The Sensation Approach, an Evolution of Classical Homoeopathy

Curiosity has always been the unique character of human beings, which is why the sciences are continuously evolving and growing. Similarly, Homoeopathy has progressed and homeopaths are studying new ideas. Homeopathy has now transformed from a mathematical method to a systematic one.

Remember that all research in the field of homoeopathy is based on Hahnemann’s Organon which Hahnemann changed six times to refine and consolidate his ideas. In different ages, different stalwarts contributed to the profession by their ideas. C. M. Boger had given the idea of grand generalization which is used a lot now. Likewise, Dr. Rajan Sankaran has introduced the new method of practicing homoeopathy called the Sensation method, which we, the companions of OHMA, have found very useful in practice. Now we wish to share this information with you. The real beauty of this method is that Dr. Sankaran has classified homoeopathic remedies into kingdoms, sub-kingdoms and miasms very artistically, which makes the discrimination between remedies so easy.

Formerly I was following Dr. J.T. Kent who had given us a trio of three subjects as a foundation for the successful practice of the healing art. But frankly speaking, along with many successes I had to face thousands of failures.

  KENT’s   TRIO

According to my thinking now, Dr. Sankaran has broadened Kent’s trio.

SANKARAN’s   TRIO

 

If we consider these things together in every individual case, our results become more consistent, synergistic and certain. Here I would like to share with you a true story. One day my wife told me that she wanted to go to bazaar with me to buy a piece of   cloth similar to her shirt. I am very lazy in these kind of activities because I think they waste my time needed for study and clinic. But that day I was caught, and I willy-nilly went to bazaar with her and she promised she would finish within one hour . But, as usual, she did not! There were no bounds to my joy   when the salesman of the very first shop showed her a cloth similar to her shirt. Now I was thinking that problem was solved and soon I would   be free from her. But on seeing and touching the cloth she spontaneously said to salesman that her shirt’s fabric was Marina (a kind of fabric) and this one was Line.

I told her there was no problem at all, as this cloth had the exact resemblance to her shirt and no one could   recognize it easily. Here the salesman interrupted and said to me “She is right sir, actually Marina is a thick fabric and this one is thin and the dyeing process of both the clothes are different and these are prepared on different units (machines ). Although this is really looking similar, but with the passage of time, its colours will fade away. “The salesman was an honest fellow and he referred us to another shop where Marina fabric was available and finally we got it. Thank God !

The whole process was a great lesson for me . Have you heard the golden   saying   “all that   glitters is not gold “. The thoughtful   reply of the salesman struck me , and my whole idea about similarity of remedies had changed and became absolutely refined . I came to the conclusion that apparently similar remedies, actually are not similar to the patient’s   state. For an excellent result, symptom similarity is not enough. With symptoms similarity of any remedy you must have the similarity with its kingdom, subkingdom, source as well as miasm. Then and only then can you predict to the patient with 125% belief that he’ll be definitely ok. There will be no doubt in the case.

Today I would like to share my views on one of the important components of Ranjan Sankaran’s trio called “ SENSATION “.

WHAT IS SENSATION?

The word “Sensation” is derived from the Latin word ‘sensus’, which means “the faculty of perceiving.”  A “sensation” is the product of perception felt or experienced.

Webster’s dictionary defines it as – “A purely spiritual or psychical affection; agreeable or disagreeable feelings occasioned by objects that are not corporeal or material.”

The human brain is structured into two sides, left brain and right brain, which perform different tasks and jobs. Our left hemisphere is scientific , logical mathematical and factual, whereas the right hemisphere is artistic, illogical, emotional, intuitive and conceptual.

The left side thinks something and the right side analyses it. In homoeopathic prescribing, along with symptoms, rubrics and characteristics (left brain concepts) the experience in that particular symptom or situation ( right side concepts) has great significance.

These experiences are called sensations, which have utmost importance in the new method.

By sensation Rajan Sankaran does not mean the local or superficial feeling e.g. burning, stinging and stitching and so forth. He means a deep feeling behind burning, stitching and stinging, an experience in each individual symptom or in a particular situation.

For example :

If a patient says that he has neck pain (facts – left brain concept), then ask what he feels with the neck pain. Then he might say that he feels stiffness in the neck (the word stiffness is the sensation word of Anacardiacea family of plants – right brain concepts).

Hahnemann writes in aphorism 144 “Everything that is conjectural ….. should be strictly excluded; everything should be the pure language of nature carefully and honestly interrogated” .

So sensation is a pure language of nature. It is the language of the innocent child which could not be expressed by words only. It needs something more than words ( eg. movement ) . Saints or spiritual people attributes it to the reflection of their inner energy and call it divine sensation or experience. And this is confirmed by Hahnemann. The sixth edition of Organon of Medicine defines “Disease” thus:

When a person falls ill, it is only this spiritual, self-acting [automatic] vital force, everywhere present in his organism, that is primarily deranged by the dynamic* influence upon it of a morbific agent inimical to life; it is only the vital principle, deranged to such an abnormal state, that can furnish the organism with its disagreeable sensations, and incline it to the irregular processes which we call disease; for, as a power invisible in itself, and only cognizable by its effects on the organism, its morbid derangement only makes itself known by the manifestation of disease in the sensations and function of those parts of the organism exposed to the observer and physician, that is, by morbid symptoms, and in no other way can it make itself known.”

