Half way through a homeopathy session with me some patients exclaim 'wow this is more like a psychotherapy session!'
And it's true that homeopathy often goes to places that are unexpected, examining all aspects of our mental, emotional and spiritual lives as well as physical.
I had to laugh the other day when sitting in my local GP's surgery and noticed a sign on the wall that stated:
ONLY ONE ISSUE PER SESSION PLEASE
I thought, wow that would make things a lot easier for me if that were possible. But of course if you want to get to the root of a problem and allow a patient to really move on in their life then you have to see them in 3D (even 4D), not a flat 2D. Of course most GP's would give their right arm (sorry, mixing metaphors!) to spend 90 minutes with each patient as we homeopaths do.
But, going back to the Homeopathy vs Psychotherapy session, there are some very important distinctions.
Firstly, in psychotherapy the raw material of the client's psyche is kneaded and moulded like a piece of clay. There is an aspect of working on your 'stuff' to analyse, understand and hopefully move through the pain and confusion. In homeopathy, the raw material is merely laid out by the patient so we can see what we are dealing with but then there is no element of working on anything. We just match a remedy to the pattern that is laid out in front of us. Occasionally, some small bit of advice may be given (for example, giving up some food or drug that is clearly causing problems) but in general we leave the 'work' to the remedy and the vital spirit.
I have great respect for psychotherapists. Heck, I've seen any number for my own issues. But one pitfall I have noticed with some clients who have extended psychotherapy sessions is the tendency to understand their problem but an inability to move on from it, to actually feel better at a soul level.
So, homeopathic treatment can usefully complement psychotherapy where issues have been ingrained in the psyche. Then the client can often integrate the understanding of the issue at a deeper level and actually move on with their life with more lightness and freedom.
Many of my patients say that their life has been transformed through homeopathic treatment (and I don't mean just their physical symptoms). One chap had been suffering from terrible panic attacks and a life in chaos. He just couldn't believe how one remedy could leave him feeling NORMAL and FREE. Another lady had been suffering from low self esteem since childhood with complex family dynamics. She felt all of that was lifted from her shoulders by the action of homeopathic remedies.
If you'd like a FREE introductory session to discuss how homeopathy might help you: click here
