Maintaining Mental Health

Winter is often a season in which I see an increase in the number of clients seeking homeopathic care. More than at any other time of the year, for many people mental and emotional symptoms arise during this time, providing an opportunity for deeper healing. At the same time, it is possible to become “stuck” in a particular emotion or pattern. It is here that homeopathy takes the spotlight. Because homeopathic care is holistic, remedies are available to help release these feelings or mental states. I will describe a leading remedy to be considered for each of the states of anger, fear, joy and grief.

Anger

I recently recommended the remedy Staphysagria to several clients who have problems that originate in suppressed anger. The person needing this remedy usually has trouble expressing anger, especially in the immediate situation, and often there will be a delayed response. While lying awake in the middle of the night, for example, they might imagine alternative, more authentic responses to a frustrating situation earlier that day.

Strong emotions can cause physical trembling. Anger can later surface, leading to the slamming of doors or even throwing objects at the person who offended them. This is a highly sensitive person who has a refined sense of devotion and integrity, with an embodied sense of right and wrong. This person can, therefore, easily feel insulted or slighted. A pattern of feeling shamed and humiliated in association with hurtful situations will often exist.

Staphysagria can initiate healing in a person who fits the above picture, whether the insult was recent or remote. You might recognize a variety of situations in which this remedy might be employed, including love disappointments and betrayals, children who are dominated by an authority figure, someone who has been repeatedly put down, and even sexual abuse. Keep in mind that indignation, grief and resentment are often components of the emotional state of the person needing Staphysagria.

Fear

Aconite is a remedy to be thought of in problems following a strong fright, especially the experience of a near-death situation (such as an earthquake or automobile accident) or having witnessed an accident. This person will generally feel anxiety quite acutely, and there may be waves of total fear from time-to-time. There might have even been a point when the person truly believed he or she would die at a given time or at a certain age. (This remedy can be especially helpful for the laboring woman!)

Chronically, day-to-day fears include being afraid of subways, public places with crowds, elevators, suffocation, walking across a busy street, flying in airplanes, or getting in an accident. The person might experience moments of anguish with restlessness. This individual will often be inconsolable in his or her state of anxiety. They might also experience clairvoyance, predicting future events or dreaming about things that come to pass. Anxiety states might be accompanied by crying.

These states of fear might be heightened for women just prior to the menstrual cycle. Symptoms experienced in conjunction with hormonal shifts reflect to a homeopath a woman’s underlying susceptibility (and, thus, chronic state of health.)

Joy

While it might seem curious to include joy as an emotional state to treat, some people experience symptoms from excitement or excessive joy. It is interesting to note that homeopathic Coffea is the leading remedy for ailments following these emotional states. (Yes, this is our daily cup of java magically transformed into a healing agent in the hands of homeopathic pharmacists!)

Think of Coffea when symptoms or general problems follow sudden, pleasant excitement. (Sleeplessness is one example.) The use of narcotics and/or stimulants can also bring on this state. Coffee (java) strongly affects the nervous system. So Coffea, when homeopathically indicated, can soothe jangled nerves.

If you consider the effects of a person who has taken coffee, indications for Coffea homeopathically include unusual activity with a hypersensitivity in both mind and body, irritability, insomnia, and overly acute senses which lead to pain and despair. (Hint: Coffea is wonderful for a toothache which is better from cold drinks, while Chamomilla is one of the remedies indicated when warm drinks ameliorate tooth pain.)

Grief

The holidays can also give rise to unresolved feelings of grief, guilt or other emotions. If you know of someone who tends to sigh a lot, or someone has made such a comment to you, think of Ignatia.

Ignatia is helpful for the effects of shock, grief, disappointment, and fright. Concomitant symptoms include the feeling as if there’s a lump in the throat, a feeling of a weight on the chest, spasms and twitching. This person might experience hysteria with changeable moods, for Ignatia is a remedy which suits paradoxical and contradictory symptoms. Sometimes coffee will make the person feel better, for instance, while at other times not. This individual will also be oversensitive to pain and to the smell of tobacco.

Ignatia is nick-named “the funeral remedy,” and it is the first one to think of for problems connected with losing a loved one through death, especially a recent grief. (For “older” griefs, Natrum muriaticum might be more appropriate.) Along with Staphysagria, Ignatia can be one of the remedies indicated for suppressed anger, especially in connection with a disappointment or deception; the sighing would make you think of Ignatia over Staphysagria, especially if pronounced.

In closing, please remember three things:

1. When self-treating, homeopathy does not replace the advice of your doctor, therapist or dentist. Rather, think of using it in conjunction with other medical care, especially if you are not experiencing the desired results.
2. It is important to learn which symptoms indicate one homeopathic remedy over another for there to be resolution of a problem. Before you think homeopathy doesn’t work, learn more about it; you probably have chosen the wrong remedy.
3. The recommendations in these articles are for acute self-care, and represent the tip of the iceberg of the healing power homeopathy offers. Health problems of a chronic or recurrent nature are beyond the scope of self-help care and best addressed by a certified homeopath. (This is always an option in lieu of self-care, as well.)The success of classical homeopathy rests in understanding the reason that a particular remedy is given—it is not the actual remedy itself.

Happy New Year! Be well in body, mind and spirit.