Homeopathy Tips for 6/12/18 Receiving a Good Case

I often have students write up their cases that they are working on outside of the class for me to review and make recommendations. It is a part of the mentor process that our school uses to help the budding homeopath. Sometimes the student will report the case as if it is a clinical report without testimony from the client. There is really not much that I can do to help when this is the case.

Sometimes the student will present the case word for word from the client but still there will be no flavor to the case. When I say flavor there are lots of stories but the quality of the presentation is missing. There may not be any notes as to the observations the homeopath is making. It is always more than just the story.

The homeopath’s job is to not lead the case but be a good guide so that more than just stories are told. It is in the story that we get the information we need, but sometimes the story can be without any flavor. There might be a theme that emerges, but if left to just figure out what the story means can be difficult sometimes.

Receiving a good case requires active listening and being able to “hear” the subtle nuances of the story. This is when it is necessary to make a note and ask questions later for clarification. As an example, sometimes a theme of injustice  may seem to be present but upon closer questioning the story is really referring to a part of the person that is not necessarily about injustice but about defending a particular person.

Using this example it is very necessary to understand this part of the story . If the rubric Mind; Injustice, can not support were used it would influence the possibilities for remedies to consider and would lead to possibly the incorrect remedy being selected.

I ask many questions for clarification during case receiving. I do not interrupt the flow of the delivery but instead wait for the next natural pause to happen before I ask for them to elaborate on the part of the story that is still unclear in my mind.

Understanding what is asking to be healed is very important. If this is not understood then we really do not have a case to work with.  If we let the person ramble on and tell story after story as a running diatribe, then this is not good case skills either. The person needs to understand that for the homeopath to understand what is asking to be healed there needs to be some focus on the therapeutic part to the case.

I will often ask the question,” if you could change anything in your life, what would it be?” If I get the answer one million dollars or something that seems unreasonable or trite and not really connected to the vital health of the person I will ask a second question that will usually get me to better understand the case. I will ask,”assuming that the remedy I give you works perfectly, what will have changed when you come for our next visit?” This gets the person thinking about the specifics of their suffering and they will then be telling you just what is asking to be healed.

There are also the subtle, unspoken observations that contribute to the case that may be speaking even louder than their words. These must not be ignored. Always make good notes of the physical observations during the case. Sometimes there may be the particular symptom that will lead to the right remedy.

The homeopath must use all of his/her faculties of observation to receive a good case. We must be unprejudiced observers. Do not take anything for granted during the case. Be open and like an empty vessel ready to be filled up with all aspects of their story. Set your intention prior to sitting down with the individual. If the case seems like it is not going anywhere ask for help from higher powers. Ask the client what they really want help with for their healing. Write down verbatim everything that they say. You will then have the beginnings of a good case that you can  review. Get very clear about what is asking to be healed. If you do not know this with complete certainty, then you still do not have a good case.