is
happening and refer a patient on to another who might be able to relate
better.than ourselves."

See my comments above

(Thanks, Tanya!)
_____________________
Lisa wrote:
" I just wonder how productive it is to confront a patient (no matter how
gently
done)."

Here again we come back to the importance of individualizing. If we are
coming from humility and service and prayer, as Claudia has mentioned,
knowing there is a transcendental power higher than ourselves, and if we try
to consciously align ourselves with that power, perhaps we will say and do
the precisely correct thing without planning or even knowing it beforehand.
That might be confronting one individual, and avoiding it with
another--timing and precision are necessary in our interactions, just as
with finding the simillimum.

Also I feel there is a difference between confronting and exploring. With
the woman who has been in pain since her mother died, I mistakenly have made
the assumption (see above response to Sue for more about assumptions) that
she must feel she doesn't deserve to get well. But to really choose the
right remedy, I have to understand, by some means or the other, exactly how
she does feel about that. She had briefly said she felt guilty.

"And what you perceive may not always be accurate when it comes to *feeling
if a patient is ready or not*. This is where I think it is shaky ground on
which to tread. Also, again - our aims in finding a suitable remedy comes to
mind - versus - psychoanalysing cases."

With the woman I'm talking about, she gave me an article about dreams, with
the point being made that dreams can have an intent, some message they are
trying to convey. The writer told of the many dreams he had that all made
sense when he found he had throat cancer. He came to ask, "What does this
dream WANT?"

I took this as an opening to ask her, "What does this pain of yours WANT?"
And I thought it might be useful to explore in some kind of therapy. She
said she didn't feel comfortable with that. Then I said that was alright,
but that I would need to probe more deeply to understand her exact feelings.
I admit that might have sounded threatening to someone whose most helpful
remedy has been Calcarea Silicata ("fear of pointed objects"). She decided
to take a break and decide what to do. I feel that her being assertive like
this is a step in the right direction, even if she's stepping out of
treatment. (Another paradox--so many of them!)

But if she is unwilling to explore these issues, what is so terrible about
saying she's not ready? It doesn't seem like a heavy value judgment to me,
just that the time is not right for her. I don't feel I can get a better
prescription without going into this, as it appears to be the heart of the
case.
" I really wonder if keeping it simple - taking a step back to maintain
perspective in viewing
the case - and not stepping into the arena of psychoanalyis would be a wiser
route to take (more objective?)".
There is a difference to me between generalizing and psychoanalyzing and
going into depth with a particular person and understanding their exact
state, their exact beliefs, in their own words. This is concrete, not
abstract, something you can really use.
"Well, you may think less of my contribution now that you know I'm still
studying;) instead of practising"

I certainly don't think less of your opinions. I do believe you are in for
many surprises though, when you jump fully into practice.
I've felt from the beginning that my own emotional and spiritual growth
has been entirely congruent with my growth as a homeopath.

thanks for engaging in this dialogue.

Best wishes,
Charlotte

__________________
Soroush said:

"Dear Colleagues

So far, as you can see, I have kept quiet on this very complex issue.

May be an open ended question like "What is stopping you from getting
better?" may get some of the answers we are looking for in such cases.

It shows to the patient that we have understood what is going on and that we
are still there for them and STILL want to help them get better but at the
same time, the key (or the maintaining cause) is for them to turn."
Well said! I had been wondering why no men had been participating in this
discussion, then your response came. Thanks!

A technique I have been finding effective is, "If your disease had a voice,
what would it say? What does it want? What does it look like?" Some
astounding images come through this way, which are incredibly helpful in
finding the best remedy.

________________________

Jayne said:

In response to my statement: >The people who are ready take the remedy and
run with it, making profound
changes very quickly. It is like a seed on prepared soil, a beautiful
thing to witness.<

"This is a great thing to learn. When I "got it" it saved me a lot wasted
energy. You learn about these healing modalities and how simple they are
and then you go out to cure the world and nobody is interested. But when
you treat someone who is ready to heal, the personal rewards for yourself
are wonderful."

I think it's important to get really clear about what our strengths are and
what we want to focus on in our practice, and then be proactive about
connecting with the people who want what we have to offer. For instance, I
want to work with children and people who have some kind of spiritual
orientation, so I include that in my brochure.

Emerson said, "If you make a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path
to your door."
"RE: Designer diseases.
I think there are some times when we have to recognize our limitations. We
say that a client/patient may need detox diet and nutritional advice before
we can administer a remedy and have it work effectively. So I guess the
same could go for psychological factors. Perhaps these patients need to be
refered to someone else first. Rebirthing/concsious connected breathing is
a good modality to help get to the deep centre of these issues. It is also
one area where kiniesology works well. I know it has been discussed that
this may suppress disease processes instead of cure like homoepathy, but in
psychological/personal growth areas, I feel it may be of great benefit.
Also getting into an activity such as chi gong or yoga may help. This will
be self motivating for the client. In a year or two, they may than be ready
for healing with homeopathy."

I agree these things could be very helpful, though I don't see the necessity
of waiting. O feel they could be practiced simultaneously with homeopathic
treatment.
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