REMEDIES: Homeopathic remedies for traumatic stress (HEALTH)

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Homeopathic remedies for traumatic stress

by Miranda Castro, FSHom, RSHom(NA), CCH

 

Homeopathic remedies can help with the effects of traumatic stress but

they are always going to be limited in terms of their scope to heal when

people are suffering at a deep level. It takes time to move through

stages in the process of healing. And some of those stages can last for

what feels like ages while we try to understand and make sense of what

happened. While our hearts and souls heal.

 

The tragedies of September 11 evoked the widest range of emotional

responses. Shock and horror followed by incomprehension, disbelief and

finally numbness. Anger and rage come next, grief for those who lost

someone, guilt for those who didn't, anxiety and fear for the future,

hopelessness and depression, despair. And so much more.

 

The following remedies are a selection of those often needed in the

aftermath of a bad shock. They aren't the only remedies, and they aren't

the full pictures. They are more like snapshot reminders, specifically

as they relate to a traumatically stressful situation. Each remedy is

described in terms of how it relates to at least one other similar

remedy. Making friends with homeopathic remedies in this way is helpful

for when it comes time to select them - so that you understand at least

some of their similarities and some of their differences. For a remedy

to work really well, it's always advisable to take the general state

(symptoms) of the remedy into account as well. These symptoms as well as

fuller descriptions of the emotional state are to be found in any of the

larger homeopathic materia medica books (and in my own Homeopathic Guide

to Stress).

 

Aconite, Stramonium, and Arnica- The first two remedies to think of for

the shock are Aconite and Arnica. Aconite is immediately recognizable

because people who need it are visibly distressed. They look frightened.

You can feel their fear. The symptoms that stand out are the trembling

and the fear of death. This fear can surface immediately after a bad

shock and/or surface at night after a bad dream. They can suffer from

panic attacks if the acute shock isn't dealt with. A remedy with similar

symptoms to Aconite is Stramonium. Those who need it experience and

re-experience fear and terror after a bad shock. Aconite is more

identifiably two-dimensional: shock and fear (of death) with trembling.

Period. Stramonium can express a wider range of feelings (from hysteria

with loud laughing to rage and feelings of unreality). While a fear of

death may be present, the prominent fear that guides us to Stramonium is

a fear of the dark. Children wake screaming in terror at night out of a

nightmare unable to fully awake, and not knowing the parent who tries to

comfort them. By sharp contrast, those who need Arnica might seem

superficially to be OK. They say there's nothing wrong-even insist on

it-especially during the daytime. But their unconscious betrays their

deeper feelings in the form of bad dreams or nightmares that wake them

at night. Images of the shocking stressor haunt them at night rather

than during their waking hours.

 

Opium *, Gelsemium, and Phosphoric acid- Homeopathically prepared Opium*

is another remedy for shock with quite a different presentation. They

aren't OK, but they aren't distressed. They look spaced-out. They don't

complain or ask for anything. The images of what happened haunt them in

their waking hours, and each time they think about what happened all the

same feelings pour over them again. They have difficulty falling asleep

because of this-in spite of an overpowering sleepiness. They are oddly

sensitive to noise. People who need Gelsemium have a similar kind of

feeling: people who need it look and feel dull and droopy. They have

trouble opening their eyes. These people experience loss alongside the

shock, but can't cry. They become numb and shaky and drowsy. Typically

the shock comes in the form of bad news. How many of us watched the news

that fateful Tuesday morning and were catapulted into the kind of

reality that was unimaginable? Phosphoric acid is sometimes confused

with Gelsemium for those who receive bad news, especially when it comes

by phone or letter rather than by experiencing it firsthand. People who

need Phosphoric acid sink into apathy and don't even want to talk. In

spite of an immense apathy they are able to summon up energy to carry

out physical activities if they have to. Those needing this remedy are

thirsty especially for fruit juices and pop, whereas those needing

Gelsemium are not thirsty at all.

 

*Homeopathically prepared Opium is available in the US only to

DEA-licensed physicians.

 

Ignatia and Natrum muriaticum- Ignatia is another remedy for people with

loss who don't want to talk about it because they want to be alone to

cry. They resist all comforting. They have a " lump " in their throats

from the emotional tension of holding back their feelings. When they

finally break down and cry, it is with great big sobs. They are haunted

by feelings of guilt and regret. Natrum muriaticum is Ignatia's twin.

They have so many similarities they can be hard to tell apart. Natrum

muriaticum's depth of suffering and their bitterness set them apart from

Ignatia. In addition, they have even more difficulty crying, even when

alone, and if they do cry they are more likely to shed a few gentle

tears rather than buckets.

 

Pulsatilla and Causticum- Those who need Pulsatilla are at the other end

of the loss spectrum. They cry easily and want comforting, feeling

better for both the crying and the consolation. Their moods are

changeable and curiously, any lowness of spirits lifts once they are out

in the fresh air. These are the sensitive children who've been deeply

affected by the pictures and responses of those around them, who become

clingy and needy. Causticum is another remedy for those who suffer as a

result of the suffering of others. Only much more deeply. They care

tremendously about the injustice of what happened and may react by

becoming active in organizations that are fighting for justice. (Those

needing Pulsatilla care more about the people that are hurting.)

