Spinnen
Anhang c
[Shrikant Talari]
Discusion of indications for spider remedies and
references cases to illustrate.
Spiders
are one of the most interesting and wonderful animals on earth. A lot of spider
remedies are a huge part of our daily practice, and today I would like to share
with you my experiences in using spider remedies. I am going to give the mental
themes, physical generals, physical particulars and pathologies in which it is
useful.
To
understand mental themes, I find this video “Peacock Spider Mating Dance” on
YouTube very interesting and a good reference point to observe the behaviour
and mind set of a patient needing a spider remedy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3HlwwJG85c
Following
are the Salient features:
Threat
If
you have seen the video you will observe the spider has constant threat from
everything outside: it can get killed any moment, even mating is a threat to
life.
One
of my first patients from practice was a small child who was very restless,
moving about, playing a lot in the clinic. Brought to me by his grandmother.
She was very concerned that the child was so busy playing he hardly eats
anything: he does not even come home to eat even a single meal the whole day.
I
asked her how does she manage so much activity without food and she replied , “
I observed him eating mud and chalk” (Pica)
She
continues, “ I bring him home to eat food, and he will not eat just refuses”
I
asked the child, “ Why do you not eat ?”
He
replied, “Ah, none of your business: do you want to get hit?”
I
was surprised by his answer and his threat to hit me, when I asked a reasonable
question. I took the rubrics-
Generalities
– Food and Drinks – Sand – desires – TARENT, Sil
Threatening – TARENT, hepar, stram
Restlessness, hyperactivity is a known feature of Tarent-h.
I
gave the child – Tarent-h. 1M One dose. The grand
mother called me. Immediately after reaching home, he child said “I am hungry,
can you give me food.”
Spider
remedies use a lot of threat in their language and behaviour, I will hit you,
strike you, do not interfere or talk to me or question me. Spider remedies just
like to contradict for the sake of it, any interference is perceived as a
threat even if it is a reasonable question. Therefore, another important rubric
for this group in CONTRARY.
CONTRARY
is someone who opposes, goes against without reason. Contradiction has some
reason. Getting into arguments, fights with others is a common feature of
spider behaviour.
Constant Restlessness
Another
important aspect is constant relentless in threat or restlessness or
hyperactivity. It’s like if you rest you are dead, it’s the end of your life,
like we see in the mating video.
They
have to do something that is attractive, colourful and rhythmic, dance, to
constantly have the opposite persons attention, to keep him entertained and
engaged or else you are dead. You have to dance for your life.
Unrequited love
One of the important symptoms of spiders is ailments from unrequited
love – Tarent-h.. It means I put a lot of effort to seek the
love and attention of the other person
but
I get completely ignored, neglected.
Agony of death approaching:
I
once saw an 11-year- old child with medulloblastoma,
operated twice with relapse of cancer. He was not ready to meet me and when I
met him he was very angry at me
and
started kicking me, hitting and used swear words. He said, “ You dog get
lost from here”.
The
parents said, “ We are sorry doctor but he keeps using these swear words in
fever, in fact for hours he will constantly keep uttering abusive swear words.”
I
kept the child under my observation for one full day to see what happens. He
got a fever spike of 104 F in an hour and started shouting loudly all kinds of
bad words
non-stop
for 2 hours.
There
was one more thing he was saying in between, “I am dead now, I am going to die,
I am going to die.”
Rubrics
I took:
Abusive,
insulting (113) (Complete repertory)
Mind: CURSING, swearing, desires: threatening destruction and death (2): tarent., culx-p. (Complete
repertory)
Mind: CURSES: threatening destruction and death (1): tarent.
(Kneer’s repertory)
M: Mind: AGONY, anguish: death, agony before (12): Acon.,
alum., Ars., 2carc., cocc.,
cupr., 3Lat-m., puls.,
2rhus-t., 3Tarent., 2tarent-c., 2verat. (Murphy’s Repertory)
What
I want to highlight here is constant hectic activity in the form of abuse,
cursing, hitting, striking, violence along with the the
feeling of death approaching . It’s like the spider even after
mating knew it’s going to die and death was always in front of it.
With
other symptoms like teasing and laughing at others this child got the remedy – Aran-i. There was a drastic improvement in his
suffering and pain, his fear disappeared, he become conscious, started eating
food. The remedy gave him a good palliative relief for 1 month. It was a very
advanced pathology with very little hope.
Spiders
are very important remedies for advanced pathologies like cancer, gangrenous
ulcers with very little hopes for survival where death is imminent. Good
remedies for euthanasia.
Mischievousness, Hiding, Trickery, Feigning sick
The
same child with medulloblastoma had other aspects
like teasing, making fun of his friends and laughing at them. When the
mother of other children would come he would run and hide himself in the house
and act as if he did nothing.
He
was very jealous that other kids have a bicycle, and he wanted his father to
buy one for him immediately on that very day, he just wouldn’t wait. He kept
crying till he got the bicycle.
He
would never like his mother giving food to his friends when they come home. He
would cry, throw tantrums about it. He felt this was very unfair and wrong for
them to receive anything from his mother. He would get really angry and cry.
Jealousy, competition, comparison and impulsive. Impulsive in a way to hit, abuse,
want or desire something now in this very moment are other important aspects.
Impulsive laughter where the mother of this child would laugh about
serious matters too. This she said was impulsive, she just could not
control herself from giggling, laughing about everything.
He
loved playing but when it was school time he would have stomachache,
start crying, yelling. Once the school bus was gone the pain was also gone. If
parents became angry, he would say there is pain but would later sit in a
corner and laugh hiding his face, but give the parents an impression as if he
is crying. These kind of tricks, fun that he fooled someone is very spider
like.
