Following is a case of a young male aged 20years suffering from Allergic Bronchitis, every time he would be prescribed antibiotics when he would suffer from episodes of cough and breathlessness. This time 2 courses of antibiotic couldn’t help him much and his cough was not completely cured when he decided to turn to homeopathy.
So I explain him about how it is important for a homeopath to understand a person’s physical problems and also his emotions, his perceptions to bring about a more holistic well being which would benefit him at all levels.
The case journeys through the steps of Passive, Active, Active-active Case witnessing process, and a beautiful tale emerges, making me wonder at the beauty of just a step deeper and how satisfying is this whole process to the patient, the healer and to the learner within each healer…
(NOTE: The case has been edited for brevity. Peculiar sentences are highlighted in italics and/or bold. My explanations, observations and notes are in plain brackets ( ) or are mentioned in points. D, P, stands for Doctor and Patient respectively. Follow ups have been summarized at the end of the case. Also the sentences are kept how the patient has expressed them in her own language and flow)
D: Describe about you in general?
P: I give priorities to more extracurricular activities as compared to bookish knowledge, like to mix with people, don’t like to keep myself (hand moves, body moves, eyes shrink) restricted to one particular group or something like that.
I like to sleep definitely I need a specific level of rest, that does not mean that if I am tired… and I like to wake up early and go for a walk
I have many positives, negatives I need to work upon, lots of positives are there, keep on working on them… eventually it is not that I am restricting myself to one quality….it’s a continuous evaluation, I do not stop at one place, I keep on moving. Even in the house I am never sitting in one place, I keep on moving unless I am watching a very interesting film or something, keep on moving.
P: Maybe in a closed room I jump, esp in my bedroom, jumping like a jumping jack maybe…that’s weird.
I was severely depressed after my break up, one month into severe, severe depression; it was the first time, no fault of my own, people right behind to support me, rather I was restricting myself, there was a lot of feeling that, you know life is over or something like that, but when you have couple of good friends by your side you carry on….exams…
Love to laugh, stupidest things I can laugh, and my sense of humor has no limitations with me, maybe the weirdest of the weirdest things can make me laugh
(He touches various areas of his life, his college, about him in general and also about how he teaches his students)
P: Whatever I am teaching them is purely based on experience and I am never like I am going to teach them in this specific pattern whenever I start speaking things start coming up, and it is purely based on general knowledge so it just comes up. In that way I remember things.
I am never stable keep on changing, keep on changing
D: Keep on changing?
P: So its you know no stability (he moves his hands up and down to show no stability) I have learnt, maybe it is a religion, as a child I believe that okay this is the greatest religion, today I believe in Islam, I believe in the bible, I read the bible, I have a copy of the gita, I have copy of the Quran (respect all the religion) religion, philosophy, films, like to read a lot, Sufism also off late I have been reading, so continuous evaluation, learn new things, simplest of thing, because Sufism explains you religion in the form of the dohas in very simple way, about dogs, humans, birds, nature (coughs) so I can relate to it very easily.
Up till now we see couple of PQRS expressions coming up, and get somewhat an idea of what he keeps repeatedly talking about, so I decide to go through the guided passive case witnessing process to explore other areas and become sure of the focus of the case.
D: Significant thing that you remember about your childhood?
P: My childhood was restricted (hg), going from home to school, school to back home, I had no access to cable TV, nothing, nothing, school didn’t fight with anyone
I never remember having hurt myself, even if it was a verbal argument no fighting by far, fracture never injured myself…
Here we see that he again talks about restriction here, hence we move ahead with the Active case witnessing process
D: Two three places you spoke about this restriction, even in childhood you said was very restricted, talk about it?
P: I use to enjoy it, but today I feel I was restricted, I could have done a lot of things in my childhood, but maybe today I am exposed to the media, maybe I have that resources…. I was in my small world, today it has widened, today multiple degrees, multiple courses which I am pursuing, multiple activities which I keep on participating there is no one way in which I am restricted or so, I am just learning, I am just evolving.
D: More about this restriction?
P: People outside in the office roaming, I had to sit in one corner so eventually I had to struggle, I am fed up of this country here I feel restriction(body movement), because of caste and everything it is going to spoil me…
Restrictions (hg) I cannot work in restrictive, if somebody tells me to sit here only, continuously sit, I’ll go mad, I like to go out…
Even if I am working, even if I am studying, I cannot sit in one place for more than 15mins, ill get up move about, ill check my mobile ill come back, and start studying, 2-3 hours sitting in one place looking at the book you know I’ll go mad, (body gesture, brings the body together) I’ll go mad
D: A bit more about this restriction? Describe it in little bit more detail?
