IDENTITY, RELATIONSHIPS, HEALTH, AND HOMEOPATHY
For many of us, our first awakening is often a crisis and for some, that crisis is poor health. This is a
hard and challenging awakening – to find the spiritual meaning when we are in the midst of our own
health crisis whilst going through a nightmare of pain, inflammation and toxicity, that is hard work,
work that feels like the furthest thing from spirituality. In this article, I won’t be writing about what is
homeopathy, or try to explain its concepts, or list remedies for a particular condition, or relate my
lifelong experiences with homeopathy. I have done that a lot at seminars, webinars and other events.
Instead, I’d like to delve deeper and write about the meaning of health in the truest sense of the word,
and what really matters to me in my practice of homeopathy.
According to Carl Jung, the psychological concept of Self is developed on three levels: conscious, self,
and subconscious. Briefly speaking, conscious development is that of which we are aware and can
objectively, directly, perceive or observe, while the subconscious is hidden just “below” what we
typically directly perceive. The self is part of both the conscious and subconscious, and source of the
plan behind them both. Thus, the self is the root of the personality. We are always trying to be more
our selves, and health is about becoming and being more of one’s true self.
According to Edward Whitmont, the self may even contradict the ego. He asserts that a certain degree
of “fixedness” is required for “ego firmness” and “strength of personality”. He contends that this
resistance to change is healthy, but can also become pathological. Hence, he states that “it is
unavoidable that we respond to new life turns with discomfort, dis-ease, and resistance.” Alize
Timmerman elaborates that the self is often intent on change, therefore, it is much more adaptable, ever
changing. In contrast, the ego is much more stuck, and can be overdeveloped and very intent on having
its way, making it difficult for some to be in touch with their true self. Jung provides wonderful
insights into the relationship between the self and the ego, and consequently the relationships that we
have with our own as well as other people’s selves and egos.
What might self, ego and relationships have to do with health, and more so with homeopathy, you ask?
Homeopathy is an odd duck, if I may say so myself. It defies existing paradigms, and yet when you
experience it, you realize that it is quite a sophisticated combination of art and science, much like
Nature itself. It is known to focus on the INDIVIDUAL being in their glorious TOTALITY. You see,
most holistic approaches look at the whole rather than the parts. That is an easily understood, accepted,
and approved concept, and it makes sense to many. However, homeopaths can take it to a whole new
level by seeking to understand the person inside out, and at all levels – physical, emotional, mental, and
sometimes even spiritual if the person is so oriented. Our line of questioning often makes the person
feel like they are in a psychologist’s office, yet we are not doing talk therapy. Many people find the
experience gratifying in and of itself. To be heard for who they really are in a neutral, non-judgmental
setting, starts the process of self-validation that they were perhaps desperately seeking. For some,
simply talking about their life experiences and seeing the patterns that are brought out by the
homeopath’s line of questioning, brings about a clarity and insight into themselves, even if with the
realization that they are stuck…somewhere between the self and the ego.
Our remedies are something to pop in the mouth, in material form, usually taken once or twice in some
cases, or for a longer period but always a finite period, depending on the sensitivity of the client. Yet,
we call it “energy medicine” aimed at inspiring the “vital force” in a person, to bring the person back to
balance. So, it’s not a supplement, not a drug, not energy work… it’s not woo-woo either. No wonder it
draws the ire of certain groups of people because it is hard to explain it with existing concepts of
chemical and physical sciences, it just doesn’t fit into the existing paradigms. But then, the science can
not properly explain love either. The difference is that most have felt and experienced love, therefore
they understand it, hence it is real and unquestionable, even if inexplicable or non-verifiable.
Interestingly enough, those who have experienced homeopathy don’t question it. Like I said… it is an
odd duck. In fact, it can be practiced and used effectively on many levels, as superficially or as deeply
as needed, or as the practitioner and client might mutually agree upon.
The homeopathic consultation can seem long, but it is in the careful listening by the homeopath, that
the remedy can be ‘heard’ speaking the language of symptoms. The vital force speaks a language of
symptoms, as does the remedy required to help heal. It is in the skill of the homeopath to hear the song
of both the vital force of the person and the remedy…where there is resonance, healing can be
supported. The key to the right remedy in chronic states lies in the process of understanding the client,
not just the facts of his or her disease. In spite of the thoroughness, ultimately the selected remedy may
not reach the core of the imbalance if the practitioner fails to understand the client. Sometimes, there
are many layers that need to be peeled away before reaching and addressing the core of the problem.
Thus, I find myself seeking, studying, and utilizing as many tools as I can find (be it biology or
psychology or astrology) to understand the inner psyche, the core, the inner voice of the person in front
of me. The better I understand my client, the more accurate my choice of remedies, the better the
outcome. Guess what, the wrong remedies just don’t work.
Thus, a homeopath’s inquiry begins with the motive of finding out what the real issues are behind the
physical complaints. The problem can be addressed as upstream as is feasibly possible. The more the
person is away from his or her real self, the longer the time it will take for those physical complaints to
truly resolve. Healing can be achieved by homeopathy, but also by learning from life itself. Natural
sciences and social sciences can be converged into a whole to convey deep understanding of health,
disease and healing.
What then is true health? Simply put, to be healthy means to be free to pursue the highest purpose of
our existence. When I ask my clients how they usually tend to fall sick, they often report to me that
they are very healthy and rarely get a cold, or a fever, and they can’t remember the last time they were
sick, that they are in good health. Yet, they are sitting in front of me with problems involving much
deeper suffering. The mere absence of colds and fevers and other self-limiting acutes is not a true
indication of good health. If we are simply surviving day to day, living with chronic symptoms, we are
imprisoned in a physical form that suffers. Our vital force is working its hardest 24/7 to keep
homeostasis in the physical body and it does that by creating symptoms.
“Regardless of how disagreeable or even painful it may be, the symptom is still the visible
manifestation of the organism’s reactive power. And since this reactive power always strives for cure,
for harmony in the functioning of the organism, and always strives to adjust the balance between the
body and its environment, the symptoms are not the sign of a morbific (destructive), but of curative
(creative) process. They point out…the route taken by the body in coping with some particular stress,
hence they are the best guides to treatment.” – Harris Coulter, Ph.D. (My notes in italics). Think about
it. Talk about a paradigm shift.
Homeopathic remedies never shout their effects; rather, they kindly remind you where your body is
supposed to be focusing and then your body gradually moves in that direction. They help the person
ALIGN with the energy of the imbalance, align with their symptoms, to go with the grain. “Like heals
Like”. The outcome is greater psychological awareness in the person, more peace with the self, better
understanding of the ego, and spiritual growth if one is so inclined. For many, simply a resolution of
the physical ailments is sufficient.
In the end, it’s about the balance…
“Our life is much like a guitar string
Too tight , it easily snaps.
Too loose, there is no music.
Balance in all things, and in balance…
All things become possible.” – Oriental Axiom