Feigning sickness, trickery, mischievousness, teasing, making fun of
others.
(Mobbing)
As remedies in daily practice
I
find these remedies very useful in daily paediatric practice for conditions
like autism, ADHD, atopic dermatitis. You will find the above behaviour in the
child. Here I would like to highlight the symptoms during fever.
FEVER:-
The fever is generally very slow to develop and it will reach high grade of 102
– 104F in 2 days of the child starting to develop symptoms. It may start with
cold, cough, feverish feeling, the fever will hit high grade 102-104F in 2
days, but then the main thing the mother will complain of is complete
loss of appetite. The child does not want to even breast feed. The
only thing the child will have is fruits and fruit juices.
Desires for Fruits and fruit drinks during fever is a very strong symptom of
spiders.
We
already discussed the desire for sand, mud etc.
CONSTIPATION
– Very severe constipation where the patient does not pass stools for days
together. After 2-3 days the child has to pass stool with a lot of pain.
He
sits in the corner, hiding under a table trying to strain and pass stool. This
I find is again a keynote symptom of Tarentula H.
HEADACHE
– Another symptom is headache better by smoking.
HYPERSENSITIVE
– All spider remedies are hypersensitive to all external stimuli like noise,
light, touch, smell.
I
remember a case of a 28 year old boy who had headache from the noise of someone
fighting or loud music, light on his eyes. He would get up and start hitting
people or shouting at them in anger due to headache. This headache was better
by smoking. He was significantly better by the remedy Aranea
Diadema.
Pathologies
We
already discussed its role in irreversible pathologies like cancer, gangrenous
ulcers. They are also very useful in chorea, twitching, convulsions, Parkinsons etc.
CONVULSIONS
– where the patient is getting convulsion only when people are present, and
gets intense as people start giving attention along with complete loss of
appetite. This is very peculiar to spiders. Convulsions where the patient says
he loses consciousness but is aware of things that happened when they were
unconscious. (feigning sickness). Convulsions with backache or spine
disorders.
PARKINSON
or other irreversible neurological disorders – where there is constant
talking by the patient, non stop day and night. That is spider remedies. Mygale Lasidora is a very
important remedy chorea, Parkinson’s.
HEART
– Congenital disorders like septal defects in heart.
I remember one child who did really well of the remedy Latrodectus
Mactans for this condition. One symptom I found
peculiar in him and other spiders is wanting to sit on corners or put his hand
and feet under things. While sleeping the child would burrow his hands under
the mother or father. This aspect of finding corners is also a feature
in spiders.
VERTIGO:
We all know Theridion for this condition. The
following rubrics have at least 3 spider remedies in each of them.
RUBRICS with
at least 3 spider remedies– (Complete Repertory 2012)
vertigo: CLOSING eyes: agg.: nausea, with (5)
mind: DANCING: amel. (14)
mind: DELUSIONS, imaginations: heavy, is (21)
mind: DREAMS: clothing (13)
mind: DREAMS: eyes (16)
mind: DREAMS: hiding (28)
mind: DREAMS: hiding: danger, from (19)
mind: FEAR: panic attacks, overpowering: death, before (16)
mind: GESTURES, makes: wringing hands (20)
head: INTERNAL: sleep: falling asleep, on (24)
abdomen: PAIN: hypogastrium: stool: amel. after (13)
speech & voice: DIFFICULT speech: chorea, from (15)
cough: DRINKING: amel. (27)
blood: LEUKOCYTS: increased in number (26)
extremities: MOTION, motions: control lost (16)
extremities: MOTION, motions: irregular (22)
skin: CARIES, necrosis (8)
generalities: INTOXICATION, after: anesthetics,
antidote to (17)
generalities: SMOKING: amel. (35)
generalities: TOBACCO: amel. (39)
clinicalC: EUTHANASIA, for (23)
Bezugsquellen: www.remedia.at,
www.leonardo-apo.de
Die Klasse der Spinnentiere (Arachnida) umfasst 10 Ordnungen: eine davon ist die Ordnung der Webspinnen (Araneae) mit ca. 41.000 Arten, auch als „Echte Spinnen“ bezeichnet. Eine kurze Recherche 02/2010 von den „Echten Spinnen“ sind über 40 Spezies erhältlich. Die andere 9 Ordnungen beinhalten Spinnentiere von den Ordnungen
der Skorpione, Milben und Weberknechte.
Ordnung Areaneae
Unterordnung Araneomorphae
Überfamilie: Radnetzspinnen (Araneoidea)
Familie: (echte) Radnetzspinnen (Araneidae)
Araniella cucurbitinus, Kürbisspinne
Araneus diadematus, Gartenkreuzspinne
Araneus ixobola, Schwarze Kreuzspinne, Brückenkreuzspinne
Araneus sclopetarius, Brückenkeuzspinne (Araneus ixobola ähnLICH, aber eigene Art)
Araneus umbricatus, Spaltenkreuzspinne
Familie: Baldachinspinnen (Linyphiidae)
Linyphia triangularis: eine Besonderheit der Baldachinspinnen die Männchen halten sich nach der Paarung noch mehrere Stunden lang im Netz des Weibchens.
Lace webbed spider (Amaurobius)
Body type: Large, dark and imposing, with
strong legs. Unlike other guys, I sometimes carry sperm externally on my pedipalps.
Would like to meet: A girl who will let me move
in with her before I’m ready to mate - we have to get to know each other first.
