Anne Koller-Wilmking ¦
various remedies
spectrum of homeopathy
Problem Children ¦
Cases of our time
7
Prescription:
Homarus gammarus
M / XM
Homarus patients, like many other sea remedies, seek powerful
protection. They have the feeling that their environment does
not provide enough for their needs. They project this need onto
a creature, not necessarily human, representing a supernatural
ideal, to whom they assign strength to protect them, which can
often seem extremely superstitious. Children talk to imaginary
friends, while adults are often very afraid of the dark, which
they try to overcome by trusting their own shadow, which is a
projection of a part of themselves, for protection. Otherwise,
the themes are similar to Calcium carbonicum. It is important
to meet basic needs: food, a good home, enough money.
The physical symptoms are often similar to Oyster. In addition,
there is a feeling of constriction (as with snakes, they cannot
tolerate tight clothing); desire for fish, scampi, and other shell-
fish; milk intolerance and urticaria after eating fish (thanks to
Massimo for much of this information).
CASE 2: ten-year-old Diana, behavioral disturbances,
truancy, screaming
Diana’s mother brings her for behavioral disturbances, truancy,
and fits of screaming which can last several hours. I witness this
in my practice. She has already spent nine months in a pediatric
psychiatric hospital but without any improvement. Diana vehe-
mently refuses to enter the practice. It is December and cold
outside. Numerous loving attempts to coax and persuade her
to come inside fail – she stays out in the cold and starts to
scream at the top of her voice, working herself up into a frenzy.
Her mother says this is absolutely typical of her emotional
“states”, which occur several times a week, when she does not
want something or it does not suit her. She has to be simply left
in peace. She can come in any time she wants; this behavior
can go on for a couple of hours or more. I attempt to briefly
take the case with her mother, although the screaming outside
gets louder and louder, becoming thoroughly hysterical, so the
neighbors become alarmed. They ask what is going on and
what we are doing to the child. Others try to console her with
jelly babies or chocolate, which she brusquely refuses. She is
completely beside herself, does not want to be spoken to or
touched, and she starts hitting and kicking. Nothing can calm
her down. After about twenty minutes, I end the consultation
because I am concerned about the child outside in the cold and
she has already given a vivid non-verbal picture of her remedy.
I give the mother a dose of
Ignatia
XM to take home since
Diana refuses to take it just now.
History:
the mother was betrayed during the pregnancy by her
husband, who she long ago divorced. He spent periods in
prison, was prosecuted for human trafficking, and spent most
of his time in the red-light district. “It was a real nightmare. I
was so afraid of being on my own. It was such a disappointment,
such a shock, all the things I found out about him. I felt so
forsaken, helpless, and deep inside, I began to thoroughly hate
him. It hurt so much.”
Diana can also be a very funny, dear, sunny child. She was easy
to take care of as a baby, sweet, and almost never ill. The mother’s
experience during the pregnancy – deep grief, shock, and massive
disappointment – confirms the choice of Ignatia.
Follow-up:
for the last three months, everything has gone well,
no “tantrums”. During the first year after taking the remedy,
Diana took it two more times due to vehement fits of screaming
and truancy. She is very intelligent, is attending a good school,
and at the moment, “things are going very well.” Once a month,
she also has a session with a child and family therapist.
Repertorization
