Attacked by Spirits |
| By Mehmood Abdul Hayee |
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Near my clinic in Pakistan lived an old man who was known for his ability to deal with evil spirits. Many people, especially women, regularly consulted him because they had problems with demons and spirits. Sometimes he also came to the clinic for consultations. One day he arrived at the clinic with bandaged limbs. I also noticed some bruises on his body. He told me his story: Two days earlier he had attended a religious gathering, and while he was praying another person — his 'jealous enemy', who was also famed for his knowledge of demons — cursed him. He fell down injured and lost a lot of blood. He added: "Since then I am constantly attacked by spirits." |
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I found his story very interesting, so I asked him a few more questions: "Tell me how you feel when the spirits attack you?" He replied: "The spirits come at night when I lie down and try to pull my soul out through my calves. A spirit sits on my chest and presses it; it even tries to block my breathing. It is almost impossible to get up because the spirit is so heavy. I am so tired after these nightly struggles." I then asked him about his stomach and he told me that his digestion was slow and that after eating he suffered from heartburn and belching (dyspepsia). |
Analysis and Repertorisation:
Because of his physical symptoms I decided to prescribe Carbo vegetabilis C 30. However, I had a problem: I had to find a way to motivate a person who believed only in spiritual treatments to take a homoeopathic remedy. I brought him the remedy mixed with oil and told him: "This is a holy oil prepared by a holy man at my special request." I also asked him to learn an Arabic prayer by heart and recite it daily. |
Follow-up After two days the patient returned. He looked happy and told me: "The spirits tried to attack me, but they had no success; they wanted to touch my calves and even tried to sit on my chest, but I was safe." His stomach had also improved and he expressed a strong desire to meet the 'holy man' who had given me the 'holy oil'. When I told him that this was not possible, the old man asked me to convey his humble greetings to him. In the consultation I had relied solely on the physical symptoms to prescribe Carbo vegetabilis, and I did not think of any other aspect of the case. My intuition was not great enough to include an astonishing side of this case that would open a door to a highly interesting subject. Later I read in the repertory that Carbo vegetabilis is listed in CAPITALS under the rubric "Mind and Disposition" as follows: "possessed by delusions", "aversion to darkness", "fear of the dark", and "fear of spirits associated with sleeplessness". Carbo vegetabilis is a remedy known for its effect on complaints due to loss of fluids. It helps with exhausting illnesses and problems of old age (particularly stomach problems); a worsening before falling asleep and when lying down. In Gibson's Materia Medica you can read about Carbo vegetabilis that "a remarkable characteristic" of this remedy "is the fear of spirits." |
| Illustration by Vicki Mathison |
Categories: Cases |
