Grief is a process of healing, and homeopathy can be very helpful in allowing us to navigate the process of depression or anxiety. As a homeopath, I have treated many people for emotional trauma and grief and I find that is one of the most rewarding parts of my job, to be able to treat my patients and lift them to a higher level of emotional health. In my practice, Natrum muriaticum is one of the remedies I use more frequently for depression, and I tend to use a dosage of two times per week for chronic grief.
Grief is something that we can all relate to at one point or another, we all have had some kind of experience with it: the death of a loved one, the loss of a friendship, the loss of a job or wealth or feeling emotionally hurt in any way.
In the present world, grief, anxiety and depression are seen as a state of weakness if they last more than a few months, therefore most people try to quickly get over them.
However, this can very often be counterproductive as the person has not been able to deal with the feelings and emotions in an appropriate way.
GRIEF, HOW LONG IS TOO LONG? HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES FOR DEPRESSION
The stages of grief are a universal experience that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross first proposed in the 1969 book “Death and Dying”.
Through these stages, our mind spends a relative amount of time trying to deal with the feelings and emotions that arise as we move towards a resolution and, finally, acceptance.
The homeopathic remedies selected here may cover more than one stage and are not exclusive to any particular stage.
For dealing with anxiety after severe trauma or grief, these other remedies, more specific for anxiety will help bring relief as you navigate the process.
As we move through the stages of grief, we will move from one homeopathic remedy to the next. For instance, a person may be doing well on a remedy for a few months, but suddenly, the progression is halted, and another aspect of the case emerges by enquiring further.
It is important to understand that in a process like this, more than one remedy will be indicated to work on the patient’s emotions and that the help of a homeopath to unravel those layers is very important.
It is always advisable to work with a homeopath for deep emotional problems such as depression, as it is important to understand the process and be guided and supported with the remedies.
DOSAGE
For these types of deep emotional issues, 200c potencies are more suitable, and the dosage is twice per week for 8 weeks and will need to be reassessed at that point.
The remedies in the first stage can be taken twice daily until better. Ignatia, Aconite, and Arnica in the first stage can be taken twice daily for a longer period until not needed or the picture changes as you move through the different stages of the process and other remedies are needed.
BANERJI PROTOCOL DEPRESSION TIP
For depression, the Banerjies use
- Lachesis 200 or Aurum 200 every 3rd day
- Ignatia 200 twice per day
1. SHOCK AND DENIAL
This is the first stage, where your mind tries to integrate what has happened.
In this stage, the person may say, “it can’t be true” or ” this can not be happening”. At this point, we are trying to buffer the shock, and our brains try to deal with it by making it rational.
ACONITE 200
There is tremendous fear and anxiety with heart palpitations. Vomiting with fear, and anxiety felt in the stomach.
You may feel coldness, tingling, and numbness in the extremities.
Waking at night with anxiety and fear, “feels as if what had just been done was a dream”.
IGNATIA 200
This is #1 for grief. It is the top remedy for ailments from hearing bad news.
Signing and sobbing, highly emotional with the rapid change of moods. One minute you are laughing, and the other, you are crying.
You will possibly be crying a lot and feel oversensitive and nervous.
Feeling as is needing to take deep breaths or feeling of oppression in the chest.
You may be feeling as if there is a lump in the throat or as if there is something there that is affecting swallowing.
OPIUM 200
Complete loss of consciousness, drowsiness, you may have a dazed besotted expression.
This is a true state of shock. They say nothing is wrong with them; they cannot understand his sufferings, doesn’t recognise his own relatives, and has delusions in vision, taste and touch.
You may feel as if you have lost touch with reality.
ARNICA200,1M
Although this remedy is well-known for injuries by most people, this is also a very good remedy for the first stages of grief with shock. This is a traumatic remedy per excellence, either in the mental or physical sphere.
Fear of being touched or approached by anyone.
Fear that wakes you up at night.
You may feel as if all your muscles or the skeletal system aches, a bruised feeling in the joints or the body. At night, as if the bed is too hard for you. Parts become sore.
You may feel as if “truck has run over you” or “have been beaten”.
Involuntary discharges or diarrhoea.
