Clinical Cases

“I Feel Locked Inside, Restricted, Need Freedom To Transform”

June  S Manjula
Written by N. Manjula

Dr. N. Manjula presents a case of chronic migraine and nasal blockage.

This is a female patient, Mrs. X, aged 48years. She is a nun and working as hostel warden. She arrived on 18.12.14.

Gist of prior counseling given to patient:

Homoeopathy is the treatment, which requires understanding of the patient holistically. It is about both body and mind. We can’t separate mind and body as both together comprise the individual. Hence to understand a person’s individuality the homoeopath should know all about the person.  For a single diagnosis there are thousands and thousands of remedies in homoeopathy, but only a single remedy among those which is unique and suiting to your individuality, which will cure you. It is for this reason I have to understand about your problem and about you. What is coming instantly at this moment please talk freely.

The case begins…

(NOTE: The case is divided into three steps – passive, active and active-active. Peculiar sentences are highlighted in italics and/or bold. [My explanations, observations and notes are underlined/given in simple plain brackets]. D, P, stand for Doctor and Patient respectively. HG indicates Hand Gesture. BG indicates body gesture Follow ups have been summarized at the end of the case.)

PASSIVE CASE WITNESSING PROCESS

Area: Physical Complaints

P:      I am really suffering a lot for many years, when I was in north India- Himachal Pradesh, used to get chill blains there, which is so severe, that my skin in toes and fingers get peeled off.  It is so horrible, so I shifted to south India.  Here I am not having that much problem of chill blains the climate is hot here; anything from cold affects me a lot, even washing the clothes affects me.

(Her speech is so fast, lively and she is so restless)

P:      Very often I used to get cold, sneezing etc., I am having problem of constipation for quite a long time and sciatic pain in left side from hip to toe regularly, my ninth rib in the left side of chest is also paining and a little bit of swelling is also there, I can feel behind my left knee. I think it is connected with arthritis.

P:      From childhood I am sick and I cannot go out during winter season. It doesn’t suit me.  Sun is ok for me and temperature should be warm but it should not be hot.

P:      Usually winter season I get sore throat, lung congestion and recurrent fever, and take anti-biotic frequently.  But this is continuous and continuous I have to get rid of this soon. Having sinusitis also, migraine too, this is also a continuous problem for 20 years.

When climate changes I get this attack of migraine which is associated with severe vomiting and consulted doctor and he said that I also have DNS along with migraine, he told me to do surgery for DNS but I didn’t do.

P:      And during this attack  of cold there is terrible feeling as if I can’t breathe, suffocated, my nose gets completely blocked, I have to open my mouth then only I can breath and my mouth became dry.  I can’t sleep. I have to take little quantity of rum to get my sleep.

P:      Sometimes I get spondylitis pain, and all my pains are mostly left sided.

P:      Within 20 days, I want to  go to Delhi,  there it is winter now, so can you help me to solve my problem immediately, because I don’t want to trouble others, as they will suffer in taking care of me, if I were sick and sometimes they may also tell me that I need not come to Delhi, better you stay here but I need a change, I have to go out, here I am fed up now for almost 10 years, I need a change, I have to transform, all are saying, you do not need to come because of your illness, then we also have to suffer to take care of you, others too will suffer but being here always is frustrating for me, I need a change I have to go out, explore things, here with the same routine, I feel stuck I want to move out, can you help me doctor.

[Her speech is so fast; she told me all these things within few minutes – showing a hectic nature]

P:      Some kind of loneliness, restlessness,  I am not peaceful, nobody can understand me, some kind of unhappiness, all the time, I am sick  and I don’t feel ok, I am not enjoying good health, sisters working with me understand me well, but still lot of worries about future.

P:      And then finding faults also irritates me, lots of irritation, lots of anger before menses, now no interest in prayers, joking and playing cards everything is done and I am not enjoying, same work, so I am fed up, some break from this work, whatever there is work, I should be happy but there is a struggle in my life.  I am always restless and also difficult and fed up feeling.  Should I to go away or I have to be here but I have to go away, I can’t be here anymore and 2 weeks before menses gradually, I get my stomach ache, anger and irritation, I shout at my staff, and then again go and talk with them. I shout at them violently.

P:      Then about myself, I am very soft like my mother, father gives me more attention, very delicate, too much care is needed, little bit change in climate or food everything affects me, so they will be extra care for my health.

They will give special care for my health as I am so delicate. In childhood some black, black spots comes in skin some red color, black color spots with itching, skin peels off during 7th to 10thstd.  So they do everything special for me.  I can’t do any hard work, always bothering some kind of uneasiness.

