10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Homeopathic Journey
I came to homeopathy like so many – having never heard of it and desperate. Although I was raised in a natural food household, that didn’t extend to using complementary and alternative modalities. So, I would say I was open to using alternative modalities but not understanding of how it might be different. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way, first as a client and then as a professional homeopath, that would have been helpful to know when I was starting my journey.
1. Improvement in most cases is possible and it takes TIME. Symptoms can come on suddenly, which makes it seem like they should disappear quickly, but that isn’t how improvements in complex and chronic conditions work. Patience is required. Have faith in the process, in the body’s ability improve, and then let time do the work.
2. Restoring vitality and wellness from chronic illness is almost always multi factorial. The body, mind, and soul are one wholistic being. Support and care on all levels is often required. That means eating whole foods, building movement into your day, spending time outside, meditating and mindfulness for emotional restoration, AND homeopathy. That’s an incredibly powerful combination. Don’t worry if multi factorial changes feel daunting. Often, a well-indicated remedy can help give enough support to allow for shifts in harder-to-begin areas.
3. Homeopathy can work alongside medications - chemo, radiation, anti-anxiety, high blood pressure, mental health, hormone based, you name it. Remedies work upstream of any symptom expressed at the energetic level, so it’s not contraindicated with any particular medication that works on a physical level. Homeopathic remedies are selected based on the totality of symptoms, so it’s important to discuss the symptom picture before mediation was started. Over time, clinically speaking, I’ve seen the need for medications change and it may be necessary to work with the prescribing doctor to modify the dosage or, perhaps, even stop a medication if that’s a goal.
4. A healing journey can feel like two steps forward, one step back. There’s no straight line from the starting point to a place of wellness and vitality. Setbacks can be frustrating but are often indicative of something coming up to be examined from a new place. Also, not every remedy will work, even well-indicated remedies! Sometimes it can take some tweaking to get the right remedy in the right potency and dosing. Too high a potency can cause either a brief exacerbation or too low could appear to not touch the issue. That’s all part of the journey and it can be frustrating. Real faith, patience, and fortitude are needed during a healing journey.
5. Caring for kids with significant challenges is physically and emotionally stressful and will take a toll on caregivers. Caregivers often need homeopathic support, too. Working at the ecosystem level can accelerate benefits for everyone.
6. When working with kids, better outcomes are achieved when I meet with kids directly, even if only briefly. Being in the same energetic space is important.
7. With homeopathy, less is often more. When we see improvements, it’s tempting to try to push for more through increasing the potency or frequency of dosing. But the healing is happening by the client and within the client at the pace set by the client. More remedy will often not increase the pace and may aggravate. I call it slowing down to speed up – give a good, well-indicated constitutional remedy and let the body do the work over time.
8. There’s no one formula for healing. Sometimes a layered approach will be needed. I often start with a good constitutional remedy, then layer on any needed homeopathic detoxifications if indicated. Detoxifications aren’t always needed but, in some cases, can be critical. Strep, Lyme, contraceptives, industrial chemicals, metals, yeast and mold, etc – these are just some examples of detoxifications that can be useful.
9. As a clinician, sometimes an additional set of eyes is important. I work as part of a trusted team, International Homeopaths for Autism, to escalate and work with when it feels like more support is needed. Your child’s outcomes are my priority.
10. Mindset matters - having a child struggle is heartbreaking and grief is real. Being present and loving and truly calm with kids can feel far away. It’s easy to feel reduced, or reduce how you perceive a child, to an illness. But the wholeness is still there, and it benefits everyone when we see people in their wholeness throughout their healing journey. Being kind to yourself, mindfulness, meditation, time spent outside in nature, finding some moments of joy, and spending time with those that “get it” - or at least away from those that don’t and settings with required behaviors difficult for a child with struggles - are just a few tools that can be helpful.