To earn your trust I will rub my back legs together to send you some good
vibrations. But when our babies hatch, you must be prepared for them to eat
you.
Pisaura mira (=
Nursery web spider (Pisaura mira)
Body type: Flat and
long. I may look like those scary wolf spiders, but I’m actually a sensitive
guy.
Perfect date: I’ll bring you a nuptial gift of
your favourite prey, and may even perform a dance for you. But while you’re
enjoying your meal, I may just get down to business.
Would like to meet: A girl who will build a web
nest especially for our young, despite being a free-roaming independent woman.
She can’t be too sentimental though - our kids may eat each other after
hatching.
Familie: Kugelspinnen, Haubennetzspinnen (Theridiidae)
Latrodectus geometricus, Braune Witwe
Latrodectus hasselti, Rotrückenspinne, Australische Witwenspinne
Latrodectus katipo, Neuseeland-Witwe
Latrodectus
mactans, Schwarze Witwe
Theridion
curassavicum (Latrodectus curacaviensis), Orangenspinne, Curacaospinne
Theridion tepidariorum (Parasteatoda tepidariorum), Gewächshaus-Kugelspinne
Familie: Seidenspinnen (Nephilidae)
Nephila ssp., Riesenradnetzspinne: eine nicht näher spezifizierte Art aus der Gattung der Seidenspinnen.
Familie: Streckerspinnen (Tetragnathidae)
Tetragnatha extensa, Gemeine Streckerspinne
Überfamilie: Salticoidea
Familie: Springspinnen (Salticidae)
Marpissa muscosa, Rindenspringspinne
Salticus scenicus, Zebraspringspinne: ihren Namen verdankt die Zebraspringspinne zum einen der hüpfenden Fortbewegung und zum anderen ihrer schwarz-weißen Zeichnung.
Überfamilie: Agelenoidea
Familie: Trichterspinnen (Agelenidae)
Tegenaria atrica, Hauswinkelspinne, Große Winkelspinne
Familie: Gebirgstrichterspinnen (Cybaeidae)
Argyroneta aquatica, Wasserspinne: die einzige Spinne, die permanent unter Wasser lebt. Weitere Informationen
Überfamilie: Pholciformia
Familie: Zitterspinnen (Pholcidae)
Pholcus phalangoides, Große Zitterspinne: Prüfungsprotokoll siehe www.hikh.de/pdf/PholcusPDF.pdf
Überfamilie: Lycosoidea
Familie: Wolfspinnen (Lycosidae)
Tarentula hispanica (Lycosa tarantula), eine Tarantelart
Familie: Kammspinnen (Ctenidae)
Ancylometes bogotensis, Wasserjagdspinne: läuft auf der Wasseroberfläche, kann aber auch über 30 Min. lang tauchen. Aufgrund der Oberflächenstruktur ihrer Haare sowie deren chemischen Eigenschaften, bleibt sie bei einem Tauchgang völlig trocken.
Familie: Raubspinnen (Pisauridae)
Pisaura mirabilis, Listspinne
Überfamilie: Scytodoidea
Familie: Sicariidae (früher: Loxoscelidae)
Loxosceles sp.: Die Gifte der Arten der Gattung Loxosceles haben deutliche nekrotische Effekte („Loxoscelismus“).
Loxosceles laeta: diese nichtaggressive Spinne gilt als Loxosceles-Art mit dem gefährlichsten Biss, zumal kein echtes Antidot bekannt ist. Das Gift verursacht schwere Gewebeschäden.
Loxosceles reclusa, Braune Einsiedlerspinne: die nekrotische Erscheinung eines Bisses kann verwechselt werden mit einer Staphylococcus aureus-Infektion.
Der Biss ist am Anfang ziemlich schmerzlos, nach einigen Std. wird die Wunde zunehmend schmerzhafter. Eine Beschreibung auf 14 Seiten findet sich in der
Materia medica „Klinischer Fokus“ von Louis Klein.
Überfamilie: Clubioniformia
Familie: Dornfingerspinnen (Miturgidae) [Zugehörigkeit zur Familie der Sackspinnen (Clubionidae) wird diskutiert.]
Cheiracanthium punctorium, Ammen-Dornfinger: neben der Wasserspinne (Argyroneta aquatica) die einzige mitteleuropäische Spinne, Biss mit spürbaren Folgen:
Schmerzen, Jucken, Schwellungen, Übelkeit und leichtes Fieber: die Symptome verschwinden nach wenigen Tagen.
Überfamilie: Gnaphosoidea
Familie: Lamponidae
Lampona cylindrata, white-tailed Spider
Überfamilie: Thomisoidea
Familie: Krabbenspinnen (Thomisidae)
Diaea dorsata, Grüne Krabbenspinne
Misumena vatia, Veränderliche Krabbenspinne. Zum Beutefang hält sich diese Spezies auf Blüten auf. Adulte Weibchen sind in der Lage, ihre Körperfarbe an
weiße, gelbe oder grünliche Blatt- oder Blütenfarben anzupassen. Kamäleon xßx
Myglomorphae = Vogelspinnartige
Überfamilie: Avicularoidea
Familie: Vogelspinnen (Theraphosidae)
Acanthoscuria geniculata, Weißknie-Vogelspinne
Avicularia metallica, Rotfußvogelspinne
Brachypelma smithi, Mexikanische Rotknie-Vogelspinne
Brachypelma vagans, Schwarzrote Vogelspinne
Citharischius crawshayi: recht aggressiv, die bei sich Bedrohung und Störung schnell drohend aufbäumt und auch sehr schnell beißt: Körperlänge bis 9 cm.
