Lepomis gibbosus: the Great Lakes proving of the pumpkinseed sunfish pumpkinseed sunfish

The "pumpkinseed" is a freshwater fish found in the northeastern part of the USA from New Brunswick to South Carolina; in the New York area it is the most widespread and common fish; it is also encountered in many other parts of North America, especially in the Great Lakes region. The pumpkinseed was also introduced to Europe and is widely distributed there. Aquarists originally imported it because of its ornamental patterning and attractive colouring.

behaviour, by eating smaller pumpkinseed sunfish. In the shallow waters they typically inhabit, the fish can be found at all depths from the bottom up to just below the surface. The fish in turn serve as food for birds and mammals (including humans). The pumpkinseed sunfish has adapted to its environment in several ways. The patterning on its skin provides camouflage in the wild, as it resembles the patterns created by sunlight on ponds, lakes and streams. This clever fish has also developed a special protective feature: along the dorsal fin it has ten to eleven spines and three on the tail fin, all very sharp and offering some protection against predators.

Proving:

The sunfish used for this proving was caught in a freshwater lake in Montour Falls, New York, USA. Fins, skin, flesh and blood were used for the triturations. The proving began on 27 June 2010 in Buffalo, N.Y., USA. Five provers took part, three female and two male, all white, aged between 21 and 55, together with a supervisor.
During the trituration/proving phase the group members were very dizzy, laughed and joked. Although some provers exhibited violent tendencies and behaved intolerantly towards one another, the group laughed and was cheerful while the triturations continued. One prover spontaneously struck another, and both burst out laughing. Conversations and images revolved around stabbing, beating, fish with large teeth, an octopus destroying a submarine, fights and battles, yet the overall atmosphere in the room was relaxed. Although the provers were partly intolerant with each other, everyone was in high spirits. The proving also reflects a strong dynamic of belonging or inclusion and exclusion among the provers. There was a strong desire to belong to a group and to work together as a group, but conversely also a feeling of being separated or excluded. This theme ran throughout both proving weeks and manifested especially in the dreams. During the trituration one prover felt as if he were in another room and separated from the rest of the group. The feeling of being excluded as a result of hearing impairments or communication problems was particularly strongly expressed. During the 14 days of the proving the most pronounced physical symptoms were headaches, dizziness and nausea.

Sally Williams successfully prescribed the remedy in an Alzheimer’s case. The patient had a very "sunny" and friendly disposition. Everyone around her said what a charming and lovable person she was. Her daughter, however, reported that in her childhood her mother had been extremely cruel to her and her siblings. Her mother demanded a lot and "would beat them with a leather belt with a smiling face."

Louis Klein taught us that cannibalistic fish make good remedies for Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. Fish are known as "brain food" because of their high content of omega-3 fatty acids, but that is

not the only reason for this connection. Cannibalism is widespread among fish, and the link between prion diseases and cannibalism is known (e.g. kuru, mad cow disease and chronic wasting disease). Some researchers postulate a connection between prion diseases and other types of brain pathology such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s because of the similarities in brain protein malformations. In this remedy the psychological symptoms of Alzheimer’s and similar brain disorders are particularly present, especially problems relating to memory, concentration, speech and comprehension. The unique characteristic of the remedy is a hidden cruelty behind the façade of a "sunny" nature.

Mental / emotional themes:

- Intolerance
- Acceptance / relaxation / indifference
- Speech, comprehension difficulties
- in groups: theme: inclusion / separation
- confused / tired / unmotivated

Photos: Shutterstock
pumpkinseed sunfish
Categories: Provings
Keywords: Intolerance, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, headaches, dizziness, numbness
Remedy: Lepomis gibbosus