In my home all are together, lots of freedom there, economically ok, agriculture work is there, everything in abundance. There is so much freedom.

D:       Little bit more about you?

P:        Nothing else madam, I told everything, nothing else to say?

[5 minute’s silence and nothing new came up and she was telling me repeatedly about her physical complaints]

ACTIVE CASE WITNESSING

D:       What is the main thing that affects you so very much?

P:      Sisters are saying that you are always ill, you are lean, so can’t go anywhere; you have to stay here only, you can’t go anywhere ,which affects me so much, all are mocking at me.

D:       In what way it does it bother you?

P:      No way, I have to stay here only. I am fed up, restricted, no freedom here, I want a change, I have to explore to the new things from this routine.

[Focus is fed up, no freedom, restricted, change, explore, to check is that the correct focus which came in one area I am conforming it to the other area]

D:               How do your physical complaints affect your life?

P:      I am saying the same thing only, because of these complaints I am staying here for the past 10 years. I can’t go to other places.

D:               So ….what?

P:        Here it is same thing routine, fed up, no change, as if locked in a jail, restricted.

[Here the focus gets confirmed hence I am now going to active-active process]

ACTIVE-ACTIVE CASE WITNESSING PROCESS

D:      Jail? Restricted?

P:       Jail means locked inside

D:       What is the experience of being locked inside?

P:       [HG] locked [noted-same hand gesture came as if locked]

D:     Tell me about this hand gesture?

P:      I am inside this, it locked around me and I can’t come out.

D:     I am inside this, it’s locked around me and I can’t come out. What is the experience in this?

P:       My whole body sinks, no energy, suffocation

D:      What is the experience at that moment?

P:      Suffocated, no one can pull me from this (HG); I have to pull out

D:     Pull out?

P:       I am a little creature inside, it can come only by itself, and no one can pull it out

D:               Creature?

P:      It is a worm; it is struggling to come out from that lock. People can crush it, knowingly no one will harm it, unknowingly they can harm.

D:               Crushing, harm?

P:                Unknowingly some can keep their hands on it and it can be crushed, so that the worm is crushed and it will die.

D:               Tell me about the worm?

P:                 It is so little, it is in attractive colors, it is struggling to come out, and it is so soft and delicate.  It has to come out else someone can crush it or it will die of suffocation. I am that worm struggling inside.    

D:      Struggling?

P:     Struggling to come out of that lock, it is so strong, one side it is so hard and one side it is less hard, so struggling

D:               Struggling?

P:                I have to hit hard and push to come out. I have to hit again and again, hitting the hard side is useless, it gives pain, it burns, it pricks so I can’t go through hard side, so I have to hit the softer side.

D:               Hitting?

P:                I hit the softer side, I try to find a little gap, and if I get the gap I fly off

D:               What is the experience at that moment?

P:       Light, free, freedom, flying, weightless

D:               Light, free, freedom, flying, weightless

P:       I am floating, I am having wings, I am exploring and I am flying every where

D:               Flying? Floating?

P:                Floating in air, moving in sky, seeing many flowers

D:               Tell me about your hobbies and interest?

P:       Gardening, reading books …Most of the times I will be in the garden only

D:               What is your interest in the garden?

P:      I like flowers very much, their petals, colors and everything and being in the garden in early morning, fresh air , mild warmth of the sun , so pleasant…….

D:               What is your experience in that moment??

P:                I feel happy; feel free, calm, peace, relaxed.

D:               Free, calm, relaxed? What is the experience in it?

P:                Free like light, floating ….like flying in the sky

D:               Flying, floating, light?

P:                Flying as a butterfly over the flowers…

D:               Can you draw what you have experienced now?

D:      Experience the drawing and narrate the experience in the drawing?

P:                Yes, first is that I am inside a lock like that worm can’t get out, and one side is soft and other side is thick and hard so this side [pointing towards the darker side of the picture in the first picture] where I can’t move if touched it hurts and burning pain so I have to hit the softer side again and again to come out then if I get a small gap I can come easily, still that time it is suffocating and heavy, and after getting that gap, I will come out, feel like light weighted, more happy, enjoying like ,it’s a change, happier, calm and peaceful.

D:               Light weighted?

P:       It’s like a feather, wings colorful, flying everywhere.

D:       Tell me about those wings?

P:        It’s so colorful, lots of round and round colors, soft, delicate, light and it is like me, so delicate and soft.

