A 15-year-old boy came to my clinic accompanied by his grandmother because of nocturnal enuresis. I was slightly surprised and wondered how the boy and his parents were coping with this problem. Puberty is a very dreamy time in a person's life when one wants to fly free like a bird in the sky. Night-time bedwetting must have had far-reaching consequences for the boy.
The boy’s grandmother opened the conversation by saying that her grandson had always wet the bed at night; he had never become completely 'dry'. He passes urine every night, sometimes even twice. I asked the grandmother to take a seat in the waiting room so that I could speak to the boy alone. I wanted to give him some space to talk freely about himself, but he neither engaged in conversation nor made eye contact. He just sat there, hanging his head and picking at his fingernails. I tried several things to get him to speak, but without success. Eventually I asked him very direct questions.
Shardul Joshi (SJ): What does this situation mean to you?
Patient (P): I am embarrassed when I visit my relatives. I don’t feel comfortable and I am ashamed. People point their fingers at me. I wish this bedwetting would stop forever.
SJ: Tell me more about your feeling. What do you mean by 'embarrassed' and 'ashamed'?
He could not talk about it and I asked him about his dreams.
SJ: Tell me about your dreams at night.
P: I dream of playing football at school. The ball hits my friend in the eye and the eye turns blue and black because of the injury. The doctor says it is a serious injury that has damaged the inside of the eye.
SJ: How do you feel in that dream?
P: I was scared and woke up with a start. At night I always wake with a fright when there is a loud noise somewhere. Then I have a racing heart and I tremble. I am afraid and wonder what has happened.
SJ: Tell me more about your dreams.
P: Once a coal machine fell on a man and broke his leg. In the dream I was afraid. How that man must have suffered. He must have been in so much pain with the injury.
I am afraid that a ghost will come. When I close my eyes I see a face in front of me and I get so scared that I tremble.
SJ: Please tell me more about what you see.
P: It is a rather white face, like an ox’s; it is very blurred – not clear. I see trees around me. The face comes towards me as if it wants to kill me. I wake up frightened and trembling.
SJ: Please tell me more about the fear.
P: That it will come to my home and kill me. I have the feeling that it will ram its horns into my face.
SJ: Do you have any other dreams?
P: There is a court case about something; my uncle was with the police and he was in the courtroom. Someone came with a big stick and struck my father. My uncle intervenes and beats the attacker.
SJ: Tell me a little more about your fears.
P: At school I am afraid of my teacher. If I have not done my homework, or have not gone to school, he beats me. He sends me home again and demands that my parents write me an apology.
SJ: Do you have any other fears?
P: I am also afraid of my father. If I am not sitting in the shop, my father beats me or scolds me. I feel that I have to help my father in the shop; after all, he works so much.
SJ: Please continue to tell me about your fears.
P: I am afraid of the dark because then I cannot see anything; I could fall into a hole. I am afraid that someone will come and kill me or that a ghost or spirit will come and attack or kill me.
SJ: Please tell me what it was like for you as a child.
P: When I was small we made sweets at home and sold them. Sometimes I stole sweets and was beaten for it by my grandfather. As a child I was also afraid of the dark. Once my mother locked me in a dark room for two or three hours. I was afraid that someone would come and hurt me or kill me. After that incident I became ill and had a high fever.
SJ: Tell me about your hobbies.
P: I like to watch television and enjoy comedy films. And I really like playing cricket.
Observations from the grandmother
“He is naturally very irritable. He does not talk much and does not listen to his parents. He always only answers with the bare minimum when we ask him. He is still very playful. When the power goes out and we sit in the dark, he becomes very alarmed and starts to cry.”
Past history: “Once I fell from a tree. I had bruises and a swollen knee.” Appendicitis.
Family history: nothing significant.
General physical symptoms
Appearance: average build with a pale face.
Acne on the face with scarring.
Large nose.
Appetite: good.
Thirst: 7–8 glasses per day.
Sweat: on the palms, moderate.
Foul-smelling stool/urine.
Regular sleeping position: sleeps on his back. Wakes at night with a start and jerks awake from sleep.
Examination
Palms – moist.
Tongue: fissure in the middle and slightly white-coated.
Analysis
The boy has fears of various kinds: of ghosts, of the dark, of being injured, of being attacked by a bull, etc. If we look at the different areas of his life, we can see that a specific theme runs through all areas: the fear of injury. He is very sensitive on this theme and reacts with trembling, a racing heart and starting.
His sensitivity leads us to the plant kingdom. The 'fear of injury' forms the core of this case and the reaction pattern is sudden. I thought of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family and the acute miasm[1]. I looked up the rubric 'Fear – injury; from' in the Complete Repertory. Nineteen remedies are listed under this rubric, including Arnica.
Prescription: Arnica C200, single dose (22 November 2012)
Follow-ups
After one month: The boy feels increasingly refreshed. The bad dreams no longer occur as often. He sleeps and eats well. The bedwetting has decreased dramatically: in the past month he wet the bed only twice.
Prescription: Sac lac to be taken for one month.
Four months later: Bedwetting is almost completely gone; he has wet the bed at most once a month. The boy has gained self-confidence and no longer has nightmares.
Prescription: Sac lac to be taken for another month.
Six months later: Bedwetting is over; the boy has not wet the bed for two months. His parents report that he has fewer fears and no longer has bad dreams. He has become more self-assured and more communicative. He is now able to go out with friends and visit relatives without feeling ashamed.
Prescription: Sac lac for a further month. I asked the patient to stop the medicine after one month and to report back to me after three months. The boy’s parents called me several months later to tell me that their son no longer wet the bed and had become very self-confident.
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This article was published on www.interhomeopathy.org
Photo: Arnica-herb-blossoms - shutterstock: 293882765 ©Algirdas Gelazius
Category: Cases
Keywords: nocturnal enuresis, fear of injury, trembling from fear.
Remedy: Arnica
[1]Rajan Sankaran; Insights into the Plant Kingdom, Volumes 1–3, Homeopathic Medical Publishers, Mumbai, India
