Look at me: a case of Morinda citrifolia (fruit of the noni tree)

by Gerard Wiringa

I am sitting opposite a finely boned man who radiates self‑confidence. Two years ago he had an inguinal hernia and since then he has worked a lot on himself. He managed to change quite a few things, but he still expresses the feeling of having arrived in an in‑between world, at a rest stop where he can only briefly regain strength. "I want to become active again, but I can’t because I’m stuck."

The patient works as a producer. He is a highly creative person who does his job well. He specialises in television productions and large corporate events. "I have always done what I wanted, I’ve always pushed myself forward. I managed to live my dream. I am ambitious and have a lot of energy. I worked hard and achieved a lot in life. Everything I set out to do I succeeded in; the projects were always very successful."

The man exudes confidence; everything seems possible.

"I have organised eight large events completely on my own so far. I am very strong‑willed and I know I can do it. I can convince other people of my ideas; as soon as I sit down with my clients, they put their trust in me. Nevertheless I have great self‑doubts; that is my weak point. I keep going and going and I can’t set boundaries."

"I am a very punctual person and I can structure myself well. At the same time I worry a lot about my environment and strive to please everyone. I set no limits. I always try to do my work very well, I want to be seen and I need recognition. I even went so far as to sabotage myself. I continued to work despite the severe pain; I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. The result was an inguinal hernia that showed me things weren’t running smoothly. I had to start all over again and that is where I am now."

"In my life I have done many wonderful things, but I still had to take new paths. I am currently dealing with rest and meditation and I believe that now something very concrete can happen."

"I have very loving parents. I am the product of a very strong, well‑organised and somewhat masculine mother and an upright father who was very imaginative. I never felt part of the family. I have compensated for this feeling of not belonging with a certain presence: 'Look at me!' I also often felt guilty and was always very careful not to do anything that might upset or hurt others. I took responsibility for everything and had a good sense of what others needed. I always had to please everyone so I wouldn’t be punished if I annoyed someone. I was eager to conform and not cause a fuss."

"Actually I am quite satisfied with myself, but other people’s opinions destroy me. I can’t remain centred when I have to assert myself. My channels to the outside world are too wide open. My personal thermometer is set too high and keeps shouting: 'Evaluation, evaluation!' I always let everyone push me aside: my boss, my friends, my parents, my older sister and the authorities. My right to live depends on the judgement of others. I have to show them that I am successful and that I do my job well. But I also know that I want to feel the fire inside me, instead of always trying to please others. I have an aura that says: 'I want the whole world!' Many women find me attractive, but I’m not interested in them because I don’t know where to go. I am at a crossroads that branches a thousand ways: out there is a world full of possibilities – jobs and beautiful women are waiting. The world is at my feet, but I lack motivation."

"My mother raised me to be a superman; it was always about perfection. And that’s what I became: I’m at the top, I am content. I have done everything there is to do in the creative scene. I managed eight productions at the same time and showed no sign of tiredness. It was the manager who wore me down; he wouldn’t grant me a single free hour. He constantly shouted at me and treated me disrespectfully. It was my own fault. I hadn’t set clear enough boundaries. I wanted to reassure him in these economically difficult times and show him that I had everything under control. I worked more and more, taking his frustration and outbursts of anger onto my shoulders.
I always did everything from a certain spontaneity. I had actually never properly worked for a television production. With a little preparation and a phone call to a major production company the job fell into my lap! It’s that simple: you just have to know how to convince people. My programmes now run in 15 countries. When I left the company they had to hire 15 new people to plug the gap I left. As you can see, I achieved a lot; it only really dawned on me when I couldn’t move because of my hernia. According to my upbringing I must be Superman. I never learned to be myself. I never felt hunger or thirst, I had no basic needs. I even went to the toilet only once a day because I didn’t want to be a burden to anyone."

Analysis 665.42.13

In the system of the book ‘Wonderful Plants – A New Homeopathic Botany’ each plant is assigned a sequence of numbers. The first digit corresponds to the division.

6 – The Angiospermae (also called angiosperms or flowering plants)
Attributes assigned to the Angiospermae are: lively, sensitive, no third person involved (i.e. they do not feel attacked from outside), there are multiple themes in the patient’s life. These attributes correspond to the plant kingdom and the division of the Angiospermae. The Angiospermae stand for the gold series, the sixth row of the periodic system.

66 – Asteranae
The second digit denotes the class, which also refers to the rows of the periodic system. 66 therefore corresponds to the Angiospermae (6), with an emphasis on the lanthanides (gold series, 6).
Lanthanides: always follow their own path, strive for autonomy. Reflective. Look beyond their own plate. Can think on a large scale. Concerned with the big things in life, with great inventions.
66, Asteranae: proactive, reflective; acts on their own initiative.

665 – Lamiidae
The third digit denotes the subclass analogous to the series in the periodic system.
665 = silver series (5) of the lanthanides (6) within the Angiospermae (6).
Silver series: being at the centre of attention. Recognition.
665 Lamiidae: On the one hand there is a great desire to present oneself and to be seen as special. On the other hand this desire for outstanding achievement and recognition is critically examined.