Grammostola rosea,
Rote Chile-Vogelspinne
Mygale lasiodora (Mygale avicularis, Avicularia avicularia), eine kubanische Vogelspinne
Psalmopoeus pulcher, Baumvogelspinne
Pterinochilus murinus,
Rote Usambara-Vogelspinne
Tarentula cubensis (Mygale cubensis), eine kubanische Vogelspinne, „kubanische Tarantel“
Theraphosa leblondisinum, Riesenvogelspinne, Goliath-Vogelspinne: bis 12 cm Körperlänge und 170 gr. Gewicht.
Überfamilie: Hexatheloidea
Familie: Röhrenvogelspinnen (Hexathelidae)
Atrax robustus, Sydney-Trichternetzspinne:
Aranea scinencia, eine graue Spinne. Wurde früher zur Familie der Haubennetzspinnen (Theridiidae) gerechnet, aber spinnt keine Netze!
Tela aranearum, Spinnenetz. Spezies kann je nach Arzneihersteller variieren: manchmal auch eine Mischung der Spinnenseiden mehrerer Arten.
Scorpiones
Bei den Skorpionen scheinen sich gegenüber den Spinnen die misantroph-einzelgängerischen, hartherzigen und aggressiven Aspekte gegenüber den Spinnen noch
deutlicher abzubilden. Erhältlich:
Androctonus amurreuxi
hebraeus,
Buthus australis,
Scorpio europaeus,
Hadogenes paucideus.
Acari
Bekanntest ist die Krätzemilbe = Psorinum, die in der Homöopathie in der Regel lediglich unter dem Blickwinkel einer Nosode betrachtet wird.
Trombidium muscae domesticae (Stubenfliegemilbe)
Sarcoptes canis (Hunderäude),
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Hausstaubmilbe) und einige weitere Milben.
Opiliones = Weberknechte
Im homöopathischen Bild von Phalangium opilio, dem Weberknecht, finden sich deutliche Spinnenelemente,
Phalangium opilio =
Weberknecht/= Harvestman/= Spinnenkanker/kann Pfoten nachwachsen
lassen. Arachnida
The
practice of homeopathy is rewarding especially because of its ability to create
transformation in the health and well-being of an individual. After years of
practice,
a
homeopath is able to witness the incredible health enhancement stimulated by a
well-selected remedy.
It
is also challenging because, as Samuel Hahnemann has written, the
homeopathic physician must be able to perceive what is to be healed in the
individual. To perceive what is to be healed in the contemporary homeopathic
patient, often presenting with multiple suppressive treatments, complex
environmental challenges, and layers of emotional trauma, can sometimes seem
like attempting to untie the Gordian Knot.
Due
to this dilemma, many skilled homeopaths of our time often turn to different
methods of perceiving patients and our remedies. These methods do not replace
the classical systems that any skilled homeopath has integrated into his or her
very being. They enrich and supplement those time-tested methods when what is
received in case taking fails to reveal a curative remedy.
After
many years of homeopathic practice, the method that I have found to enhance my
ability to find a good remedy and follow patients on their healing journey has
been Jungian psychology. That is not to say that I practice psychology, but
rather that I use much of what psychologist Carl Jung has contributed
to better understand my clients.
This
includes an appreciation of the role of the collective unconscious and its
archetypal contents in forming the mental, emotional, and physical state of the
individual and, especially, how these forces can be revealed in dreams. I have
also learned that our remedies, the subtle form of myriad substances, have an
archetypal dimension that can homeopathically mirror
those qualities within the psyche of an individual.
Archetypes, Plato, and Jung
According
to Jung, archetypes are invisible predispositions that make up the collective
unconscious, and are most probably related to basic human needs and instincts.
They
are invisible, but stimulate imagery that results in archetypal symbols.
While
Jung brought this concept into the practice of psychology, the idea of
archetypes date back to Plato who spoke of them as invisible forms or
ideas that made up the world of the soul prior to incarnation. According to
Plato’s Theory of Forms, the philosopher can develop the skill of perceiving
the world of forms with his mind’s eye through the use of dialectic and
learning to recognize the abstract qualities common to groups of things.
Plato’s
idea is somewhat similar to recognizing the themes and motifs present in groups
of remedies. We can look at the process as going from an understanding of
the individual remedy to the particular biological kingdom or placement on the
periodic table and continually refining this view until we come to the
archetypal level. At the archetypal level we connect with the symbolic and
mythological meaning of the substance itself, and ultimately, with the
archetype that is stimulating these motifs and imagery.
Plato’s
dialectic is a process of questioning that leads to a remembering of what has
been forgotten or anamnesis. Accordingly, this process leads the
philosopher to a discovery of true knowledge. We could say that this
questioning and open listening is what is done in a well-taken case.
This
truth, according to Plato, exists as universal forms or ideas that serve as the
template for the more specific forms and ideas that make up the world. Similarly
a successful homeopathic anamnesis leads both the patient and the homeopath to
the truth as to what needs to be healed and the concomitant healing substance. But
Plato is a philosopher, not a physician. It is Jung who brought the idea of the
archetype into the healing profession. He admits to “borrowing” the term
archetype from St. Augustine, and acknowledges Plato as its true philosophical
source.
“In Plato, however, an
extraordinarily high value is set on the archetypes as metaphysical ideas, as
‘paradigms’ or models, while real things are held to be only the copies of
these model ideas. Medieval philosophy, from the time of St. Augustine –
from whom I have borrowed the idea of the archetype – down to Malebranche and
Bacon, still stands on a Platonic footing in this respect.”