Feelings of anxiety-always about others, never about themselves - and

uncertainty create an all-pervasive feeling of gloom that something

terrible is going to happen.

 

Calcarea carbonica, Arsenicum, and Cocculus- People experiencing anxiety

after a traumatic stress may need Calcarea carbonica, Arsenicum, or

Cocculus. Those needing Arsenicum worry about themselves. They look at

what happened and are tortured by what would have happened had they been

in one of those planes. Security is really important to them and so the

loss of safety is literally unbearable. They become scared of death

(like Aconite, but it isn't accompanied by the naked, visible fear).

They fear for their own safety, especially at night and especially when

they are alone. They become irritable (not generally present in those

needing Aconite) and restless-typically tidying up their environments in

an attempt to compensate for internal disorder by creating external

order. Calcarea carbonica is for those who have been badly affected by

all the sad and tragic stories because they have such active

imaginations. They respond to this stress by becoming deeply anxious.

They worry about the future, about bad things happening, especially to

others close to them. This wears them out, causing them to become

physically sluggish and emotionally depressed. Those needing Cocculus

also worry compulsively about loved ones. Their worrying keeps them from

sleeping at night. They become exhausted in a particular way. Their

world slows down (they feel as if everything is slow) and nothing feels

real, but time passes quickly especially at night when they try to sleep

but can't. They become confused, anxious and dizzy with the exhaustion.

Cocculus and Nitric acid are the two remedies to think of for those who

are sleep-deprived as a result of worry, or because they are actively

engaged in rescue efforts or nursing the sick.

 

Nitric acid and Aurum metallicum- Those needing Nitric acid are

exhausted and angry. Their anger is extreme. Their sensitive,

compassionate nature cannot comprehend what happened and they react with

hatred, fantasizing revenge against the " enemy, " unable to sleep at

night and becoming absolutely exhausted. Their anger eats away at them

and bursts out uncontrollably, leading to depression. People who become

seriously depressed after a traumatic stress may need Aurum metallicum.

They fall into a deep, dark pit of despair after a brief period where

feelings of anger surface and are then suppressed. They reflect on the

nature of faith and typically turn to prayer and/or meditation in order

to find solace, reconnecting maybe, with a neglected spiritual side.

They find music soothing-but in a limited, melancholy way.

 

Fear of flying

Incredibly, planes fill the skies again and those who have flights

booked may be wondering how they will cope with the actual flying

experience itself. Especially those who have always been nervous or even

scared of flying. Here are a few remedies to consider taking along for

the ride. Aconite. Panic attacks with fear of death especially if they

feel hemmed in. Looks terrified. Cannot be calmed. (See above.)

Gelsemium. Paralyzed with fear in anticipation of flying. Becomes dull

and confused and trembly. (See above.) Argentum nitricum. Panic attacks

with hyperventilating. Great restlessness and claustrophobia. A terrible

fear of heights combined with claustrophobia. Rescue Remedy. This little

Bach Flower Remedy is not, strictly speaking, homeopathic, but its

curative value in any worrying or scary situation is legendary. Take it

if you take nothing else, and put a few drops in all your drinks.

 

Some home prescribing reminders In an acute situation, even a serious

one like that of September 11, you can help yourself and your family

heal from effects that do not go away after a day or so. If the symptoms

are serious, if they persist or recur, and especially if the homeopathic

remedies don't help, then it is really important that you consult with a

professional homeopath and/or your primary care doctor. You often need

to differentiate quickly and accurately between two or more homeopathic

remedies in an acute situation. Always check with your homeopath if you

are not sure. While getting the right remedy matters less than in a

long-term chronic situation, the right remedy will make the difference

between alleviating real suffering and only helping a bit. The right

potency is the one you happen to have on hand. If you have more than one

potency, then use your degree of confidence about the remedy as a guide:

the more certain you are that it's the right one, the higher the

potency. Lastly, always remember to make a note of the remedies you use

and why, as well as the person's response to the remedies. We all have

typical responses to the same kinds of stress, and it's easy to forget

whether you gave, say, Aconite or Stramonium to your child after that

big bad shock earlier this year. You are in a similar situation now and

simply can't remember which one worked. Write those great little

remedies down so you can turn to the correct ones to help you and your

family deal with stress-not just the everyday stresses.

 

*

 

Miranda Castro is a British homeopath who has been living happily in the

U.S. since 1994. She is a Fellow of the Society of Homeopaths (UK) and

past President of the North American Society of Homeopaths. She is

author of The Complete Homeopathy Handbook, Homeopathy for Pregnancy,

Birth and Your Baby's First Years, and A Homeopathic Guide to Stress.

She moved to California in the Summer of 2000 where she has embarked on

a whole new homeopathic adventure as CEO of Kent Homeopathic Associates.

 

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