665.4 – Rubiales
The fourth digit denotes the phase. The phases correspond to the orders within the botanical hierarchy and reflect the patient’s basic attitude.
665.4 = phase 4 of the Lamiidae.
Phase 4: self‑confident, self‑assured. Everything is taken for granted.
665.4 Rubiales: good self‑confidence, feel secure and recognised. They take the right to a good and creative job for granted. Strong desire to contribute and to receive recognition for it.

665.42 Rubioideae
The fifth digit denotes the subphase, which corresponds in biological nomenclature to the suborder or botanical family. The subphases can be seen as a refinement of the phases; they help differentiate the fundamental themes but do not define them.
665.42 = subphase 2 of the Rubiales.
Subphase 2: passive, compliant, adapts; works hard to gain recognition.
665.42 Rubioideae: duality between self‑confidence and shyness, on the one hand wanting to go one’s own way and on the other having to adapt.

The sixth digit brings us to the stages (1–17), which correspond to the botanical genera. The stage shows how someone deals with their problems.

665.42.13

Stage 13 of the Rubioideae. Stage 13: the peak has been reached, now one is stuck and postpones the inevitable.

Prescription: 665.42.13 = Morinda citrifolia MK

Follow‑up after 4 weeks

"On the first day after I took the remedy I felt like I was on drugs. Everything was colourful. I saw colourful animals, butterflies on my arm, people greeted me kindly. On the second day I had to chill out and relax in the hammock. Since then the universe has given me exactly the energy I need. At the moment I am very busy. I have lots of ideas but can’t really implement any of them properly."

Follow‑up after 10 and 16 weeks

"My energy is back. I no longer stand in my own way. I now focus on the opportunities open to me and don’t just see the obstacles. If I were to compare myself to a rose, I could say I was a large, promising blossom that gave a lot but wasn’t sturdy enough. You could almost see the break when the stem snapped. The blossom was so large, so lush. Now I feel as though I am taking root, which gives me a strong and independent sense of self‑worth. My rose is now smaller, at least outwardly, but my roots are stronger and I let more energy flow into my inner self. My flower used to be too large, in the sense of: 'Look at me!' In the past I was very vulnerable, felt injured in my right to exist; so much so that I always had to make my flower head more luxuriant. 'Look at me standing here in the limelight!' All the while I was only exploiting myself. Today I shine from my inner conviction. The energy stays with me.

"Already at seven years old I was dealing with connections. I had invented a kind of wake‑up system for our whole street. It worked with marbles. I just had to pull a string and the marbles started to click and all the children knew they should come to our garden. Then I would let them into the garden and we would play tag. If you jumped over the seesaw you were in another world and you couldn’t be caught anymore."

"I used to do jigsaw puzzles for hours. Today I can spend hours on quality management, with all the components involved; sometimes there are 50 sheets spread out on the floor; the more complex the problem, the more I appreciate the challenge.
At school I tinkered with chemical formulas. I got a 10 (top grade) in the final exam. I constantly invent something new. I could talk about it all the time. My key concept is communication, preferably international communication, something that can be used by everyone. I want to inspire people through dialogue and reach them on an emotional level. Inspiration connects people. Inspiration makes people authentic, gives them roots. It creates space for a better, more beautiful society in which people treat one another with respect, connect with others and gain depth. It is so complex that it cannot be created as one big whole. I can now handle it better, I can also keep it to myself and don’t always have to seek attention: 'Look here, here I am.' Now it is my thing, my very own puzzle and I will present it only when it is finished. Then it will be ready. In the past I was ashamed of my grand ideas. Today I think differently, along the lines of: 'Open the box and let your thoughts grow even bigger.'"

"I compare myself to a horse. I don’t just protect myself, but the whole herd. I am a fighter; for others I will do anything. Previously I fought exclusively for the interests of others (my boss, my parents, in my relationship) without protecting myself. I always felt like an underdog and didn’t notice when I was given recognition. That cost me a lot of energy. I was so ashamed of my imagination that I had to hide it. I only worked on my foundation; now I can network with the outside world because I am proud of who I am. I am happy to make my contribution, that I am not an obstacle but a driving force. I like to give and do so from conviction (roots), rather than wearing myself out (blossom)."

"Over the last two years I had already worked a lot on myself, but only the homeopathic remedy gave me peace and self‑confidence. I no longer have to fight for my place. I no longer feel like an obstacle. I don’t have to convince anyone. I am fine as I am. I can create space out of my being to connect with others. That is the basis of my invention, a platform for communication."

"I used to have to put myself on display to be seen; I had to fight for my right to exist. Now I have found myself. My goal is to remain open and connected to myself."

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This article was published on www.interhomeopathy.org.

Photos: shutterstock.com © Sergey Nivens, shutterstock.com © munalin

Category: Cases
Keywords: self‑confidence, ambition, inguinal hernia, creativity, willpower, superman, self‑critical.
Remedy: Morinda citrifolia.