So according to Hahnemann, sensations are the product of vital energy. In disease they are presented as disagreeable sensations since they are produced by deranged vital energy. Rajan Sankaran calls it vital sensation at many places in his great work. Let us try to understand where from this word “vital sensation” came from and when sensation transforms into vital sensation.

VITAL SENSATION

The following lines of Hahnemann are the source of this term “vital sensation” which he had written in his great masterpiece known as Materia medica pura.

“As the organism, in its normal condition, depends only on the state of the vitality, it follows that the changed condition which we call disease or sickness must likewise depends not on the operation of physical or chemical principles, but on originally vital sensations and actions- that is to say, a dynamically changed state of man – a changed existence, through which, eventually, the constituent parts of the body become altered in their character ”.

According to Rajan Sankaran, sensation is an experience which always remains with you from the womb and will be with you to the tomb and it comes on the surface time to time. It is constant and what you feel at the physical level, you ll feel it equally at the mental level.

Example: A female patient (working woman) came to me, who had a fibroid in her uterus, and severe backache. She told me that continuous motion ameliorates her back pain. During the interview I advised her to take bed rest for some days but she told me that she couldn’t do this because she was the only person upon whom the whole family depends.

So have you noticed that physically motion ameliorates and similarly on the mental level her survival depends on moving / motion and she couldn’t sit at home. By considering other symptoms I had prescribed COMOCLADIA and within a month the back pain and fibroid had disappeared.

So when Sensation proves equally on physical level as well as on mental level then it becomes vital sensation. It is corroborated that Sankaran’s ideas are not far from the fundamental teachings of great Hahnemann, but these are revolutionary evolution of the basic tenets of Organon of Medicine laid by great master.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The sensation method is very beautiful. Its aims and objectives are:

1) To determine what the patient is? Is he plant, animal, mineral?

For example,if the main theme of the case in hand revolves around sensitivity then he needs a plant remedy. If his other song is competitive then he needs an animal remedy and similarly if there is an issue of something lacking in structure then he needs a remedy from the mineral kingdom.

2) Determine his miasm by considering the pace and depth of his illness and by the way he reacts in a particular situation.

For example, one of my patients said “Dr. I feel terrible. I have a bursting headache”. I asked what he feels or experiences with this kind of headache. He replied SUFFOCATION. So SUFFOCATION is the real experience or sensation with terrible headache which is a clear indication of the tubercular miasm.

3) To evaluate the level of his perception or experience to select the appropriate potency for the case in hand.

Example:

If the patient gives only the name of a disease, and there is no any PQRS in the case then it will be considered that the patient is in the first level of perception called NAME. In this condition whatever remedy he’ll be given, according to the case, should be in the 6^th potency.

MISCONCEPTION ABOUT THE SENSATION METHOD

Some people think that the sensation method is just doctrine of signatures, self constructed hypothetical work. But it is their delusion and great misconception because they just studied it superficially. Rajan Sankaran strictly requires triangulating the whole data of the patient. According to my understanding, sensation is the voice of your inner self, which is not human but totally inhuman. It’s the voice of your spirit. If you think that it is difficult to practice with Sensation method, I would like to say that this method is a spirituality and to hear the voice of spirit you’ll have to undergo the practice of spirituality and first you’ll have to know who you are. You’ll have to remove ego, which is a curtain before the spiritual eye.

Allama Iqbal says:

Mehroom-e-Tamasha Ko Phir Dida-e-Beena De Dekha Hai Jo Kuch Mein Ne Auron Ko Bhi Dikhla De

(Give piercing vision to those deprived of sight , and show to others what I have seen)
                              

CASES FROM THE DESK OF Dr. IKHLAQ RAHIM

CASE 1 ARTHRITIS

Patient name : S

Sex :- F

Age:-38 Y

CHIEF COMPLAINTS :

1-    Pain in all the bones, especially in small joints of fingers.

2-    Pain in body when she wakes up in the morning .

3-    Pain at the roots of hairs.

4-    Feels prostration.

5-    Backache, standing difficult.

6-    Sitting after motion is difficult.

7-    Sleep normal.

8-    DREAMS: Earthquake, horrible dreams (as if people are running here and there in panic to save their lives, a lot of noise there).

9-    Forgets words during conversation.

10–DESIRES : Oranges and Mangoes. But in both she likes mangoes very much.

THE FOLLOWING RUBRICS WERE TAKEN IN REPERTORISATION:-

1-    JOINTS PAIN

2-    JOINTS, PAIN JOINTS, MOTION AMEL.

3-    DREAMS- EARTHQUAKE,

4-    FOOD ORANGES, DESIRES.