Jung,
however, makes a distinction between Plato’s ideal forms and the further
development of this idea. This distinction is important to the understanding of
how Jung saw the relationship between archetypes and human consciousness. They
are not idealized forms accessible only to the most sublime philosopher, but an
inherent part of human consciousness.
“But in scholasticism, we find the notion that archetypes are natural
images engraved on the human mind, helping to form its judgments.” (CW8 par 275)
While
familiar with and stimulated by philosophical ideas about archetypes, Jung
became intimately connected with them through his clinical experience working
with mentally ill patients. It was in the dreams and delusions of these
patients that he saw the archetypal forces of the psyche.
Archetypal
symbols from ancient myths appeared in the visions and dreams of persons who
had no previous contact with this realm. Through understanding that these
symbols were emerging not from the conscious mind, nor from the individual
unconscious, but from the collective unconscious that he began to perceive the
relationship between the individual and the archetypal realm.
Once
he understood this, he was able to help his patients by respecting and working
with the reality of these forces. In those who were deeply disturbed or even
schizophrenic, these symbols emerged during visions and hallucinations. In
those who were healthier, the images appeared mainly in dreams.
However
these symbols and motifs appeared, Jung respected them and saw them as a key to
the patients’ recovery. He discerned, that there was an archetype at the core
of
the
complex of physical and mental symptoms exhibited by his patients. It was the
archetype itself that generated the symbols and motifs of his patients.
While
there are infinite numbers of archetypes, there are some that are met again and
again in clinical practice. These are the Shadow, the opposite sex
figures of the Animus
in
a woman and Anima in a man, and the Self or transpersonal
aspect, as well as the Great Mother. (see glossary)
In
the homeopathic anamnesis, being attentive to, and allowing symbolic material
to emerge, leads the patient inward and enables that which was not conscious to
be revealed. The gateway to this inner world is through dreams. However, for a
dream to reveal it’s meaning, the homeopath must be sensitive to the symbolic
language of the psyche and encourage the dreamer’s own reflection upon it.
An
effective method of dream analysis is to ask the dreamer what each specific
image in the dream means. It is important to resist the temptation to follow
ones own interpretation, as this is essentially meaningless to the
case. If the patient has difficulty relating to the
dream and its symbolism, we can ask what a particular symbol looks like or what
it means to them in daily life.
Another
useful technique is to ask what the dream would mean if the dreamer were to see
all the parts of a dream as their own inner landscape. This has the tendency to
turn the mind inward and introduce the idea that there is much going on within.
A
very large percentage of dreams are actually about dynamics between archetypal
figures within the psyche. For the purpose of understanding the inner life of
the individual, waking dreams, visions and delusions can be considered dreams.
Any
dream can be the key to a case, but the most significant dreams are those that
are remembered from childhood, particularly if they are repetitive or have made
a strong impression on the dreamer. Also important are repetitive dreams in
general or those that occur just before the initial consultation.
Homeopaths
wishing to work with the dreams of patients, will find it helpful to be aware
of their own dreams. Keeping a dream journal and reflecting upon dreams, makes
the
mind more receptive to the dreams of others. It appears that the psyche has its
own wisdom and when the homeopath has attuned his or her psyche to the dream
state and its symbolic language the psyche of the patient will respond by
communicating though dreams that enhance the homeopathic process.
This
is not much different from the fact that when someone is an attentive listener,
people will tell much more about themselves. Conversely, people rarely
waste their time speaking deeply to someone who is not listening to them.
Polarity, Paradox, and the Shadow
The
idea that the psyche has its own intelligence may, at first, seem unusual or
even absurd. This is because most contemporary cultures, especially in the
west, function primarily from an extroverted and logical perspective. Therefore
the inner life remains unconscious and knowledge of how the psyche operates is
relegated to the collective shadow.
Even
so, the psyche continually attempts to make itself known though symbolic
gestures, most commonly through dream imagery. The unconscious, as the polar
opposite of the conscious mind, is continually compensating for conscious
activity and dreams are the vehicle for its message. It is this polarity
that brings about the dynamic energy of life and, as Jung tells us, we ignore
it at our peril.
“It has become abundantly
clear to me that life can flow forward only along the path of the
gradient. But there is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites;
hence it is necessary to discover the opposite to the attitude of the conscious
mind. ………..Seen from the one-sided point of view of the conscious attitude, the
shadow is an inferior component of the personality and is consequently
repressed through intensive resistance. But the repressed content must be
made conscious so as to produce a tension of opposites, without which no
forward movement is possible. The conscious mind is on top, the shadow
underneath, and just as high always longs for low, and hot for cold,
so all consciousness,
perhaps without being aware of it, seeks its unconscious opposite, lacking
which it is doomed to stagnation, congestion, and ossification. Life is
born
only of the spark of
opposites.”
This
one-sided view, the loss of awareness of the dynamics between conscious and
unconscious is a factor, if not a major cause, of disease within the mind and
body.
The
more the organism falls into crises, the more essential it is to heed the cry
of the unconscious. The opposites are the yin and yang of life. The yin
is the inner, unconscious wisdom, or what we might call mythos,
the yang the outer, conscious, logical aspect or logos.
Both
mythos and logos play an
equal part in case taking and analysis. We are utilizing logos when we ask for
food cravings, modalities, family history, etc. The logos dimension of case
analysis is a careful weaving of physical, mental, and general symptoms and the
use of repertorization.
