by Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Dr. Robert Ullman
There is probably no other system of medicine that individualizes the prescription for each individual as much as homeopathy. This is because there are over two thousand substances that have been proved homeopathically to date, and more provings being conducted all the time. Every substance in nature, whether plant, animal, or mineral, is a potential homeopathic medicine. There is no limit to the possibilities. Herbalists are restricted to the plant kingdom. Homeopaths have an unlimited pharmacopoeia- any substance in the world. The challenge for the homeopath is to find that one substance, similimum, that most closely matches the symptoms of the patient. When this occurs, the resulting healing of all of the person’s symptoms can be dramatic.
Our mentor, Dr. Rajan Sankaran of Mumbai, India, developed the sophisticated theory that there is a unique connection between the substance needed (from which the homeopathic medicine is prepared) and the state of the individual needing it. It seems that the individual somehow “borrows” an energy from nature that does not really belong to him or her. Through a rather remarkable free-association type of interview, it is often possible for the patient to reveal to the homeopath exactly which substance/medicine is needed. The patient may or may not have followed the process closely enough to realize what is being revealed, since s(he) may be almost in kind of trance. In fact, it is common for the person to comment, “This sounds like nonsense to me” or “It makes no sense to me at all.” When this occurs, the patient is speaking from the non-human-specific point of view of the substance rather than the human-specific mind. It is a very exciting moment for the homeopath when the substance is revealed. We call this discovery and revelatory process “speaking from source.”
It is by eliciting the precise sensation of the person’s chief complaint that the homeopath, using Dr. Sankaran’s method, can narrow the field of possible medicines and arrive at the plant, animal, or mineral kingdoms. Then further differentiation is made regarding the particular family within the kingdom, and the miasm (inherited layer of predisposition which indicates the intensity, pace, and degree of desperation of the patient in response to the symptoms.)
A Family of Animals
The mother, father, and son whose cases we present here have all needed one animal medicine from the beginning to now, the prescriptions were clear as well as the clinical responses, and each family member has continued with treatment over time. Each has benefited consistently, from four to six years, from that one homeopathic medicine administered periodically. Though the common animal themes of survival, competition, attractiveness, victim and aggressor, natural instinct, dominance and submission, and sexuality, are present in each case, the cases and clinical pictures vary considerably. We present the cases consecutively, in the order in which they came to see us. We present composite vignettes of each case in order to give you the flavor of speaking from source.
The Son: Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD)
The word that best described Daniel was “intense.” The first sound that he made as a newborn, upon exiting from the birth canal, was a roar. “Like a lion or an airplane,” his mother explained. “Not like you would imagine a baby sounding. We were waiting at a restaurant when he was about six months old. He let out a loud cry. Like the call of the wild! Daniel had such an anger thing from the time he was so little. He can be the sweetest, kindest, most lovingest kid one moment then tell you to ‘shut the hell up’ or that he’s ‘not gonna eat that dog crap.’ “Daniel demands to be served first. He shouts, ‘Don’t eat that!’ because he wants a second helping before the rest of us have even had our first servings. Or he Puts his face up in front of yours and yells. “What???”
“One of Daniel’s most common complaints is, ‘I haven’t eaten all day. I’m hungry. I’m starving! He plays his dad against me and makes both of us squirm. Daniel is always telling us that we like the cat better than him. He’s quite an amazing rapper and loves to rap at the top of his lungs. We call him a primadonna.. He wants to be the greatest…. to get the most attention.” Daniel’s mother reported, over time, a number of his verbatim expressions. They were uncanny, as you will see, given the homeopathic medicine that he received and the fact that he was never aware of its name. “I have to be at the top of the food chain….. I’m nursing my wounds….. I’m the king of my domain….. king of the Food Chain.”
Much of Daniel’s oppositional, aggressive behavior centered around food. Quoting his mother again, “He goes ballistic over food. He is a meat eater.” Dominant and dictatorial. “He thinks he rules the roost.” Other comments provided wonderful insight into the animal kingdom.“Mom, you’re not predatory enough on the road…. All you want to do is prowl into people’s lives.” Daniel was quite lazy. He much preferred to sit around have others wait on him. There were, of course, many interviews with Daniel himself. But it was his mother who had the most insight into him and that is why we focus on her comments.
The homeopathic medicine that Daniel needed was Lac leoninum (lion’s milk). Rest assured that the animal was not harmed in the extraction of the substance. Some of the main symptoms that emerged in the homeopathic proving of lion’s milk that fit this case are: vehement assertiveness, a delusion of being king, intolerance of domination, abruptness, abusiveness, snappish answers, delusion of being a great person, egotism, intolerance, irritability at trifles, quarrelsomeness, love of power, rage, blunt speech, disregard for the feelings of others, and outrageous or uncivilized behavior, Other themes of the proving of this substance were: an underlying feeling of timidity, the perception of any dared insult as a challenge to one’s position and authority, a need to fight or leave the pride/group, the importance of being a successful predator, the necessity of maintaining strength, and dreams of hurt pride.
Daniel has needed six doses of Lac leoninum in ten years in four years- in a 1M potency for the first two years, then a 10M. His parents describe a huge attitude shift each time he took the medicine. “His siblings can’t believe how nice he is!” This was a mental and emotional case. There were no physical symptoms upon which to base the prescription. We last saw Daniel two months ago, at which time he needed another dose of the lion’s milk.
