Disease Index Homeopathy Papers

Homeopathy for Domestic Violence and Abuse

Written by Binal Master

The author discusses some precursors to domestic violence and offers a handful of useful remedies. The seeds of violence and abuse arise from insecurities faced in day-to-day lives. The current rise in living expenses can make it increasingly difficult to handle emotional, physical and psychological demands. This can lead to feelings of grief, displeasure, guilt, inferiority, jealousy and anger.

The seeds of violence and abuse arise from insecurities faced in day-to-day lives, in love, relationships and work , and from feelings of neglect and isolation. The current rise in living expenses, where the cost of living exceeds one’s total income, can make it increasingly difficult to handle emotional, physical and psychological demands. This can lead to feelings of grief, displeasure, guilt, inferiority, jealousy and anger, resulting in physical aggression. Common modes of survival in people in such situations are self-abuse, where the person harms him/herself intentionally or unintentionally (e.g. – eating disorders, substance abuse), and abuse of others (verbal/physical) whom he considers weaker or over whom he can maintain power and control.

Abuse and violence is a widespread problem which lies hidden within communities irrespective of class and race. It occurs behind closed doors and the most common victims are women, often because standards set by society restrict them from speaking out or seeking help. Women may fear the stigma to their families or humiliation and loss of reputation in society.

Homeopathy is a branch of medicine that considers the person as a whole, and takes account of the physical and psychological characteristics of the patient. It involves a detailed case history, which serves as ray of hope to both the patient- i.e., the one who is abused, as well as the offender. The patient has an opportunity to be heard and understood from her own perspective.

After careful case taking and analyzing the case, the homeopathic physician decides on the remedy which suits the patient’s needs. Other therapies like yoga, meditation, music therapy, dance therapy, hypnotherapy, anger management, and family therapy are available as adjuncts.

Some cases are due to psychiatric disorders such as antisocial personality, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Homeopathy has been found effective in such cases also, where it gives people a second chance to adapt to society and live within the community .

Watch for the following symptoms:

  • Shock, denial, or disbelief
  • Anger, irritability, mood swings
  • Guilt, shame, self-blame
  • Feeling sad or hopeless
  • Confusion, difficulty concentrating
  • Anxiety and fear
  • Withdrawing from others
  • Feeling disconnected or numb
  • Sleeplessness
  • Fatigue
  • Pains/Aches

What should victims do?

  • Don’t isolate. Following a trauma, you may want to withdraw from others, but isolation makes things worse. Connecting to others will help you heal, so make an effort to maintain your relationships and avoid spending too much time alone.
  • Find a doctor/counselor- seek help and do not let things get out of control.
  • Ask for support. It’s important to talk about your feelings and ask for the help you need. Turn to a trusted family member, friend, and counselor. Join a support groups. Support groups are especially helpful when your personal support network is limited. Report the abuse to the relevant authorities to seek legal support.
  • Establish a daily routine. In order to stay grounded after a trauma, it helps to have a structured schedule to follow. Try to stick to a daily routine, with regular times for waking, sleeping, eating, working, and exercise. Make sure to schedule time for relaxing and social activities, too.
  • Take care of your health. A healthy body increases your ability to cope with stress. Get plenty of rest, exercise regularly, and eat a well-balanced diet. It’s also important to avoid alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and drug use can worsen your trauma symptoms and exacerbate feelings of depression, anxiety, and isolation.

A Sample of Homeopathic Remedies for Both Victims of Domestic Violence and Offenders:

The remedy is chosen depending upon the patient’s characteristic traits and symptoms. This list of remedies is meant for use with the guidance of a qualified homeopath.

