Faculty Case – Homeopathy School International
April, 2002, Boulder, Colorado
Description: A 5’11” tall, slender, 44-year-old woman, well dressed, slacks, shirt, “appropriate” amount of jewelry, very graceful movement. Profession: working for a title insurance company. She has been bothered with a dizziness that doesn’t seem to go away. She is worried about it.
“I have had this dizziness for a few days now. I feel really down, dark and frightened of everything. I feel paranoid for no apparent reason. Like a dark cloud follows me around. I am sad and frightened at the same time. I feel scared, tense and vulnerable.”
This feeling frustrates her, especially because she needs to be “on” for her new job. She feels scattered while she is on her new job. She doesn’t feel organized, when she usually is. The new job requires a lot of driving when she is used to work indoors. “Now I have to build my own structure. I don’t know my surroundings (big city), the only thing familiar is the supermarket.” They are not nice at work. There are three women bickering, conniving, and it gets to her. “My overall spirit is sad. I have been like this on and off for a long time.”
When asked about her childhood she offers this information: “My mother wanted to give me up for adoption, she had three girls from different fathers. My aunt named me, and my aunt and grandmother raised me. They were nice and warm; I wish I would have been their only child.”
My mother always took advantage of me. She took away my money from working that I had saved up for a car. My stepdad was a good father to me, the only person giving me love and attention. I was devastated when he died. His girlfriend killed him.”
“I set forth all my effort for my family. I was married and divorced young, had one child which I raised with my grandmother until I moved to Colorado in 1993, to get away from the family.”
“I am in a terrible mind state right now, haven’t had this in 10 years. This is like what I had after I hit my head on the windshield in a car accident (1983).” She was medicated at that time and also during later reoccurring episodes of that state.
Symptoms collected during the homeopathic interview (in homeopathic terms:
Case Taking
Mental/emotional Symptoms:
- Sadness – treated with anti-depressants for years
- Inability to leave the house (Agoraphobia) for a few years
- Used to have hallucinations – seeing monsters in the window (possibly from the medications)
- Fear to be alone in the dark.
- Fear of people looking at her.
- Suicidal thoughts – would never do it because of her daughter.
- Weepy when listening to moody music
History
- Partied a lot when young, was addicted to alcohol
- Car accident in 1983
- Problems with dark moods, since the car accident
- Chronic sinusitis, lots of green mucus, “can’t breathe”
- Lots of nosebleeds as a kid – thought it was from the heat.
- Stomach sensitive, pains when stressed
- Sometimes no BM’s in three days
- Menses: terrible cramps in the first 24 hours, sharp pain in uterus, clots, nothing >.
Sensitivities, cravings (in homeopathic terms: General Symptoms):
- Prefers spring, not hot or cold
- Finds heat especially with humidity intolerable, but feels cold easily
- Sinusitis and in general aggravated by heat, going outside makes it better.
- Feels much better in dry climates
- Loves fried food, spicy, smoked, sweet, warm food and fish
- Craves alcohol, which aggravates her infections, especially beer
During the case analysis it became clear that she had been sad as a child, because she didn’t get the attention she wanted from her mother, from being “unwanted”. Even when she became independent and earned her own money her mother only took from her and never supported her. It seems as a result of this she started to party, drink and became dependent on alcohol. She managed life, raised her daughter but then the car accident plummeted her into her familiar sadness – but this time intensified. As new trauma was added to old trauma life didn’t make sense, she wanted to end it, but would not leave her daughter to be without her.
A homeopathic remedy that has been effective in sad and depressed states with the longing for suicide is Natrum Sulphuricum. This remedy helps especially when the person restrains herself because of her responsibility towards their family. This same remedy has helped people suffering from confusion and mental dullness after a head injury. Since this woman experienced both, a suicidal state from sadness and the mental dullness after the car accident Natrum Sulphuricum seemed to be a remedy fitting her well, especially since most of the additionally reported symptoms not related to her mental state are also listed in this remedy’s profile.
She took the remedy Natrum Sulphuricum 1 M (one thousand dilutions) on April 4, 2002. On May 3, 2002 she reported that after the remedy she had diarrhea twice which made her feel so much lighter inside. Then felt mentally much better and is now starting to exercise. A similar mental state reoccurred after she fell down a flight of stairs and her health insurance had run out. The remedy was repeated in June 2002. After that there were no complaints reported.
