Natrium muriaticum – The Father

This is the case of a 14 year old girl with short, reddish brown hair. Her father and her mother are divorced. She lives with her mother, three siblings and step-father. She comes today with concerns over constipation and depression.

Case as presented on July 24, 2008

I was born in 1994, and in 1997 my parents separated and my dad was arrested. I was three years old. I remember my brother and I discussing if there was any way we could get them back together. I also remember seeing police coming to the house for my dad. In 1998 I remember being left outside the pre-school building for what seemed like hours. I don’t remember how I felt, just that I was left there. Dad would also tell me that I was ugly and fat and it would make me think I was too fat. It made me feel really sad. In 2000 we moved back to our home town and dad moved back in with us after getting out of prison. I was happy about that. Later, Mom made Dad leave and that made me sad. Dad would often lie to us and that made me feel like he didn’t care about us. He’d sleep all day, because he had gotten high on drugs the day before. I would get my hopes up that when he came out of prison he’d get his own house so he could move out of Grandma’s, but he never did. Starting at the age of seven, I was molested by my dad. I didn’t know it was not normal behavior.

I do not sleep well. It takes me a long time to fall asleep and then when I do, I wake up. Sometimes it takes me an hour to fall asleep. I always wake up at 12 a.m. 4-5 times per week and then sometimes I get up between 2 and 3 a.m. When I wake up at 12:00 a.m. I used to be up for a couple of hours. Now I go back to sleep about a half hour later. This has been happening since 3rd or 4th grade. In 2004 I was fully developed physically, but my menstrual cycle had not started as of yet, and it didn’t start for three more years.

November 14, 2005, at 10:33 pm is the exact time I told my mom about the molestation. After I told my Mom, I hated him. I would cry a lot. I would have to cry before I could fall asleep. I felt guilty over all of this. I hated myself for letting him do this to me. Over the years I would cry a lot. Something would remind me of my dad and I would start crying. It is very hard for me to get over what dad did and to forgive him. I hold onto the bad memories, it is something I always remember, and it upsets me.

I have two to five days between my bowel movements. I guess that means I am constipated. I feel the urge to go for three days, and it still doesn’t come out. Many times it comes out very large and hard and other times it is in smaller pieces. When it is large, it hurts afterwards. I finally started my menstrual cycle this year. Aug 2007. Once my menstrual cycle started, it has been regular. Cold sores on my lips would always happen while visiting my dad. I get headaches a couple of times a day, on both temples, 5-6 days a week. It is a throbbing pain. The pain level is an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Recently my stepfather is asking me why I am eating so much. He thinks I am going to get fat. It is not what he says, it is how he says it. It makes me feel horrible and then I don’t feel as good about myself. My Mom thinks I am depressed. I don’t think I feel sad. I get annoyed easily–especially at my brother and sister. I am scared of my dad. Under his bed he used to have guns and knives. He would threaten to beat me. My dad is strong and I was afraid that he would hurt me. He has never hurt me physically, but he has hurt me emotionally. He’d always be putting me down and making fun of what I do or the way I look. Mom says that her daughter is depressed because of always blaming herself and this type of thinking started when she was little. She is often guilty. She wants to be a people pleaser. She says what people want to hear, whether or not it is true. She has been through a lot of grief and still goes through the grief over and over again by re-living it.

Initial Observations

This young person has been through a tremendous amount of grief. She has felt betrayed by her father. She hasn’t felt loved. She feels tremendous resentment and guilt feelings over her molestation by her father. The fact that she didn’t have a menstrual cycle for years after being fully developed shows the extent that she internalized her grief. Physically, she deals with constipation and cold sores, which, in addition to her mental symptoms, led to the remedy choice.

Repertorization using MURPHY’S REPERTORY

MIND; Abandoned, ailments, from being
MIND; Anger, suppressed
MIND; Abuse, sexual
MIND; Guilt, grief, with
FEMALE; Menses, delayed, in girls
RECTUM; Constipation; chronic
STOOL; Large
MOUTH; Fever blisters; lips

Natrum Muriaticum 20
Sepia 13
Ignatia 9
Staphysagria 9
Lycopodium 8
Aurum Metallicum 8
Pulsatilla 8
Ignatia was considered for this case, due to the tremendous grief, suppressed anger and sexual abuse that this young girl has experienced over her short life. She has had episodes of intense sobbing and ailments from grief, which Ignatia is known for, but I felt there was more to this case than this. In the repertorization, Ignatia had very few of the physical symptoms—only showing with a grade of two on the large stool. I do feel the mentals must take priority in this case, but the physicals do need to be there more predominantly as well.

Sepia was also considered. Although, in this case, compared to Ignatia, Sepia had a stronger emphasis for the physicals as opposed to the mentals. It had very strong grades for the constipation and the large stool….did have a grade of two for the delayed menses and a one for the fever blisters, but very low emphasis on the mental symptoms. In this case, her emotional background is very important and critical to this case. Her sexual abuse, tremendous grief, feelings of abandonment, etc. are the basis of this case, with the physicals being necessary, but the mental symptoms do need to take precedence.

Natrum Muriaticum was very strong on both the physical ailments and the mental symptoms. Natrum Muriaticum has constipation in its remedy picture, as well as the fever blisters and the delayed menses. It also has chronic grief, often suppressed. Tremendous feelings of guilt and resentment as well as replaying the grief over and over in her mind are important aspects of Nat Mur. The abandonment issues, the suppressed anger, the unloved feelings and the ailments after sexual abuse are all in this remedy. This remedy was an excellent blend of both the mentals and the physicals.
NATRUM MURIATICUM 200c 3x/day was recommended.

Follow-up History
A follow—up was done on September 16, 2008 with excellent improvement seen. She was now having a daily bowel movement, but still had some straining with it. Headaches were gone. Sleep was excellent, no longer waking up during the night. Emotionally she says that she is happier and not as annoyed as she usually is with her brothers and sisters. Recommending she continue with Nat Mur 200c at 3x/day and gradually start to decrease the dosing as the symptoms improve even more, to 2x/day and then 1x/day, etc.

On October 30, 2008, this young girl had excellent improvement. Daily bowel movements were reported with no more straining. The size was now normal. Headaches are completely gone. Menstrual cycle is now normal and regular, with little to no cramping. Sleep is excellent. Emotionally she says she is doing “great”. She says she is happier, not easily annoyed, enjoys school and is getting good grades. Enjoys more interaction with people now. Recommending that she continue on the Nat Mur 200c, 3x/week and gradually wean herself off of it.

January 2009 a follow-up was done. Improvements in all areas. No negative physical or mental symptoms were reported. She is no longer on the remedy and is doing well. In the future, Ignatia may be considered if she has an acute emotional situation that may arise, as Ignatia is the “acute” of Nat Mur. If something more serious arises, then, her more recent physical and mental history would have to be taken and her case reconsidered at that time.