    1. Ignatia– This is the first remedy a homeopath thinks of when someone has suffered the “loss of a loved one”. This remedy often applies when there are symptoms of a lump in the throat, spasms in the body, feelings of disappointment in one’s life dreams.
    2. Natrum Muriaticum– This remedy is often indicated in a “romantic loss” in very introverted people. They feel the loss as a breaking in half of their own identity. They will cry horribly while alone looking at pictures and listening to music, yet dread to show their feeling in public. This homeopathic remedy is especially indicated in cases where long-term illness progressed from the loss.
    3. Arnica– is a remedy indicated where the loss was perceived as a blow. Often this is a financial trauma from loss of a job or investment crash. In this case one would feel hurt, bruised, and tender and not want to engage the hard world. The opposite could be the case when you toughen up and engage life in a blunt forceful manner in order to regain what you lost.
    4. Magnesium Muriaticum– This remedy can be indicated after the loss of a caregiver where one feels abandoned and forsaken, left on her own, not able to fend for herself. This may be accompanied by digestive ailments.
    5. Aconite Napellus– This is one of the common medicines that are used for the treatment of fear. This medicine is basically for people who are always anxious, fearful, and in a state of anguish.
    6. Nuv Vomica– suited to individuals who are fault-finding, irritable, quarrelsome. Oversensitive to noise, odors, light, touch.
    7. Lycopodium– is indicated when issues like- self-esteem and self-confidence are affected. A person may be bossy, dominating to those who know him best, like family, yet act meek and fearful in public. Has fear of public speaking and even the inability to stand up for oneself in a conflict. Aversion to undertake anything new, aversion to company yet dreads solitude.
    8. Staphysagria- Sensitive to scolding, insults. Suppression of anger, emotions; become speechless in arguments; sympathetic. Suited to individuals who do not allow themselves to express their emotions. His body may tremble in anger. Especially indicated when physical complaints appear after suppression of emotions and suppressed anger.
    9. Lachesis– indicated for individuals who are loquacious- constantly changing from one subject to another, tendency to jealousy, suspicious. Religious mania, fear of being poisoned. Great weakness mentally and physically yet no relief from lying down. Suited when causative factors for complaints are- disappointed love, egotism, anger, ailments from discord with parents, suppressed discharges, bad effects of tobacco.
    10. Anacardium- suited to individuals who are irritable, irresolute, easily angered, lack confidence. Suspicious, irresistible desire to swear and curse; malicious, destructive, offended easily. Laughs at serious matters and becomes serious about laughable matters. Aversion to work. Forgetful- forgets names of near ones. The characteristics seen in this remedy are- shrieking and cursing when in rage, violent anger, abusive behavior towards partner and children, revengeful.

Homeopathy is a safe and effective way to treat the victims as well as the culprits of domestic violence. It focuses on the way patients have reacted to events and the personality of the patient. It helps to bring complete harmony of physical, mental and social well-being.

Some Related Cases Cured with Homeopathic Medicine

The Gym King and His Nightmares: A Case Of Dendroaspis Polylepis (Black Mamba) – by Vatsala Sperling

 

About the author

Binal Master

Dr. Binal Master completed a Bachelor of Homoeopathy Medicine and Surgery (B.H.M.S) from Smt.C.M.P.Homoeopathic Medical College, Mumbai (MUHS University). She worked for one year at peripheral OPD of the college and in 2010, started her own clinic in Mumbai. Dr. Binal has a keen interest in clinical research and desires to bring scientific, universally accepted standards to homeopathy. She wants homeopathy to be considered the first line of treatment and not merely alternative. She is also interested in using technology (eg. Telemedicine) to help meet people’s health care needs.

25 Comments

  • You’ve missed out seeking the protection of the Court and Police, e.g., Non-Molestation Order, to combat abuse at the root. You should also be linking towards those who provide support in the form of refuges etcetera. This is far and away more important than any homeopathic treatments which are unproven in their effectiveness for treating trauma and its side effects and, again, diverts from the most important aspects in helping those who have suffered/are suffering from abuse.

    • Homeopathy touches and heals most of ailments to believe whether it is sugar pills or not one has to study the fundamentals before and then conclude it
      Taking help of court/police is dependent on choice of the individual as the law and judicial system varies from country to country.
      Homeopathy serves as rehabilitation for both victims and offenders involved in abuse.

  • You seem to suggest that the homeopathic way would be to “treat” the victim & the abuser and allow the situation to continue while waiting for the “treatment” is taking effect This seems at best ethically questionable and at worst, actually abetting the abuse.

    Do you actually get abusers coming to you for “treatment”? If so, do you not report admitted incidents of physical violence to the police? As the earlier commenter asks-do you recommend to victims that they can /should leave the relationship and seek help and support and if they agree, legal redress?

    What does Homeopathy offer for broken arms, bruised ribs, cigarette/iron burns, punched kidneys/heads etc?

    • The author is not suggesting anything like that. Don’t put words in her mouth. She is suggesting methods and homeopathic remedies that help deal a person with the emotional and psychological trauma. It doesn’t end the abuse. It doesn’t counter it. But even after the person reports to police or relevant authorities, the psychological trauma of losing a relationship, bad memories, fears, anxieties and insecurities often stay for long. The methods and the remedies listed can help a person to deal with such issues better. That is what the author is talking about.
      If you don’t trust homeopathy that is your problem. It doesn’t take away anything from the article.

        • Dear Madam

          I support you totally.
          Homeopathy is beautiful.
          I have been blessed by its healing though I seek help to find my constitutional remedy.

          Im not sure who to go to. I suffer from PTSD.
          I have been looking for my remedy for fifteen years.
          Could you please let me know if anyone is willing to help me.
          I am quite desperate to heal my life.

          Kindest Regards

          Cheryl

    • Use of Homeopathic medicines in injuries, would be my next article, keep reading.
      According to me including the victim,even the offender in abuse needs proper counselling and treatment to give him/her a chance to live normal healthy life.