Mythos, on the other hand, is often ignored because
of the previously mentioned prejudice towards logical thinking. Logos
comes naturally because of cultural indoctrination. For most, the
utilization of mythos must be learned
through contemplation of the symbols within dreams and synchronistic
experiences, although some individuals, more naturally lean towards the
symbolic realm.
Mythos is employed by listening to a patient’s
dreams, encouraging them to speak of childhood dreams, and watching for
synchronistic events both within the anamnesis and the events leading up to and
during the consultation. Eventually, it is possible to perceive the entire
anamnesis as one dream, full of symbolic content.
Once
immersed in the symbolic realm, it is likely that one will encounter the
phenomenon of paradox. The illogical nature of paradox is often abhorred by the
ego and the rational mind. This enigmatic aspect of the symbolic realm is,
however, an important clue to the essence of what is happening within the
dynamics of the mind and body. Jung felt that the ability to accept paradox was
an important part of human development, both intellectually and spiritually.
“only the paradox comes anywhere near to comprehending the
fullness of life. Non-ambiguity and non-contradiction are one-sided and
thus unsuited to express the incomprehensible.”[iv]
Paradoxical
signs, symptoms, and ideas should not be dismissed but explored as an important
clue in the homeopathic case. For example, if the patient mentions wanting to
run away from his house, and has a repetitive dream of trying to get back to
that house, it is worthwhile to explore this paradoxical situation.
The
idea of “house” becomes symbolic and can be explored as if it were part of the
waking as well as the sleeping dream. In some cases, it may lead to a remedy
where the idea of “house” is important as in Melanie Grimes’ proving of Allende meteorite.
Integration of Mythos and Logos
Once
the ability to perceive a case from these two differing and complementary
perspectives is developed, a reconciliation of opposites can occur. Mythos and logos intertwine, giving increased possibility
for seeing the “red thread that runs through the case.”
During
this process, every attempt must be made on the part of the homeopath, to keep
the ego out of the way and remain open to all possibilities. Each case is
different and has its own way to be seen. Therefore, one form of analysis
should not be favored. Some cases are seen more
logically, others lend to being seen mythically. Frequently, it is the
integration of both perspectives that leads to a deep understanding of the
central issue and the curative remedy.
While
pathology must be seen from a logical, scientific point of view, it is often
also part of the mythic theme that is lived by individual. The required remedy
may also have a mythic theme. It may be hidden within the historical
medical use of the substance, or its appearance within ancient or modern myth.
Following the Healing Process
While
much has be taught on how to perceive the direction of cure in homeopathy, in
reality, changes that occur can be quite subtle and confused by events within
the life of the patient. Here is where dreams can be extremely helpful. Dreams
that occur right after taking a remedy can reveal the results of a remedy long
before other symptoms change.
For
instance, resolution of trauma is often shown by a change in a repetitive
dream. One such dream comes to mind where a woman’s repetitive dream of a
perpetrator of childhood abuse changed after the remedy. In the past, the
dreamer had always felt vulnerable in the dream. After the remedy, the dream
occurred and she called 911. (emergency services in the United States).
When
there is a good therapeutic relationship between the patient and the homeopath,
he or she will have dreams that continue to bring forward the action of the
remedy and indicate a possible second prescription. As this process
continues, the conscious and unconscious become more integrated. This enriches
the action of the remedy as it leads to the reconciliation of opposites and a
more dynamic experience of life.
A Case of Fear and Anxiety
The
following is a brief synopsis of a case and although the woman’s chief complaint
was successfully resolved, I am not presenting it as a complete cure as the
follow up is only two years. I believe that the deepest issues in the case have
not yet been addressed. This will become clearer as we review her
story and study the archetypal dimensions of the remedy she was given.
The
patient is a slim, attractive, thirty-nine year old woman with the chief
complaint of fear and anxiety.
She
has been taking anti-anxiety medications for many years. The anxiety symptoms
are as follows:
“My life consists of feeling panic.”
Claustrophobia
“To be locked up or in an elevator makes me panic.”
Fear
around a lot of people
Fear
of cancer or some other horrible disease
“Used to feel like I couldn’t take a breath.”
Feeling
of restriction in lungs, chest.
When
asked about her childhood she replies:
“My father was very loving but he was very violent. I was hyperactive as
a child.
When I did something wrong, he beat me. I was so fearful I would pee in my pants.
When I was seven years old my mother left him & I lived with my mother. I
fought with my father until I was fifteen years old and then he
died in an accident. Someone just came up to me and said –“your father died.” Before
this I was brave – not much fear. When I saw my father dead in the casket – the fears started.”
“My mother was a
very selfish person. She never wanted to have children. She would
tell me and
my sister that we ruined her life. I moved away finally. I feel like I
crossed
a desert filled
with monsters and now I’m in a new place. But I can’t change my mother.
I would like a
new mother.”
“I’m fast – I get
irritated when other people are not as fast. Very fast. And
perfectionist. I clean
the house often. Everything has to be lined up. As a child, I had
allergies – had to take shots. It was always worse when things were dirty
so I like to have everything clean.
Childhood Dreams
I
ask her if she remembers any dreams from her childhood.
“I have many dreams.”
“Before my father died – the night before – I dreamed of a waterfall but it was
a waterfall of blood next to my bed.”
When
asked about the dream, she can’t relate to the specifics, but gives some very
interesting comments about her dreams in general.
“I always dream of people who I knew who have died. Once, I dreamed that a
person I knew was
electrocuted by high tension wires. I could see the high #
wires and he was hanging from them.”
General
symptoms:
“I feel full very quickly. I don’t eat much. In the past I
had a fear of getting fat.”
Very
sensitive to odors – bad odors.
