I want people to respect me more: a Blatta orientalis case

Case:

47-year-old woman

Musician and dancer, tall, muscular and lively. She looks down when she reports her case and looks up when she speaks.

Main complaint

"Since the birth of my daughter I constantly have the feeling of being short of breath. I have already been examined several times, but the doctors could not tell me what I have. I am very allergic to cleaning agents such as floor cleaners or bleach; they take my breath away."

Dreams and fears

"Cockroaches – I am very afraid of them – even in real life."

"I fight with my mother – and wake up screaming."

"As a child I often woke up screaming because I had dreamed of cockroaches. I hate cockroaches. I also don't like spiders and flies, but cockroaches are much worse. I dislike being in closed or crowded rooms."

"There is a dream that has recurred from time to time since my childhood. I dream I had a house (which I do not know in real life) and inside are some rooms unknown to me. The house is much bigger than I thought. In some places it is a little dirty and neglected, but it is very cosy. There is a bedroom that is like a dressing room full of mirrors and lights. This bedroom is hidden behind the kitchen."

Family and relationships with others

"I have big problems with my parents. My father was always away and my mother was very difficult. The incompatibility with my mother worsened over the years. She irritates me and makes me angry. I had thought my mother would behave more humanely after my father died. She is not a natural mother."

Respect and recognition

"I give too much to people, but I have never received recognition for my great ideas."

"I want more respect for me and my work, and I want people to hold me in higher esteem."

"I am very talented, but I have never received the recognition I deserve. For example, I know a guy who has now become rich and famous – he does the same as me. I received a little recognition, but not as much as him. He is famous now!"

"I would like to be more respected in my professional life."

"'I'm arrogant, but I pretend I'm different.'"

"'I treat all people equally, but it seems that the more arrogant you are, the more respect you get.'"

"'I no longer feel I belong to my homeland. I am free from my family here in Great Britain. In England people have more respect for one another.'"

"'I feel I don't belong and have no friends who think the same as me. I like groups of like-minded people.'"

Winners and losers

"I feel that nobody wins in this life; one day you win something, and the next you lose it again. All people are egoists, everything is 'Facebook' and five minutes of fame. Music nowadays is so aggressive and there is no refinement anymore. It is all far too loud. There is so much rubbish. Old films are better. I want to study film art. I wish I were more mistrustful."

Activities

"I like to dance and I like the sound of footsteps."

"'I like aerobics.'"

"'I wanted to be like an Olympic gymnast.'"

"'I love movement.'"

Analysis:

She is lively and nervous, she loves music and dance. She is competitive and envious of others' successes, while seeing herself as unrecognised. She feels cheated by others. When someone refers to other people as "people" in a detached way, this points to an insect remedy.


Key themes

Respect, recognition, arrogance, refinement, dirty houses, problems with parents – especially with the mother.

Repertorisation

She has many insect remedy themes. The desire for respect, her wish to be famous and recognised and her envy of those who are more famous and more respected. She has the sole Blatta symptom: "Envy or jealousy of those who are admired."

Remedy: Blatta orientalis C200, single dose

Follow-up:

One month later: "On the night after I took the remedy, I felt my chest open (I could almost visualise it). It was a refreshing feeling, as if there was some mint in it. It was a very strong sensation. After a week I was no longer breathless. I still feel a bit unbalanced, but I am much better. It is so nice to be able to breathe again."

Dreams

"'Last night I dreamt of cockroaches – they lay dead in the living room, and the floor was dirty, someone had killed them. Then I actually saw a cockroach in my room!'"

"'One must know how the game of life is played. It is important to possess a mask – I must wear it. I am too exposed and I don't like it. Everyone knows what is wrong with me. I would like to feel more secure and powerful. I need more stability.'"

"'It is very hard to trust people, even my mother. My mother called me, but she didn't ask how I was – she has never done that and that is very strange. I don't want to treat my own daughter the way my mother treated me. I read about a 12-year-old boy who killed his stepfather.

'I poisoned myself (by smoking too much). After yoga I often had to vomit, but not this time; I felt really well. Yoga is good for me. I go 3 or 4 times a week. It is lovely to be able to breathe again.
My remedy was also good for my partner. He is doing something for himself again, goes to the gym and takes better care of himself. My life keeps getting better. Before I fall asleep I imagine how I want to be. That is good. I now sleep much better.'"

Remedy: Wait

The patient received two further doses of Blatta C200 over the course of the year and feels well. No more breathing problems.

Source: Blatta orientalis (Oriental cockroach)

Themes: Social situation - feels excluded, disregarded, unrecognised, treated like dirt. Feels looked down on by other jealous people who greedily pursue fame, money and possessions. Anger, irritability and rudeness towards family members or relatives, up to hatred. Wants to be refined, groomed, cool, organised, attractive and talented. Feelings of suffocation (psychic & physical).
Loves to travel and to be pampered.

Social status:

Aversion and disgust:

Family & friends:

Summary of insect themes:

Restless, always busy, workaholic / stupor & drowsiness.

Anger and rage – has the feeling of being picked on.

Social position - how can I be noticed, recognised and regarded?

- Place in society, individual vs. group or family, living together.
- Very sensitive to the environment (allergic reactions, sharpened senses).
- Numbness, paralysis.
- Organised / chaotic.
- One-sided or change of sides.

Pregnancy / early puberty / worse in adolescence – helpful in children.
Restlessness, hurry, activity, sport, running, dancing, gymnastics.
Strong sexual desire, mania, obsession, or lack of personal contacts, lack of intimacy.
"Sensitive", touch aggravates, oversensitive to touch.
Contraction, constricting sensations, broken.
Feelings of suffocation, constriction, breathing, allergic reactions.
Burning, cutting, stabbing pains.
Acute disease onset, violent inflammations (especially meningitis).
Affinity: brain, skin, sexuality, bladder, urinary symptoms.

Dryness of moist inner body parts.

Hair, alopecia
Moon phases <
Periodicity
TB miasm
Excitement / mood swings
Lightness / fatigue and heaviness
Fresh air improves
Damp weather worsens
Hot flushes / chills
Craving for fresh juices

Small and dirty

powerless

helpless

dirty

disgusting

repulsive

ugly

terrible

creepy

inferior

low

handicapped

unnoticed

Belittled, insulted

broken

trampled down

driven into a corner

trapped

betrayed

tormented

enslaved

dominated

exploited

unfeeling

inhuman

Anger

irritable

impatient

annoyed

upset

bothered

vindictive

coarse

sarcastic

mocking

Desire to "cold-bloodedly" kill, but unable to do so because one feels small and helpless.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This article was published on www.interhomeopathy.org

Photo: © shutterstock: Macro shot of a jungle cockroach on tree trunk - kurt_G

Category: Cases

Keywords: respect, disregarded, recognition, rich and famous, envious, restricted, confined, oppressed, suffocated, breathless, allergy, allergic reactions, dirty, killed, insect, cockroach.

Remedy: Blatta orientalis