To Be Significant – Fabiana umbricata (Pichi Pichi) and Pseudotsuga (Douglas‑fir)
Solanaceae and conifers in the homoeopathic treatment of anxiety disorders
A case study by Anne Wirtz
Flower of a Douglas fir
The patient reports
The 65‑year‑old patient came to me in September 2002 because she was dissatisfied with her energy. She has a strong need to do something great: “I only succeed with small things and that makes me very unhappy. I have long been searching for myself, but I feel held back by my energy. It is very changeable and scattered. I am interested in many things – culture, spirituality, therapy. I have not worked for 10 years and I plan each week what to do. That gives me structure.”
Observation: She appears robust; her silver hair is tightly pulled back and held with a hair clip. Her clothing is elegant and recalls the style of the 1960s. The patient looks young.
“Findhorn (an alternative spiritual community) means a lot to me. I visit regularly and take part in the exchange programme. Sometimes I am very nervous and tense and have no self‑esteem when I have to speak before a group there.”
Experience of violence in childhood
I had a difficult childhood. It is possible that as a little girl I experienced incest. My father was an alcoholic, often shouted and was violent. My mother was a very gentle woman and I loved my grandparents very much. As a small child I had to watch my brother drown. I have always been afraid of death, for myself, not for others.
The death is so black; I have a great fear of the dark. My fear of violence, persecution and robbers is very great and worse when I am home alone. Sometimes I feel the urge to run away and have a physical gag reflex. Even a taxi driver I don’t know can frighten me. If I just think about it I get stomach cramps. In an empty corridor I can suddenly be overcome by a panic attack. I am the happy mother of two daughters, one from a secret relationship. Although we lived in the 60s, I still had feelings of guilt, but I am very grateful that I have my daughter.
Panic, sexuality and the search for a father figure
In the past, when falling asleep I often dreamed I was falling and woke up in panic because I thought I was dying. I had my first sexual experience at 16. I was never afraid of my sexuality; I always found it exciting. It was forbidden but I was curious, I wanted to try it. I wanted men’s attention. Currently I live alone, but I would prefer to live in a community. That is my plan. I go where I want but am always on guard. I hear and see everything that happens around me. I startle easily, for example in traffic. I have problems with men, especially at work; they cannot cope with my emotional way of being. If I am in a group and get very angry about something, I leave the room. As a child I always wanted to please and would have done anything for it. I was always searching for a father figure.”
Physical complaints and self‑confidence
Back pain in the lumbar region since she was 16 and an irritable bowel. Recurrent cystitis.
Lack of self‑confidence in new situations. “I don’t want to feel inferior to others. I have this very deep need to be magnificent and to mean something for humanity. Of course that is very pretentious (cries). I pray to God that He makes me an instrument of His peace.”
Case analysis, miasm and Solanaceae
The fear of death and of the dark, the persecutory delusions and the need to be great made me think of the Solanaceae. The question was which one? Not Stramonium or Belladonna, although both remedies are listed in the repertory rubrics. I searched Sankaran’s miasms for a sycotic remedy and found FABIANA UMBRICATA.
I wanted a remedy from the sycotic miasm because the anxieties had accompanied the patient for a long time and were consistent. The strong interest in sexuality and the mysterious aspect surrounding this topic led me to Fabiana MK. The recurrent cystitis confirmed the remedy choice.
Follow‑up after four weeks
The patient had been occasionally nervous, but the anxieties are gone! She had mild back pain, not very severe; the Feldenkrais method helped her. She had no digestive problems. Sometimes she is nervous because of her 89‑year‑old mother: “I can feel her tension; she takes hold of me, which makes me nervous. Previously we had a difficult relationship, which has improved. Everything was fine when I was very small. Then she got divorced and my stepfather came into our lives. She dropped me and abandoned me when I was afraid. I feel disloyal when I say something bad about her.
I feel I don’t use my energy efficiently. I should be able to do more.
I still have the need to be great and to receive recognition, but the need is not as strong anymore.
I believe my mission in life is to serve and I do that, but others still expect more. I am afraid of being great, I am afraid of making a fool of myself. I always compare myself to others and at the same time feel small.
At home I am more at peace within myself.”
Follow‑up after two months
She had been to Findhorn. She is excited; it was a wonderful time. New friendships and profound experiences; she is very grateful for the recognition she received there. She felt powerful.
Back home she enjoyed seeing her family again, but the pressure regarding her mother returned. Her mother needs professional care, which now has to be organised.
“It is very important to me that I take part and feel connected. I have realised that I need to look after my body better. I eat too much, so I have tensions in my stomach. Sometimes a little urine passes when I run too fast.”
Anxieties?
“Only when that ice‑cold, black wind blows. When I am completely relaxed at home I have more self‑confidence. I have seen and felt how much strength I have.”
I advised the patient to wait a little longer.
Follow‑up after four months
“I am dissatisfied with life and have felt quite depressed for a few days. I feel weak after realising that I have great potential but cannot bring it out. It is like with my ex‑husband. I have to make a great effort to keep my feet on the ground. I sleep okay; I never wanted to take sleeping tablets. I once took slimming tablets. They must have been amphetamines; I had lots of energy when I took them. But I have to be careful not to become addicted. My father was an alcoholic and there was a time when I drank beer and gin because you cannot smell them. It suppressed my hyperventilation.
I have no more anxieties.
I believe in the challenge of change, but I only feel empty now, which makes me angry with myself. I am searching for a higher purpose but cannot feel it. I feel disconnected. I again feel worthless.”
Second case analysis
The feeling of emptiness and of not being connected made me think of the conifer family, but which one? I decided on PSEUDOTSUGA MENZEISII 200K.
(The patient feels alone and rejected, cut off from others. She fears belonging to a community, criticises herself and other people; she is embittered, mourns and possibly suffers from bulimia or alcoholism. This is not only the essence of the remedy but also of the patient.)
Follow‑up after nearly six months
Pseudotsuga gave her a very good, powerful feeling. She had another cystitis and took antibiotics. She had to be there for her mother because she had to move into a care home and needs a lot of attention. Her mother is sometimes confused. “She doesn’t like it there and rings me very often.” Old memories came up, especially when she cleared out her old house. We spoke about some painful topics from the past.
On the physical level there was nothing noteworthy.
I advised the patient to take FABIANA UMBRICATA, MK if needed.
Follow‑up after nearly eight months
She now has a short haircut and looks fresh, although she has been through a hard time. Her mother had to move into a nursing home, which was very exhausting for my patient. She was at times emotionally very drained. “I took a break and went with a friend to the dunes by the sea. I felt much better there, but when I came home everything caught up with me again.
I had stomach pains and took Acidophilus for that, which helped.
I have no more anxieties. I can cope better with my mother’s behaviour; I continue to grow and enjoy life. My aim is to be a kind of witch, a wise woman.”
At her request I gave her another dose of PSEUDOTSUGA 200K because she liked the idea of such a large, powerful tree.
In the meantime she moved to the east of the country into a commune and promised to contact me again if necessary.
Key terms: Fabiana; Pseudotsuga
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: http://www.interhomeopathy.org/fabiana_pseudotsuga_i_want_to_be_great
Photo: 1390347245 by Olexandr Panchenko, Fabiana imbricata. Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid. by A. Barra
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