“I like when things smell good.”
“I don’t like tight clothes.”
Loves
music. Likes to dance.
Very
chilly – “I’m always cold.”
Physical symptoms:
Fibroids
in uterus. Had polyps on cervix.
Tendency
towards constipation.
Bronchitis
and allergies as a child.
In
the past she was treated by another homeopath and was given: Puls, Aur-met., Arsarsenicum_album.htm, Acon-n. None of
these remedies alleviated the anxiety.
Case analysis
Repertorization of this case reveals the remedies she was
already given. The hurriedness of the client, her chilliness and the fact that
she eats very little could indicate one
of
the spider remedies. But there is no confirmation of that. The spider
theme becomes clearer when hearing of the dream of seeing an electrocuted man
hanging from a wire. This dream imagery is very much like the victim of a spider
caught in her web and confirms the idea of a spider remedy.
If
we then look at the etiology of her anxiety, we see
that it began at age fifteen after seeing her dead father in the casket. This
plus the fact that she has clairvoyant dreams around dead people points to the
remedy Latrodectus mactans,
the Black Widow Spider, a web spinning spider. This is a very important remedy
for fear and anxiety after witnessing a death or coming close to death oneself.
While
all spider remedies tend to be hurried, Latrodectus mactans has the feeling that time is running out. It is the
existential fear that time is limited and life will eventually run out. Interestingly,
the creature carries a unique marking on her back; a red hourglass.
RX: Latrodectus mactans
30c once.
Follow up
She
returns after six weeks and reports:
“I feel better. Much better. I have not nearly so much anxiety. My
fears are mild.”
“Now I’m having a lot of gas and burping and I’m “still”
constipated.
I’m eating more.”
Husband
says: “She’s a lot less anxious. In the past she was more dependent
on her family even though they were not nice to her. Now she’s standing on her
own.”
Dream after taking the remedy
After
taking the remedy, she had a repetitive dream that changed.
“I’m in a shopping center and there is an
escalator. In the past, I was always afraid of it. This time I could go up to
the third floor. In the past I could sometimes see the second floor.
There was a
mystical shop with a Tarot reader on the first floor that I visited in past
dreams but now it is not there. Now the first floor seems very ugly and
strange, things are old and dirty with empty stores. I needed money and the new
people who were in the old store gave me a dollar. I asked for a pair of gloves
and they gave them to me. They treated me well. Even though the store was ugly,
I was treated well.
I went to the
second floor where the stores were also ugly. There was a famous female singer
there who had become old and ugly. She was wearing worn out clothes. Everything
had a feeling of being abandoned.
But then I went
to the third floor where everything was totally different. Very wonderful with
fine things, bright, silver colored, brilliant. I
asked myself, why is this so beautiful? It was the incredible silvery color that made it so beautiful.”
Dream analysis
We
discuss the dream and I ask her what she thinks the dream means.
Her
analysis: “Maybe the first and second floor is my past and the third floor
is my life now.”
My
analysis: There is no need to ask any more as the dream itself and her
comment on its meaning is enough to see that the remedy has affected her
deeply. This repetitive dream changed and the difficulty it presented in the
past was resolved. Of course, if we were analyzing her rather than treating her
with homeopathy, we would go much more deeply into the dream.
This
dream is what Jung called an “initial dream.” This is a dream that shows what
the result of a therapy will be in the future. She is already feeling less
anxiety, but the dream indicates that she will go to a whole new level, i.e.
the third floor.
This
is a level that she was unable to reach in the past because of her fears.
It indicates that the remedy will have a transformative effect on her life.
It
is also important that this type of dream is written down and kept in the
patient’s file because it contains information that may become meaningful in
the future. She received a few doses of Latrodectus mactans from 30c to 1M in the next year. After 2 years she
is still much better. No need for anti-anxiety medication. Her digestive
problems have resolved.
Mythology and Spider Remedies
The
spider and her web appear in myths from many cultures and traditions, primarily
in three forms, that of the woman who creates the world with her weaving, the
shadow of this creative force appearing as the witch, and thirdly, as the
trickster.
The
spider and weaving goddesses who weaves the world appear in many traditions and
cultures. Most of the major goddesses of world mythology are spinners and
weavers who create the world with their art and therefore rule the destiny of
gods and humans. In Greek mythology they are the three fates who control the
thread of life for every mortal and represent past, present and future. The
three fates are often seen accompanied by a spider.
Within
the course of time, the weaving goddesses eventually became suppressed within
human consciousness and this powerful feminine energy began to seen only from
its shadow. Thus, the spider, with her association to the great weaving and
spinning goddesses became mainly a symbol of the negative polarity of the great
goddess, what Jungian psychologist Erich Neumann calls “the Terrible Mother.”
“Wherever the antivital fanaticism of the male
spiritual principle predominates, the Feminine is looked upon as negative and
evil, precisely in its character of creator, sustainer,
and increaser of life. Now life – and the Feminine is its archetype – is said
to fascinate and hold fast, to lure and enchant. The natural drives and
instincts overpower the human and the male principle of light and consciousness
by means of the web of life, the veil of Maya, the “ensnaring” illusion of life
in this world. And consequently, this male principle of consciousness,
which desires permanence and not change, eternity and not transformation, law
and not creative spontaneity, “discriminates” against the Great Goddess and
turns her into a demon.”
In
keeping with this view of the great spinning goddesses of time as the ensnaring
illusion of Maya, the spider appears as the consummate trickster figure. In
west Africa the trickster spider is Ananasi, in
the Native American Tradition Iktomi, and in
Japan, Joroguma.