    • She did not say anything like that! She wrote about how to treat these people, both victims and offenders.
      Just that.

  • When reading an article about birds and something in Peter Frasier´s book I learned how medicines Cygnus cygnus, Cygnus bewickii and specially Cygnus olor (sexual abuse)are useful for abuse – the swans have many themes similar to the natruns. We shoul study more about these new medicines. The article is nice and these notes are just to remember how important it is to read and learn materia medica, even from new and small medicines.

  • I think Chrissie Morrison needs to learn a bit more about homeopathy before she criticises it. Homeopathy is considered a branch of medicine, as the author states, because it is subjected to exactly the same rigorous criteria as other medical therapies.

    No self-respecting homeopathist would offer a treatment without any clear physiological mechanism of action, or without any randomised control trials. All homeopathists have to have a medical degree. Homeopathy doesn’t involve pseudoscience like multiple dilutions to increase potency or inexplicable beating of compounds and solutions with sticks. And most importantly – and most pertinently, given the purview of the article – homeopathy would not claim to be able to alter personality characteristics such as loquacity, irritability and anger with a herb despite a complete absence of actual evidence to that effect.

    I wish people like Chrissie Morrison would educate themselves about a subject before criticising it off hand.

    • “Homeopathy is considered a branch of medicine, as the author states, because it is subjected to exactly the same rigorous criteria as other medical therapies.”
      I have familiarity with the scientific field, and I have studied homeopathy as well. No, homeopathy is NOT subjected to exactly the same rigorous criteria as other medical therapies. There are no placebo controlled, double-blind clinical trials, etc.

      “No self-respecting homeopathist would offer a treatment without any clear physiological mechanism of action, or without any randomised control trials.”
      What randomized trials? Are you referring to the provings? The provings are a joke, I have participated in more than one proving. It was not scientific at all. The proving meetings were all about getting people say things…

      “All homeopathists have to have a medical degree. ”
      Maybe in your country.
      There are several countries, where non-medical professionals can provide homeopathic treatment legally, e.g. UK, Germany, US, Australia, etc. (homeopathic practioners, naturopathic doctors, etc.).
      Heck, in my country, officially homeopathy treatment can be provided only by MD-s, but we have “homeopathic counsellors”. They are non medical people, who after studying approximately hours equivalent of two years of college education become “homeopathic counsellors”… Imagine how “well” they treat phyisical ailments…
      And they label their work “counselling”, so if something goes wrong, no legal responsability for them…

      “I wish people like Chrissie Morrison would educate themselves about a subject before criticising it off hand.”
      I also wish some homeopaths would educate themselves before writing down false information.

      And yes, although the article is nice and useful, it DOES have some flaws and missing information, which was pointed out by several commenters. It is really sad, that the author only cared to defend herself, but did not address the faults of the article during these years. I mean, she could have updated the article, add some extra information. But it seems she did not care to do that.

      I used to love homeopathy, but it is really sad to see the attitude and lack of knowledge of some homeopaths 🙁

  • Since my previous comment was deemed unfit for the discussion, I do have one question. What is the minimum degree or qualifications does one need to become a Doctor of Homeopathy? (ie: Bachelor’s)

    • The education criteria varies from country to country. In many countries only conventional MD’s are allowed to practice homeopathy.
      In India, homeopathy students go through a rigorous 5.5 year medical training in which students are taught all the medical subjects as taught in MBBS, except allopathic pharmacology. Homeopathic subjects are taught along with other medical subjects. The education includes 1 year internship too.
      After doing BHMS students can proceed to do MD in Homeopathy.
      Homeopathy in India is regulated by govt and is technically at par with conventional medicine. There are about 180 homeopathy medical colleges, close to 300,000 homeopathy doctors and a wide infrastructure.

  • @Stewart – very perplexing comment.

    “No self-respecting homeopathist would offer a treatment without any clear physiological mechanism of action, or without any randomised control trials.”

    Can you share a link to an explanation of the clear physiological mechanism of action of a homeopathic remedy?

    “Homeopathy doesn’t involve pseudoscience like multiple dilutions to increase potency or inexplicable beating of compounds and solutions with sticks.”

    Homeopathic remedies DON’T involve multiple diluations? What about:

    “Homeopathy is a system of medicine which involves treating the individual with highly diluted substances” from https://homeopathy-soh.org/homeopathy-explained/what-is-homeopathy/

    “homeopathy would not claim to be able to alter personality characteristics such as loquacity, irritability and ANGER with a herb despite a complete absence of actual evidence to that effect.”

    If there is no actual evidence, why is Binal suggesting Lachesis above as a remedy: “Suited when causative factors for complaints are- disappointed love, egotism, ANGER…..”