Arnica is as useful for physical trauma as emotional trauma. It addresses the shock of the trauma, whether physical or emotional.
The shock element after trauma can be seen in the keynote- feels well in serious cases- and fear of being touched- where the mind finds it difficult to integrate the present situation and pretends it has not happened.
Arnica is also called Wolf’s bane colloquially, the colloquial name for the Aconitum plant.
Aconite and Arnica are both traumatic remedies per excellence and remedies that deal with shock. Hence, they share some common characteristics as keynotes.
– fear of death
-fear of crowds
-fear of sickness
-fear that starts from sleep, especially after an accident
-cardiac distress at night
However, the greatest distinction between both is that Arnica feels the shock in their body, as if bruised, very sore and painful, but often the mind has not caught up with the event; hence the keynote that everyone can recognise -there is nothing wrong with him. In contrast, Aconite feels the immediate danger both physically and emotionally experiences and expresses both of them simultaneously.
Remedies for anxiety can be well indicated at this stage. They can often do a fantastic job calming down the nerves and helping you function daily.
2. ANGER
As the first stage of shock wears off, feelings begin to surface. We deflect our feelings of pain towards others, “why me?” “it is not fair”.
STAPHYSAGRIA 200
Feeling always angry, very sensitive to what others say to you. You may always take things in the wrong way. Very snappy.
Feeling indignant about what has happened.
If you have finished a relationship with someone, and have been badly treated, this remedy will be often indicated.
If you have lost a dear person, you may feel angry thinking that they have left you.
Great indignation with colic with anger.
You may prefer solitude.
IGNATIA 200
Slight contradiction makes you angry. You also may feel angry with yourself.
Signing and sobbing, highly emotional with rapid change of moods. One minute you are laughing and the other you are crying.
You will possibly be crying a lot and feel oversensitive and nervous.
Feeling as is needing to take deep breaths or feeling of oppression in the chest.
You may be feeling as if there is a lump in the throat, or as if there is something there that is affecting swallowing.
NUX-VOMICA 200
Feeling very angry and impatient. This type of anger is of a nervous character feeling excitable, spiteful, and even violent. You may find it very difficult to handle the sightless contradiction.
Feeling angry and violent without any provocation. As if wanting to kill someone.
This is a good remedy for the effects of wounded honour, especially if related to work or business.
You may find yourself fault-finding and pick on others.
There is a desire to talk about one’s problems and nervous reflection on them.
People needing this remedy tend to suffer from dyspepsia with mental complaints.
LACHESIS 200
Lachesis state is one that stems from a state of ” internal poisoning of feelings and emotions”. This state could arise from situations such as:
-from a broken marriage with an affair
– a family dispute when some family members were favoured
-sibling rivalry
-a toxic environment at work
– high-pressure family environment
-abusive childhood or marriage
– continue unfair treatment by someone in your life
People needing this remedy are very talkative, changing subjects very quickly or repeating the same thing. One word often leads to another story.
You may feel “as if full of poison”. Bitter about the situation ( past or present) about what has happened but a bitterness that is envenomed.
Feeling jealous and suspicious about things with a great tendency to give yourself to sorrow and to think yourself persecuted and despised.
No desire to mix with the world.
The Lachesis energy is very syphilitic in nature, so any pathology around this remedy can be quite destructive.
Let me give you an example of how the person may have got there in the first place;
Have you ever been so upset and angry about something done to you that you keep thinking about it over and over again? The anger takes over, and for years this is surfacing daily. Meanwhile, your mood goes down and over the years, and you have fallen into depression.
This is one of the possible scenarios for a Lachesis patient.
HYOSCYAMUS 200
In this remedy picture, the anger has turned into rage. This state arises from being let down by the person you depend on or love.
You may experience rage with a desire to hit and even bite. The rage is very strong.
Feeling jealous and grieving. Fear of being betrayed.
This is a good remedy for those grieving from unfortunate love. Either from a partner or someone that you love very much.
Anger and grief about a faithless lover.
You may be feeling very suspicious of everyone or as if someone is plotting against you.
3. BARGAIN-
Feelings of “if only”. As we are dealing with the past, we are trying to breach into the present by trying to regain control.
We bargain to make sure this does not happen again.