As
we shall see, the provings and clinical information
about spider remedies is consistent with these mythological themes.
Fate, Time, and Destiny
What
is seen in the provings and clinical information
about spider remedies is consistent with the mythological connection to the
three fates and their rule over time.
These
remedies are known for being hurried and overactive; always doing too many
things at once. There is the feeling that they are running out of time, that
death is imminent. There is also the amelioration from dancing and music, which
is a kind of timed movement.
The Witch
There
is also an association to the witch energy of the negative mother, and a
general aversion and even fear of the feminine. This leads to an aversion to
the softness of the body, the warmth of emotions, and a general fear of women. Those
needing spider remedies are often skinny people with an aversion to having a
“belly.” They avoid their emotions; a rejection of their feminine side. Very
often, there is a history of having a terrible childhood with an abusive
mother.
The Trickster
Manipulation
is a well-known characteristic of the spider remedies. They can injure
themselves or develop pathology to make other suffer or for attention. They use
humor
as
a weapon, as a way to injure people around them.
In Conclusion
Thus
we have followed the path from the specific remedy, Latrodectus
mactans, to spiders as a family of remedies, and
finally, to the archetype of the Great Mother in her negative aspect of the
Terrible Mother. This is the archetypal core of the spider remedies and of the
dilemma of the woman for whom it was prescribed. Her dream of the man,
electrocuted and hanging from a wire, symbolizes the work of not only this
particular spider remedy but the archetype of the Terrible Mother who “pursues
her victims and captures them with snare and net.”
While
the presenting symptoms of anxiety, seemed to appear only after the death of
her father, understanding the archetypal core of the remedy gives us a clue
that it was her having an uncaring and dismissive mother that is the true center of her suffering.
The
earthly mother represents the archetypal Great Mother, and when she manifests
not nurturance, but selfishness and hatred, she becomes the Terrible Mother. When
this is the case, we cannot expect that a period of a few years, even with the
best of remedies will completely cure the individual. For the Terrible Mother
has a profound effect on health and well-being. She must be visited and
confronted again and again until, after a heroic journey, the individual is
freed from her devouring grasp.
When
working with all archetypes and especially the archetypes that are represented
by family members, it is important to realize that we are dealing with a
phenomenon that is ancient and exists within the collective unconscious.
While
an individual’s birth mother may embody many qualities of the Terrible Mother,
she, and many of her ancestresses have likely been
possessed by this archetype. This is particularly true of the archetype of the
feminine, The Great Mother, as many of her powerful qualities have been
suppressed and relegated to the collective shadow.
The
process of homeopathy, especially when attention is paid to dreams, has the
capacity to help make this shadow energy conscious, thus transmuting it into
vitality and creativity. Work on the archetypal level is of great benefit, not
only to the individual but to the world in general. To do this takes a
great deal of courage. Jung, who himself went on this journey and
subsequently guided many others through it, has this to say:
“If you imagine someone who is brave enough to withdraw all his
projections, then you get an individual who is conscious of a pretty thick
shadow. Such a man has saddled himself with new problems and conflicts. He has
become a serious problem to himself, as he is now unable to say that they do
this or that, they are wrong, and they must be fought against. He lives in the
“House of the Gathering.” Such a man knows that whatever is wrong in the world
is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow he has done
something real for the world. He has succeeded in shouldering at least an
infinitesimal part of the gigantic, unsolved social problems of our day.”
ung, C. G.: Instinct and the Unconscious, Read,
Sir Herbert, Fordham, Michael, Adler, Gerard, McGuire, William, The Structure
and Dynamics of the Psyche, Volume 8 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung,
Second Edition. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press; 1981:135-136.
Jung,
C. G.: Instinct and the Unconscious, Read, Sir Herbert, Fordham, Michael,
Adler, Gerard, McGuire, William, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche,
Volume 8 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Second Edition. Princeton,
NJ, Princeton University Press; 1981:136.
Jung,
C. G.: The Problem of the Attitude-Type, Read, Sir Herbert, Fordham, Michael, Adler,
Gerard, McGuire, William, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, Volume 7 of
the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Second Edition. Princeton, NJ,
Princeton University Press; 1977:53-54.
Jung,
C. G.: Introduction to the Religious and Psychological Problems of Alchemy ,
Read, Herbert, Fordham, Michael, Adler, Gerard, McGuire, William , Psychology
and Alchemy, Volume 12 of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Second
Edition. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press; 1993:16.
Neumann,
Erich: The Great Round: The Goddess of Fate. Princeton, Manheim, Ralph, The
Great Mother, An Analysis of the Archetype. Second Edition, Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press; 1991: 233.
Neumann,
Erich: The Negative Elementary Character. Princeton, Manheim, Ralph, The Great
Mother, An Analysis of the Archetype. Second Edition, Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press; 1991: 149.
Jung,
C. G.: Psychology and Religion: West, Read, Herbert, Fordham, Michael, Adler,
Gerard, McGuire, William , Psychology and Religion: West and East, Volume 11 of
the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Second Edition. Princeton, NJ,
Princeton University Press; 1969:83.
Jane
Tara Cicchetti has been a consultant and teacher of
homeopathy for over 30 years. She is the author of Dreams, Symbols and
Homeopathy, Archetypal Dimensions of Healing, an integration of Jungian
psychology and homeopathy. As well as working in private practice, in the
United States She has had a life-long interest in meditation and transpersonal
psychology, and has studied Jungian psychology under the mentorship of several
Zurich trained Jungian analysts. Jane currently
practices in Asheville, NC
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