  • “Abuse and violence is a widespread problem which lies hidden within communities irrespective of class and race. It occurs behind closed doors and the most common victims are women, often because standards set by society restrict them from speaking out or seeking help.”

    Claims that women are restricted from seeking help because of standards set by society. I feel men are more affected by this. Doesn’t realize that there are bills protecting women and not men. Doesn’t realize that there are thousands of women’s shelters and halfway homes. Doesn’t realize that there are only a dozen homes to help men.

  • I liked the way you presented the issue about violence and abuse, and what homeopathy can do in such cases, thank you

  • Please, please include a point/link about risk and safety in this article. It is essential that someone experiencing domestic abuse contacts an independent, confidential, trained expert such as an IDVA so that they can access basic safety advice. They would not need to take any action they are not ready for, but they need an opportunity to improve their safety. To not include this is just dangerous. Whatever your view on homoeopathy, it can’t stop your abusive partner from hospitalising or killing you.

  • DEAR DR,
    THE ENTIRE CONTROVERSY IS BASELESS. I VERY MUCH AGREE WITH DR MANISH BHATIA.THE PATIENT COMES TO DR FOR TREATMENT OF HER TRAUMA MENTAL OR PHYSICAL AND NOT FOR ANY LEGAL ADVICE THEN WHY THE DRS ARE RAISING SUCH CONTROVERSIES IN HOMEOPATHIC PROFESSION. SUPPOSE SUCH PATIENT GOES TO ALLOPATHY THE DR WILL TREAT HER PHYSICAL WOUNDS AND GIVE A REPORT AND ONLY ASK HER TO GO TO POLICE. IF SHE IS MENTALLY DEPRESSED SHE WILL BE ADVISED TO GO TO PSYCHATRIST, NOW IN HOMEOPATHY WE HAVE TO TREAT THE PATIENT IN THE SAME WAY. IN HOMEOPATHY FRONZIC SCIENCE IS ALSO TAUGHT. HOMEOPATHS ARE QUALIFIED IN BOTH TYPES OF TREATMENT AND SO LONG MD [HOM] ARE NOT AVAILABLE. IN MY SEVERAL COMMENTS IT WAS EMPHYSISED THAT CAUSE OF SUFFERING HAS TO BE REMOVED TO KEEP MAN CONTINUE TO BE HEALTHY AFTER TREATMENT. IN THIS CASE ALSO CAUSE OF HURT HAS TO BE REMOVED PERMANATLY MAY BE PATIENT IS WOMAN OR MAN IT DOES NOT MATTER. FOR EXAMPLE IF A MAN GETS ALLERGY BY EGG, HE WILL BE TREATED OK BUT IF HE STILL EATS EGG HE WILL SUFFER AGAIN.
    THANKS
    DR SHEKHAR

  • What a life saving article. Many thanks to Dr. Binar Master for publishing it. Only those who survived or improved their lives by using homeopathy can truly appreciate its value. Thanks to homeopathy I managed to survive verbal and emotional relationship with my former (diagnosed with bipolar 1)partner and only thanks to homeopathy I managed to rebuilt my life. My former partner is currently under homeopathic care himself. My biggest dream is to study homeopathy in the future.I salute to homeopathy and its wisdom.

    • It is very true that homeopathy can truly appreciate its value by those who used it and improve their lives, otherwise those who have not used or familiar with it can criticize for their ignorance. I truly salute homeopathy and its wisdom and hope one day the world will realise its benefit.

  • My Thanks to Dr Binal Master for courageously sharing her in-depth knowledge, to an overly-critical World.
    Myself and my family have been subject to domestic abuse in the form of unremitting control, bullying and violence, from my insecure and narcissistic husband of 40 years. When I became very seriously ill and bedbound, following many long years of ‘putting on hold’ a promising writing career to support my husband and children – I received publicly from him a display of protection, yet privately starvation, neglect and even injury, which he would try convincing me later he had not done!

  • Continued: … may I conclude: Dr Masters gives hope and enlightenment for women so long ‘lost’ like myself. I have some personal knowledge of homeopathy – and an absolute respect for its capacity to heal both mind and body.

  • Very insightful, i have made extensive notes to keep when in need. Thank you for this article. I would suggest erasing the above observations from people who have no idea that this is a homeopathy blog, and nothing more.

  • Kali Iod is serious glandular remedy,Didier Grandgeorge says is linked with overgrowth of Thymus gland seat of immunity prone to autoimmune diseases,abuses even own parents most near one father given in shastra sun mark mother sea.has fixed ideas rigid opinions, Bhatacharya Nihati Bengal corelates it to severe pitta roga.serious nervous remedy compelling one to walk.old age one may abuse family members.we are talking of immunity boosters papers are full of advertisements their immunity boosters.homeopathy is only science to handle chronic cases.Tulsi drops do help immunity but to boost mind feelings one must go to a homeopath.

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