Homeopathic Healthcare: More Homeopathic Articles
George Guess, MD
Healing Emotional Trauma
The emotional ramifications of the tragic event of September 11th still reverberate throughout the country and in this community. The range of emotional responses varies widely — shock, fear, grief, anxiety, numbness, anger, etc. Such emotional suffering, whether from September 11th or some other traumatic event in a person’s life, can be acute and unbearable or it may linger, becoming chronically discomfiting. For those not disposed to seek aid from conventional drugs, homeopathic medicine can provide substantial relief.
Especially in the acute setting, self treatment with homeopathic medicines can often be effective. As one’s emotional response become more chronic, however, the selection of the proper homeopathic medicine can become more difficult, and thus is better entrusted to a professional homeopathic practitioner.
Below are some of the more commonly indicated homeopathic medicines for the effects of emotional trauma and their specific prescribing indications. There are a number of other remedies which could be required in any given case. Space constraints preclude our covering them all. In general, it is recommended that the indicated homeopathic medicine be given in the 30C potency, one dose approximately every six to eight hours until an effect is seen or for two to three days (depending upon the acuteness of the emotional crisis — it some instances, extreme panic for instance, one might anticipate a favorable response within minutes to hours).
Aconite: Fright is the predominate reaction in Aconite, with shock, panic, anxiety, trembling and restlessness. These persons are very obviously severely distressed.
Stramonium : These patients also experience great fear; their reactions may appear hysterical. Fear of death, as in Aconite, and of violence are intense. The fears of Stramonium, unlike those of Aconite, which are immediate, are markedly aggravated at night. There is a fear of the dark. Nightmares, night terrors may surface..
Arnica: The fearful reaction of Arnica is submerged beneath the semblance of normalcy. It is in the nature of Arnica for these persons to assert that they are fine, that nothing is wrong. They may feel a bit strange though, as if they aren’t all present. The fear can arise from their subconscious at night in the form of disturbing nightmares, recurring images of the trauma.
Gelsemium: Gelsemium belongs with the group of remedies — Opium, Phosphoric acid, Gelsemium — whose response to trauma is subdued. Gelsemium patients become sleepy, dull, weak and tremulous — in a sense paralyzed by the shock they sustained. Their eyes droop. Though fearful and sad, they can’t cry.
Phosphoric acid: This remedy, like Gelsemium, reacts to emotional trauma and bad news by becoming apathetic and tired. They lose interest in daily activities and their usual sources of pleasure. Physical symptoms can include loss of hair, dryness of skin and mucous membranes, and marked thirst for juicy, refreshing drinks.
Ignatia: The Ignatia reaction is more one of grief. These persons suppress their grief however, restraining their tears when with others and refusing to talk about their feelings. They shun consolation. When alone, they may sob hysterically. They are prone to sigh a great deal. The effort of suppress their grief often causes a marked sense of constriction or a lump in the throat. (Natrum muriaticum is a remedy that can react almost exactly as Ignatia; at times they can be impossible to distinguish. Natrum muriaticum patients are less prone to hysterical sobbing)
Pulsatilla: Very sensitive people, greatly affected by the moods of others around them; weep easily and desire comforting. Open, cool air may ameliorate them.
Cocculus indicus: News of a tragic event provokes great anxiety about others, family members with resultant insomnia; they then become fatigued and mentally dull and slow; vertigo, especially when looking at moving objects may arise.
Calcarea carbonica: Bad news causes anxiety and fear for the future, that something bad will happen; the worry about the state of the world; they become fatigued, sad, and overwhelmed by it all.
Arsenicum album: There persons react anxiously, worrying about themselves primarily. They become restless, chilly, and afraid to be alone. Their anxiety might cause them to become very fastidious, as at least one way to exert some control over the chaos of the world.
It is my fervent wish that we never again experience so catastrophic an event as that of September 11th. Nonetheless, individual emotional traumas will forever be with us. Homeopathic medicine can help to make these vicissitudes more bearable.
Dr. Guess, a family physician, has practiced classical homeopathic medicine for 25 years. He is the editor of the American Journal of Homeopathic Medicine. He practices in Charlottesville. 434-295-0362. Web page: www.doctorguess.com
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Dr. George Guess
2776 Hydraulic Rd, Suite 101
Charlottesville, VA 22901
office: 434-295-0362
fax: 434-295-0798
email: gguessmd@earthlink.net
website: http://www.doctorguess.com/
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