AURUM 200
This is a state of hopeless depression and disgust with life. Some people may feel as if ending their life, although feel very quiet about it.
You may get up in the morning with difficulty thinking if life is worth living. Life has lost all enjoyment for you.
Strong feelings of self-condemnation and worthlessness.
You may feel as if nothing that you do is good, and you will never succeed in life. The future looks very dark to you.
Feeling like being alone all of the time and feeling angry at absent persons while thinking about them. So this is a good remedy for someone who has experienced losing someone very dear.
Ailments from grief, disappointed love and loss of property or not being able to achieve our goals.
This is a very dark picture; you may feel very dark and heavy.
NATRUM MURIATICUM 200
To give you an idea of how one can get to this state, we can look at its signature -SALT- which is used to preserve and keep it in its original state without decay. That is the grief of Natrum Mur, dried up but somehow “still fresh”. Have you ever been hurt or brokenhearted and never been able to let go?
If you need this remedy, you will feel sad and reserved. You want to be left alone.
This remedy often follows Ignatia very well. We have moved from acute grief to a concentrated grief state.
Natrum Muriaticum and Ignatia are complementary remedies and work very well together. The dosage of Natrum mur can be combined with Ignatia often.
Thinking about what is causing the sadness and all the unpleasant memories. Dwelling on it and the ideas cling and prevent sleep at night.
Hating people that have offended you. Feeling revengeful.
Feeling sad but can’t cry.
Constant recurrent thoughts of past disagreeable occurrences.
When thinking about dosage for Natrum Muriaticum in depression, twice weekly is a good pace.
4. DEPRESSION AND LONELINESS. ONE OF MY FAVOURITES AT THIS STAGE, NATRUM MURIATICUM DOSAGE FOR DEPRESSION
As we come to terms with it, the hard realisation of the present sinks in and empty feelings fill our lives.
AURUM 200
This is a state of hopeless depression and disgust with life. Some people may feel as if ending their life, although they feel very quiet about it.
You may get up in the morning with difficulty thinking if life is worth living. Life has lost all enjoyment for you.
Strong feelings of self-condemnation and worthlessness.
You may feel as if nothing that you do is good, and you will never succeed in life. The future looks very dark to you.
Feeling like being alone all of the time and feeling angry at absent people while thinking about them. So this is a good remedy for someone who has experienced losing someone very dear or something that was very important to them.
The grief part of this remedy not only stems from disappointed love or stress, this is also a grief that can stem from losing a job, a social position or a financial loss.
Ailments from grief, disappointed love and loss of property or not being able to achieve our goals.
This is a very dark picture, and you may be feeling very dark and heavy, although those around you may not notice your suffering. This is often a deeply hidden picture that is not externalised and is often missed.
NATRUM MURIATICUM 200
If you need this remedy, you will probably feel sad and reserved. You want to be left alone.
Thinking about what is causing the sadness and all the unpleasant memories. You are dwelling on it, and the ideas cling and prevent sleep at night.
Hating people that have offended you. Feeling revengeful.
Feeling sad but can’t cry.
Constant recurrent thoughts of past disagreeable occurrences. Thinking about it over and over. Thinking about it over and over. In these cases, Natrum Muriaticum 200 dosage for depression once every 3rd day works very gently to help us move on.
PHOS-AC 200
People experiencing sadness and needing this remedy, feel indifferent to everything, and apathetic. At the same time, they also feel very weak and debilitated physically.
You may feel nervous exhaustion and drowsy with it. You may be feeling like sleeping all day.
You may feel worse after doing anything that involves exercise, such as walking, but a short nap will help your mood.
PULSATILLA 200
If you need this remedy, you may be very tearful and crave sympathy. You may find yourself weeping at everything and often, you will feel better after crying.
You feel better if someone is with you and talks you through your feelings.
Going out into the open air will lift your mood, and you may feel better after walking outside.
If you are a female, the time of the menses will always make you feel worse.
Weary of life
Thinking you are alone in this world, feeling that you are always alone. Feeling abandoned.
5. ACCEPTANCE AND RESOLUTION
Accepting the reality, integrating it and moving on. Things may never be the same but we accept it.
We become interested in life again, we invest in friends and new experiences.
We start to live again!