UNDERSTANDING OF THE CASE

          Restless, lively, hasty, fast, irritation, violent anger, fed up, restricted, suffocated, locked, jail, free floating, light ,fly change, transform, burns, pricks, crushing, pullout, struggling, hitting, lock, hard covering, heavy, weightless, soft, delicate, vulnerable, fragile, weak, hitting, worm, freedom of sky, warmth of sun, calm, peaceful, colorful, wings and flowers.

These are the uncommon words i.e. the bit that does not fit into the conversation.

ANALYSIS OF THE CASE

Let us take the sensation words: restricted, crushed, weak, vulnerable, delicate, fragile, free, and lively, fast, hasty, constant desire for change, restless, small, struggling to move out from a constant and desire to escape, colorful, violent anger, fear of death by crushing and suffocation which clearly shows hectic tubercular nature and it is the ANIMAL KINGDOM and SUB KINGDOM: INSECTA

And the patient in this case went to the sensation level and describes herself as a worm who wants to come out and is fed up and suffocating, and someone can crush it, and by hitting can come out, and can fly in the air with wings which is colorful, as she compares herself with the butterfly and speaks about the pupa and adult stage. And in the picture she also depicts  the same thing.

SOURCE: Butterfly

Physical complaints:

  • Hot flushes at menses
  • Allergies
  • Skin complaints
  • Burning pains
  • Left sided
  • Influenza
  • Nose Blocked
  • Dry mouth
  • Running nose
  • Eyes watery and itchy
  • Chest constricted and heavy, suffocated
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Headache
  • Stomach belching and distention
  • Fatigue, these are the proved symptom of butterfly.

The above physical particular are seen in the proving.

Level of experience:  Emotion level

Remedy:  Limenitis Bredowii California [California Sister Butterfly]

Potency: 200 

[Notes- The California sister butterfly is found on the West Coast of the US. It has black and white markings that are said to resemble a nun’s habit, hence its name- By the Author Peter Fraser. This aspect made me wonder that this aspect of the patient being a nun is also covered in the remedy.]

FOLLOW UPS

  1. On 14.1.15

Headache relieved,

Leg pain –old symptom came back with less intensity and now relieved.

Nose blockage is much less, hence suffocation is also less.

Irritation during menses is much less and there are no hot flushes.

Had complaints of piles also and constipation which have reduced.

Appetite is good

Sleep is good

Watering in eyes and itching has slightly increased

Mentally feels calm and light.

Burning pain and cramps also much less.

Over all 70 % I feel better

Rx    Sac lac -30 days

  1. On 18.3.15

[She went to Delhi and there she was much better but had some allergic problems such as nose blockage and cold. Took one dose of Limenitis Bredowii California [California Sister Butterfly] –200 0n 19.2.15 and was better after that, and she was very happy in this follow up as she went to Delhi without having much trouble]

All the problems are better now.

Except watering of eyes which increased since 1 month

Otherwise 70% of improvement

Little cold but gets relieved automatically without any medication

Mind is okay, but sometimes she gets angry when sisters are mocking her. She says she is lean and has to put on weight, which is “bothering me now.” Anger is violent sometimes and “I feel suffocated and as if locked.”

[Inference-Potency is not sufficient as the improvement is stand still and her level of experience is higher, i.e. delusion, as she is in the delusion as if locked and expressed that without much resistance]

Rx     Limenitis Bredowii California [California Sister Butterfly]1M -1dose

[At monthly follow up she had improved tremendously in all ways both physically and mentally, and her watering of eyes also reduced up to 75% and in between once she had an attack of cold and severe burning pain and Limenitis Bredowii California 1M -1dose was repeated once after 3 months and she was much better after that.]

  1. Last follow up seen on 17.12.15

All her physical and mental complaints were almost 95% reduced. There is occasional sneezing but intensity is less. Her weight hasn’t increased, yet it does not bother her anymore. There is no fed up feeling, no locked feeling and no lightless feeling.  She went to Himachal Pradesh and there also she didn’t get any problems as of now. She continues to be there at Himachal Pradesh

Edited by – Dr. Rina Dedhiya

About the author

N. Manjula

Dr. N. Manjula received her BHMS from RVS Homoeopathic Medical College, Coimbatore. She has been in homoeopathic practice since 2011 using exclusively the classical method. She is working in Manitham Homoeopathic Healing Centre, Trichy, as Senior Medical Officer. She has conducted seven National Seminars under the banner of the Manitham Centre. She organized free practice camps in and around Trichy. Under the continuing educational program she gives interactive classes every Sunday for students, interns and local doctors.

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