The Mother: Eczema
Connie, aged forty three, came in three weeks after her son’s first appointment, complaining of longstanding eczema. The itchy was terrible. “Not like nettle stings, but more like a jellyfish bite. I don’t know why I say that because I have never been stung by a jellyfish.” This is an example of speaking from source from almost the beginning of the interview. From this point, Connie spontaneously spoke from the point of view of the substance. “One thing [referring to the itching] about my skin is that I’m just like the human rub.” At this point, Connie made a wiggling or wriggling whole body gesture. “I love being in the water… to swim or to snorkel. But I worry that something is under the water. I don’t know if it would be a fish. Something that would pull me down. Like maybe I can’t breathe. Something that’s holding me down and won’t let go.”
Later in the first interview, Connie mentioned that her lower back had bothered her for years. “An inflammation that has haunted me… always in the background lurking.”
Towards the end of the initial case taking, she remarked, I don’t like seafood at all…oooh… I’m just not a fish person. I would never order it in a restaurant… I salt everything before I taste it.”
When we inquired about dreams, Connie revealed a dream she had, when younger, of holding a gigantic rubbery pencil. I couldn’t get a grip on it.”
The homeopathic medicine that has helped her is Medusa, made from jellyfish. We prescribed it because of her burning, stinging pain like jellyfish, sea-animal gestures, nurturing issues, and love of water. Patients needing this medicine, according to the homeopathic literature, can suffer from burning, peeling, itching skin, and nettle-like rashes. As an aside, they tend to have an aversion to change and household duties and a vulnerability, which makes them reluctant to expose themselves emotionally. Jellyfish, commonly known as “jellies,” live all, over the world, in sea water, from shore areas exposed at low tide to the deep ocean. The medusa is the jelly-like, bell- or umbrella-shaped form, can measure up to two meters in diameter, and usually has tentacles, with which they feed. A single medusa can have up to hundreds of tentacles containing millions of stingers.
Medusa is the only homeopathic medicine that Connie has needed. She has received eleven doses in four years, starting with Medusa 200C and ending with a 10M. There was a period of time when we gave her Medusa in a repeated LM potency so that she could drink coffee, but she has always done best on single, high-potency doses. Not only did the eczema improve significantly, but her moods evened out quite noticeably each time the medicine was administered.
The Father: Chronic Depression
Curt, fifty-two years old, complained of depression and lack of motivation. Prone to procrastination, he was a slow-paced, slow-moving kind of guy. There were lots of projects that he meant to complete, but just never seemed to get around to doing. Early on in the interview, he shared how much better he felt away from a big city. Like his son and wife, he was quickly able to move into a free-association mode that made finding his particular medicine quite easy.
“In the city your brain has to process all these vertical lines from all the buildings. It adds to the stress of what your brain has to deal with. I feel so much better when I’m in the country, where most of the angles are sloping things. The scenery is kind of natural.
I don’t care for the trees, forests so much. I like those smooth, gentle landscapes. They make me feel relaxed. It’s amazing what a difference it makes… those flowing angles of scenery. It almost allows you to breathe… like you weren’t breathing in the confines, almost like being in a cage. I’ve had this opinion for a long time- that humans have a natural behavior, just like any creature on the earth. I’m not exactly sure what that is for humans.
Growing up I always wanted to be a farmer. I really enjoyed cattle. They’re just kind of cool.” When asked to say more about smooth, gentle landscapes, Curt replied, “Green, crops, cattle in the fields… the cattle, different colors, breeds that I can recognize…baby cattle are really cute. A calf is like a puppy.”
“When I was little and we were at school, I would draw pictures of a crop scene with mountains in the background… some chickens or a rooster on a fence crowing at the sun. I’ve always been accused of being slow.”
In order to confirm the homeopathic medicine that we had in mind, we asked Curt about any foods that he really liked or that disagreed with him. “The mad cow disease scared me. I was in England when that happened. I really like to eat beef. Then we had the mad cow thing here… I like cheese and milk. I don’t like that on percent stuff or no percent. My wife got me down to two percent That’s as far as I’m willing to go.”
We prescribed Lac defloratum (Skimmed cow’s milk). It can benefit those who are despondent, listless, and disinclined for physical or mental exertion. It is indicated for severe headaches (Curt did suffer from them earlier in his life) and for individuals who feel rejected by their communities. When we inquired about his interpersonal relationships, he explained that had never felt part of the crowd… “if feels like you’re separated from things.” Those needing Lac defloratum are commonly mild and gentle people, like Curt. It is interesting that Curt remarked spontaneously about his preference for whole milk.
Curt needed six doses of the Lac defloratum, 200C then 1M, over two years. It helped him markedly with his moods. “I feel like a new person. I had the best sleep I’ve had in years. My mood is much more even.” He needs further homeopathic care but, as we have found to be characteristic of men in our culture, has not followed up on treatment.
Two Mammals and a Mollusk
Each of these three family members happened to need a homeopathic animal medicine and was able to lead us directly to that substance during the initial interview. In Daniel’s case, it was his mother’s sharing with us his words that elicited the prescription. Each has benefited from the indicated animal medicine over time. It would be fascinating to treat the other two daughters in the family to see what they might need!
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