P: Not in a closed room like this, I like open air, lie to breathe fresh open air, if its like this closed at home then first thing Ill open the windows, I like the fresh air
Maybe a couple of days I have not been better so couple of friends meet…even if I don’t take medicine then also I feel better, if I have fever will feel better, if somebody tells me sit at one place and sleep I will hate it
I don’t like to be in one place sitting doing nothing, restriction don’t like, hate to be imposed with controlled environment sitting not doing anything maybe just reading doing nothing
Like company I hate being alone, like people, like people coming to my house, like laughter joy, kondat (closed) don’t like it.(body gesture)
D: What do you feel?
P: Weird, I mean weird I don’t know exactly how to put it into words, maybe I am sad, maybe I not doing anything negative thoughts start coming
So making my mind free is actually helping, I panic, this is a goggle I keep it out here lets say for example ill keep on searching here, there, where the hell it is, Ill start panicking, once I get it, ill forget all the panic I feel free. This is one peculiar thing in keep somewhere and I don’t get it then I keep on searching, shout at my mother, all that panic is gone I feel free.
D: Just go deep within yourself, close your eyes, use your imagination?
If I keep myself closed and as if tied up in one place like that I feel, maybe one day I am sitting at one place, I was in Madhya Pradesh I cannot stay at home, I go around, even if I don’t know the road Ill see the market, find a nice shop Ill eat something being a foodie,
Don’t like to stay alone this is restriction, maybe this is the habit that I developed, talk, talk, talk, keep on talking about things that are interesting, that’s why I get along with any number of people, that’s why don’t restrict myself. This is one another aspect I didn’t have any group, have had friends for so long but that does not mean that I have restricted to 5-6people. I cannot keep myself restricted to one group never been in one group mix, just love to mix, no such kind of restriction. (CONNECTS WITH PQRS IN PASSIVE)
P: Where thought process stops then I feel restless, then you know that kind of negativity starts, if I am too many days in the house maybe I get more angry, then keep fighting with my mother, then my mother says you are good when you are outside, it happens when I am out, even if it is tiring severely my body is paining then also I will be nice, but when I am at home I haven’t done anything I am sitting idle I’ll behave strange, I will not work, where ever there is restriction on myself I’ll start behaving, maybe anger, the negative thing will flow, will start behaving weird, the day outside I am joyous, I keep on talking and talking and talking.
Here we see that he beautifully connects the expressions in passive to restriction and also gives us the opposite feeling of being on move, so in the ACTIVE-ACTIVE CASE WITNESSING PROCESS we would understand this entire phenomenon, so the centre becomes crystal clear, till the similimum…
D: I have understood your situation, I have understood when and how you feel restricted, I just want to know what do you feel in the restriction, so forget all yourself, forget all your thoughts forget your real life situations, just imagine not related to you in general what do you feel during that restriction?
P: Restlessness, I’ll keep on moving, my frequency of jumping will increase, I’ll start behaving weird like a lion moving here and there.
Being aloof, Being alone, feel lonely, feel there is nothing, like surrounded in a dark room, nothing it is the end of the road, block, am I going to die or something, restriction, that thought process, its panic now what will happen, what will happen it is the end of the road, dead end where you thought process stops
P: Person in a dark room nothing, he cannot see anything, strangulated at one place, cannot move, staying idle, like an old man on a bed, who is not physically fit, who cannot move, can only see
D: You also spoke about that when you move around or when you are moving around you feel free? (Exploring the opposite of restriction)
P: Freedom is a new life, moving feeling free, exploring, it makes me happy, normally when I move, exercise it gives you a sense of relief and happiness. Head is not heavy extremely free of responsibilities, even worst kind of fire is coming to you, you are going to be in a terrible situation you are still not bothered, will go with an empty mind, you can take any such kind of bad things, curse you, you can take that.
P: I feel free, it’s in my nature, even when I am sitting I am moving my legs, moving my hands, it is not that I am shaking, no, it’s movement, I cannot sit at one place.
At night when sleeping in one position, if have worn chappals (slippers) for a long time, then excessive balling action then hand starts paining
D: What do you feel in that restriction? Just the bodily experience of the restriction?
P: Weird, as if somebody has held me or caught me, I NEED to move from this place, something is holding me down
As if caught, the entire feeling that, has held me (jakdun) (caught), you know your entire blood flow moving like that in a very slow pace, everything is slow silent, people don’t even notice, I am just waiting to move. Like a bird in a cage who is desperate to get out
“Asa dabun thevle ahe” (as if pressed and held), what I don’t know, something is holding you, seriously don’t know, that’s why when I jump, when the blood is moving I feel better
D: Describe this again? Something is moving, jakdun thevle ahe? Like a bird in a cage?
