Dreams in Homeopathy

Valuable aids for homeopathic treatment

Dreams in Homeopathy

by David Nortman

Dreams - Francisco de Goya

Homeopathic treatment begins with a careful case-taking, i.e. an inquiry into all aspects of the patient's life. During the initial interview the homeopath routinely asks about dreams (especially childhood dreams, unforgettable dreams from the past, recurring dreams and nightmares), because it has been shown that dreams can be direction‑giving indicators in many cases of illness.

But dreams are among the most controversial, mysterious and subjective phenomena! Why are they nevertheless regarded in homeopathy as valuable clues for diagnosis and treatment?
In this article I will present various ways of incorporating dreams into homeopathic diagnosis. Their value lies in their ability to reveal the patient's true inner state and to point the way to the appropriate remedy choice. In a follow-up article I will further explain to what extent changes in sleeping habits and in the dream profile can be sensitive indicators of the progress of the healing process once treatment has begun.

Are dreams mere froth — or valuable jewels of the soul?

One of life's enduring mysteries is the nature of dreams. Science knows relatively little about the unique physiological state we enter during sleep and dreaming, leaving the mind alone in a confusing dreamscape that we experience at night. In any case, science has no convincing theory to offer that explains why we need to sleep and dream in the first place in order to function normally and stay alive (prolonged sleep deprivation causes alarming effects in animal experiments).
Dream content is nowadays mostly regarded as irrelevant or inaccessible to scientific questioning. For example, one theory claims that dreams are merely our mind's attempt to make sense of the electrical noise produced by brain metabolism: whereas these signals can be physically acted out in minimal muscle contractions in the waking state, in the largely motionless sleep they are transformed into thoughts which then produce the dream experience.

Yet beyond all science and life experience people in every culture have routinely interpreted their dreams and often ascribed meanings that may not have existed. Psychologists and occultists have tried in every possible way to penetrate and study the world of dreams, in the hope of offering their clients insight and help through the correct interpretation of their dreams.
Many spiritual traditions agree that our soul leaves the body during sleep and dwells in other realms where physical laws have no validity. In the modern world dreams are viewed more cautiously, but not necessarily more accurately, as windows into the unconscious — an area not regulated by consciousness that (if at all) is governed by the mysterious laws of the mind.

How do homeopaths make use of dream content?

The homeopathic approach to dreams is straightforward: on the one hand homeopaths accept the full legitimacy of dream material (together with all the subjective elements the patient reports), while on the other hand they strive to avoid any dream interpretation.

Because it is prone to error and speculation, dream interpretation is not regarded as a reliable basis for a homeopathic diagnosis, although dreams have their firm place in the healing dialogue between patient and homeopath. Instead homeopaths use dreams in two ways:

(i)   as symptoms like any other homeopathic symptom

(ii) as an indication of the patient's true state.

Dreams as ordinary homeopathic symptoms

Dreams can be included in the diagnosis as regular homeopathic symptoms alongside others, since under the physical and mental symptoms in the materia medica every remedy contains dream rubrics such as

• Dreams - children
• Dreams - dogs
• Dreams - dancing
• Dreams - war

Additionally, dream qualities such as:

• Dreams - obscene
• Dreams - pleasant
• Dreams – vivid

In connection with each of these categories the remedies are listed in the homeopathic repertory (index of symptoms). With the help of a vivid dream story the homeopath can narrow down prescribing possibilities for the patient and focus attention on a smaller selection of remedies.
The sense and usefulness of dreams as specific statements like other mental and subjective symptoms is generally accepted among classical homeopaths.

Dreams indicate the patient's true state

A second important use of dream information is finding and utilising mental attributes that can be derived from the unprocessed dream. This is done under two assumptions: first, that dreams are meaningfully related to the emotional state of the personality, and second, that they provide at least as good a description of that state as non-dream-bound reports.

Because most people are not aware of their psychic state or certain aspects of it, fears or delusions (irreal ideas in mentally healthy people) often manifest exclusively by way of dreams. For example, a female patient who has had frightening encounters with snakes in her dreams might be helped by the rubric "fear of snakes", while a patient who regularly dreams of being entangled in war actions will benefit from the rubric "delusion — he is a soldier".

The use of dreams must be expert and cautious so that it does not degenerate into speculation. It is not surprising that homeopaths' opinions differ on the admissibility of using dreams in this indirect form. Those who, like me, consider it legitimate to venture into their patients' dream world in this way gain a reliable access to the psyche through dreams: when handled correctly, dreams reveal a clear view of the hidden dynamics motivating the patient's life and thus often lead to correspondingly precise diagnosis and prescription.

The crucial means of preventing misuse of this access is to integrate influences from the patient's dream world into the rest of the case-taking so that dream elements are corroborated by other symptoms.

Further benefits of dreams

Dreams can also be used as an entry point to bring psychological material to light that the patient is aware of but is unwilling or unable to disclose.

From their dream reports patients can relatively easily be encouraged to reveal personal matters they are reluctant to talk about or mistakenly consider unimportant for the initial homeopathic interview. When the homeopath uses the dream solely with the intention of helping the patient, this approach can bring no disadvantages and may even enable precise diagnosis in uncooperative patients.

Finally, dreams can also reveal the emotional state of children who are old enough to tell their dreams but not yet intellectually able to answer abstract questions about their psychological situation.

Dreams are valuable because they bypass compensation mechanisms

In summary, the main reason for the diagnostic importance of dreams is that much of what the patient reports consciously arises from a compensated state. Compensation, however, involves channelling of thoughts and behavioural impulses, which adversely affects potentially fruitful and acceptable interview results.

Such restriction and channelling of behaviour is a major component of any civilised society, but it makes the homeopath's task of forming a correct diagnosis more difficult. For example, a person who compensates for violent impulses through tai chi and cultivates its peaceful, meditative aspects may talk at length about the value of inner calm and forgiveness. If directly questioned about his violent tendencies (e.g. if the homeopath suspects them from his demeanour or appearance), such a patient would deny them. However, if he reports a brutal dream, what lies behind the peaceful façade would be revealed.

In a further article I will explain how changes in sleep and dream behaviour during the course of treatment can prove to be sensitive indicators of the healing process.

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Original article and further information at Homeopathy Zone

Original title: Why Dreams Are Valuable in Homeopathic Diagnosis and Treatment by David Nortman