| 3-14-07 - 58 year old female
The Interview -
Patient: I'm trying to handle my level of excitement.
My son's been diagnosed with high cholesterol. My asthma has kicked
up after many years of not bothering me. There's constant clear
phlegm.
I'm not coping well. I'm consumed by thoughts about my son. I fear
that I'm making myself sick. It's always me to fix and do. 'Am I
ever going to have any peace?' 'I'm supposed to fix this'. I feel
helpless because I can't. I want some peace. I have an expectation,
some guilt that I should fix it. There's something I should do to
fix it. 'Why me?? Am I ever going to have some peace??'
I suck it up--'this is your cross to bear'. 'Why can't I get rid
of these thoughts?' I have a hard time pushing these thoughts away.
The thoughts are intruding. I feel like I've been intruded on my
whole life. My mom will be talking to me about my abusive dad, and
I'm thinking 'why is this my problem?! I have enough of my own problems--you
deal with it!'
It's another thing I have to deal with. I'm the mother. I'm exhausted--my
brain's exhausted. I can't just hear someone's problems--my heart
goes out to people. I carry all of this. I'm bubbling over--no more
space in my body for any of this. I'm not happy with the intrusion.
I have a feeling of being squeezed. I want to scream, go running.
I'd just love to sit quietly, smell my herbs. I love the color green.
I love to be quiet.
Hard, aggressive people make me cringe. I'm so aware. My whole
body wants to shrivel up, squeeze up. But I don't hold grudges.
I deal with the "now". I'm supposed to be the "fix-all".
Why do I feel like I need to take that on? The less I know about
others' problems the better.
I'm doing what I had to do as a kid. I'd have to physically break
my parents apart, and I was this puny kid. People think 'you're
the strong one, you're going to be able to take care of it'. Why
does everyone think I'm so strong? I get in there and get the job
done.
But I'm suffering like everyone else. Who else is going to do it?
I got the label from the family--they all rely on me. There's a
feeling of invasion. I feel choked and squeezed. When people have
an aggressive attitude, I feel such drainage. They're draining every
bit of life out of me. It's a feeling of draining, shrinking, shriveling,
exhaustion. I may not be able to bring myself back up.
I'm getting squeezed. Everyone's taking from me. Everyone wants
a piece of me. I'm losing all these parts of my body. They're going
to pick me apart until only my head is left. I save people from
heartache.
I enjoy all kinds of weather. My favorite color was red, but I
evolved to like the color green. I prefer dainty, pretty. I love
the quiet of small bookstores.
My whole core is squeezing together. There's a feeling of not getting
air--squeezing, choking. I need fresh air. I have fight or flight--I
run away. I don't want to attack, so I get away.
Practitioner: Are there any environments in which
your symptoms improve or worsen?
Patient: I get relief by looking at a tree or
bush. Any kind of tree. My favorite flower is a daisy. Before I
die, I want to run through a whole field of daisies. I could just
sit in a field and experience peace. I've been searching for the
past ten years to find a painting of a field of daisies.
I'm very aware--I appreciate the things around me, and I'm supersensitive
to others. People have a draw to me--they 'know' me. But I don't
know what it is that I do, or what I put out there.
ANALYSIS: The client describes the feeling that
others are relying on her to fix their problems, with feelings of
intrusion, constriction and being drained in the process. She expects
herself to be able to fix the problems, but then says 'why does
everyone think I'm so strong? I'm suffering like everyone else.'
Her son's recent diagnosis of high cholesterol had brought her to
the clinic, as she felt unable to help him. It was then that she'd
begun to experience old asthmatic symptoms. It seemed significant
that she felt such a strong attraction to the daisy (Bellis perennis),
one of the finest remedies for healing soft tissue injuries, and
which is prepared from the whole plant tincture.
In a more recent proving of Bellis perennis by Deacon and Smith
(1997), mental symptoms included a narrow, constricted feeling,
along with a feeling of penetration. Bellis is also listed under
asthmatic respiration.
PLAN: Bellis Perennis LM 2
In the first week after beginning the remedy the client experienced
near complete resolution of her asthmatic symptoms. She's provided
regular e-mail follow-ups, and over the past year, she's used increasing
LM potencies approximately every 6 weeks as other symptoms continue
to resolve. In July '08 she's beginning with a new bottle of Bellis
perennis LM 10, and in a comprehensive follow-up she states:
Patient: My asthma symptoms have been fine since
the very beginning of starting the remedy. The choking feeling,
the closed up feelings are gone. The feelings of being drained are
also gone.
I'm not being burdened because I'm not internalizing other people's
problems. The weight of other people hasn't been there--it's dispersed.
That feeling of everyone taking a piece of me is gone. I don't care
to react; the need to defend myself is gone. As a child I was the
family caretaker, and throughout my life I've tended to react quickly,
with fire.
The anxious thoughts are much better. I haven't had those stupid
thoughts in my head. I don't have that tiredness in my head--that
feeling of 'what can I do to fix it' is gone. I'd wake up in the
middle of the night worrying, not able to get back to sleep. Now
I'm sleeping through the night and waking up feeling like a million
dollars!
The remedy has helped tremendously. I wonder what I'd be like if
I didn't have homeopathy. I'm like a second person watching myself
and my reactions. I'm amazed that I'm staying so calm.
I'm thankful for how far things have come--if you want to take
a picture of me, I'm happy to share my experience with anyone who
would benefit.
# # #
David A. Johnson CCH, RSHom (NA)
is a certified classical homeopath and professional member of the
North American Society of Homeopaths. He completed his homeopathic
training at the International Foundation for Homeopathy and the
Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy. He taught clinical medicine
at the University of Wisconsin and Augsburg College Physician Assistant
Programs, and is an instructor at the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy
in Minneapolis. E-mail daj@chorus.net.
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