By repertorising the case the following remedies were on the top:

RHUS TOX, ARG. MET, AU , FERR, PHOS, CALC CARB, CAPS, CHINA, NAT. SULF, SIL etc.

I had prescribed RHUS TOX, CALC CARB, CHINA AND MED off and on in the period of six months, but there was nothing except failures.

Then on 03-01-2014 I had decided to re- take her case with sensation method. I asked many questions, but here I’ll only share those questions which were vital for my prescription.

IKHLAQ : What do you feel with joints pain?

PATIENT: ( Laughed ), I feel only pain.

IKHLAQ : Could you describe the real feeling in these pains?

PATIENT: ( Pause ), stiff (said spontaneously).

IKHLAQ : What do you really mean by stiffness?

PATIENT: Stiffness ……… (pause ), as if you can’t move.

IKHLAQ : I could not understand, please tell me a little bit more?

PATIENT : Stiffness is like as if you are caught and you become still and can’t move.

Here patient used two sensation words (STIFF, CAUGHT) of Anacardiaceae family of plants.

IKHLAQ:– What are your other problems?

PATIEN :- I’ve no any other problem except my husband (laughed ), he is very strict and don’t allow me to go even to my mother’s home. But doctor I’ve become used to this. I don’t quarrel with him because I don’t want to magnify this issue.

 

In her dreams she dreamed that people were running here and there to save their lives, means survival depends on movement. On the sensation level she feels stiff, being caught (she said that her husband is strict person, he doesn’t allow her to go/ tomove) Stiffness and move are opposite words. According to Rajan Sankaran opposite sensation words represents plant family. As she said also that she avoid quarrel, this behaviour is the clear indication of sycotic miasm.

So in the Anacardiaceae family sycotic remedy is Mangifera indica and this remedy has strong desire for mangoes, here one can think that why here I am ignoring desire of oranges? Oranges desire is found in MED, which is sycotic remedy and MANGIFERA INDICA is also sycotic remedy. I think here that desire of oranges is a sycotic desire and not only belongs to MED remedy, it is the desire of sycotic miasm.

Finally, I precribed MAN. INDICA 1M/one dose only on 04-01-2014 followed by placebo for 15 days, but she phoned me after 7 days, that she is better now, she wakes up fresh now, there is very less pain now.

After 15 days she was totally free from that pain.

 

I dedicate this case to my association colleagues and especially to honouable SIR Dr. CH. AHMED HASSAN who is a beacon light for all of us.

 

CASE 2 SPASMODIC INVOLUNTARY PROTRUSION OFTONGUE

Patient Name: S.W.

Age:- 25 years

Explanation

This patient was brought to me in critical emergency at 1:00 am on 06-02-2014. Renowned allopathic doctors of AZIZ FATIMA HOSPITAL, SIDIQUE COMPLEX HOSPITAL AND ALLIED HOSPITAL FAISALABAD, had failed to diagnose this case and discharged the patient without any medication.

SYMPTOMS

Patient could not utter a single word ,so I had to observe the patient 10 to 15 minutes.

1-    Spasmodic closure of mouth, then tongue was starting to protrude forcibly, then gradually tongue was turning blue.

2-    When tongue was protruding she was feeling deathly choking and grasping her neck by both hands.

3-    She was continuously staring at me like an insane person.

4-    Chief complaint was developed from hearing news by doctors that her son had blood cancer. This news was shocking for her.

5-    Protrusion of tongue and closure of mouth was going on at intervals. There was a peculiar sound of choking.

6-    I observed that she was trying to avoid her ridiculous gesture (involuntary protrusion of tongue) to me but nothing was in her control; all was happening spontaneously.

 

ANALYSIS OF THE CASE

According to sensation approach, sudden shock and choking sensation belongs to LOGANIACEAE family of plants (Ref. An insight into plants v-II by Rajan Sankaran). The news, that her son had blood cancer, was a great sudden shock for her which resulted in spasmodic involuntary protrusion of tongue and this process was convulsive and remember convulsion is active reaction of Loganiaceae family. This family of plants includes remedies like strychinum purum (Acute miasm), Nux vomica (Typhoid miasm), Upas tieute ( Ringworm), Spigelia anthelmia (Malaria miasm ), Gelsemium sempervirens (Sycotic miasm), Ignatia amara (cancer miasm), Curare (Leprosy miasm ), Hoang nan( syphilitic).

I observed the patient that she was trying to hide her ridiculous gesture (involuntary protrusion of tongue) but this was happening spontaneously, nothing was in her control. To hide or trying to avoid any particular situation represents the sycotic miasm. So now everything had decoded. In the above mentioned list of remedies, there was only GELSEMIUM which has sycotic miasm. As she was staring at me, this was another clue for Loganiaceae family because cataleptic conditions due to sudden shock or fright are also belongs to this family.

Finally, I gave her GELSEMIUM 10M/one dose only. Surprisingly the whole turmoil disappeared dramatically within 30 minutes. After this she slept a sound sleep.

I dedicate my this case to SIR RAJAN SANKARAN.