P: I can’t do anything I am blank, this is the end of the road.
D: Just the end of the road?
P: Numbness, your body feels restless, move, move, move, keep on moving, express yourself, facially, move, and constant body in one place
D: So what will your body feel in same one position?
P: I keep on moving, in excessive cases I am feeling really stiff, like in the railway side seat since I am very much tall, man requested me to sit, if there is a bag, then AC, it is very stiff, cold, shrug on top of it, you cannot move, body naturally doesn’t move, here body is heavy you are in one position, you wake up in the middle of the night and the whole body is stiff this kind of when happens excessive that time I keep on moving, keep legs down, moving
D: You spoke about this, kind of instability? That your thought process is never stable?
P: Variation, if the topic is given meow, catchy related more interpretation, don’t think in one way, go around, around keep moving, example: mobile, Samsung, then read dual speaker, will talk about dual speaker, it is not stable, it is not in one direction, keep speaking, speaking
END OF THE CASE
In the Passive case witnessing process we see that the patient travels to different areas in general, and gives us peculiar expressions like
We see that the patient is in touch with himself, his level of experience is DELUSION level and he is expressing himself GENERALLY, with focus clear to us in the Passive case witnessing process we now see the peculiar expressions in the Active Case witnessing process:
With the restriction and the need to move we will see the peculiar expressions we got in the Active-active
CENTRE OF THE CASE
KINGDOM: The sensation of restriction, caught, stiff, controlled, caged, restlessness and the opposite feeling of movement, changing, freedom indicates the plant kingdom and the subkingdom Anacardiaceae
Referring to “INSIGHTS INTO PLANTS” by Dr. Sankaran, mentions the main sensations in this family are CAUGHT, STIFF, RESTRICTED, AND NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE, the active reactions to this sensation is AMELIORATION BY MOTION, AGGRAVATION FROM SITTING, SEDENTARY HABITS AGGRAVATE (rhus t, anac), RESTLESSNESS AND ANXIETY BOTH AT THE MIND AND BODY LEVEL, STUCK WANTS TO MOVE CONSTANTLY.
The sensation of caught, stuck and held in a situation and has to come out of it immediately and ends from movement indicates the remedy rhus tox.
Differentiating from other families
Anacardiaceae: main feeling is caught and stiff as if something is catching him from outside, preventing him from doing what he wants, caught in his hands, leg, neck is not allowing the part to move. He has strength to move but is caught from outside
Primulaceae: unable to move feeling comes from inside, within himself. As if muscles are lame, paralyzed, unable to move, like self-imposed imprisonment.
Euphorbiaceae: hidebound, bound, and unbound.
Fasten, wrap, encircle with a ribbon, to bandage, or hold or restrain with bands. Not allow for any kind of expansion or space. Garment bound from all sides.
Remedy Given: Rhus toxicodendron 1M single dose.
Follow ups:
Follow after 1 month: “My jumping jack nature has reduced, my concentration and focus has improved”. Cough and expectoration was better, no nose block, no scraping sensation in the throat, all the physical symptoms were better in a week. S.L given
Follow after 2 months: He said that his grasping power and concentration has drastically improved, despite the fact that he had an episode of running nose he wasn’t irritated and helped his parents, he says he has become more sensitive and mature. Recent situation took place in which he describes the feeling of being caged, burdened, unable to move or do anything, feel that all movement stopped. Here hence again Rhus Tox 1M was repeated.
Follow up after 6 months: No episode of cough, or cold. Mentally much better. Sl was given.
After a year, he suffered from an Acute Episode of Dengue fever: wherein he had fever of 102 degrees and which wouldn’t come down by Antipyretics, he showed his nearby physician where he was diagnosed as Dengue, inspite of the physicians treatment the fever stayed at 100 degrees for 1 week, weakness++, Platelet were 60,000 on day 7 of fever, then was given Rhus Tox 1m in water every 15mins, fever came down in 3 hours, and weakness was better by 50% in 2 days, platelet count remained same for 2 more days and gradually came back to normal.
1month after Dengue Fever episode he was much better, he said “this time I am feeling very calm, I have diluted, there is no anxiety, I can sit for 3 hours at a stretch now, my level of mental peace has pentaped, my mind is completely blank, 100% positivity and concentration, there is a quantum of change”
Follow up after 6months: he is much better now, mentally and physically, off treatment since 2 months now.
The patient is visiting me for 2 years, he is off treatment now since 4 months, continues to improve both physically and mentally and is a changed person now
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