When my father died
Loosing a loved one can be one of the most traumatic events of our lifetime. My father died when I was 31 years old, and I was pregnant with our first child at the time. There was much sadness that he would never see his first grandson but the overwhelming emotion I experienced was one of loss, the finality of it, and the harsh fact that I would never see my lovely father again.
That sense of loss, in my experience, permeated every aspect of my life and I would find myself thinking about my father at different moments, continually throughout the day. Its funny how your mind plays tricks with you. I would experience some moments of happiness, when everything felt good, almost as if I had forgotten the traumatic event of loosing Dad, and then suddenly Oh.... but he has gone and the sadness would descend again.
How I dealt with his death
I consider myself very fortunate, because I practice Buddhism and I was able to chant for my father, send him protection and love and imagine that he would be born again quickly into his next life. However, I am aware that we don't all have any particular religious belief's around loss of a loved one, and also, what might be comforting for one person, may not be so for another.
Grief is a process, but sometimes we can get stuck and are unable to, or do not even want to move on. In cases likes these, or when the initial grief stage is completely overwhelming, homeopathy is of invaluable help.
Dealing with Grief and Depression with Homeopathy
There are two basic remedies that come up time and time again. These two are not the only remedies available to the homeopath for the treatment of grief, but they are certainly the most frequently used.
Ignatia - A great remedy for the first stages of grief, when at that hysterical stage of laughing and crying by turns. Or when the patient has fallen into a state of complete withdrawal, tightly held in grief. Ignatia is a plant remedy, named after Saint Ignatius. It is a bean, and I always have the image of a tightly curled up bean in my mind, symbolizing the silent grief of Ignatia. This remedy is also effective for disappointed love, disappointment from other causes, anger and fright.
As with all homeopathic remedies it will depend on how closely the person fits the Ignatia picture, as to how effectively it will work. Having said that, as we all, unfortunately, suffer from grief and some time or another in our lives, Ignatia is a very helpful specific for the first stages of grief. It works well for animals too, when a loved pet has lost its mate and becomes withdrawn and sad.
The other great remedy for grief is Natrum Muriaticum. Apart from being most effective in cases of grief or illness related to grief, it is also, one of the most commonly prescribed remedies of the homeopaths repertoire. We are in fact, a nation of Nat Mur types. The general picture being one of keeping your feelings and emotions to yourself, not showing grief, keeping everything held in. Like Ignatia but without the hysteria.
George's story of coming to terms with his loss
George was a typical Natrum case that I saw some years ago. His wife had died 8 months ago, they had been very close and worked together for many years in the shop they owned. He appeared to be managing well to begin with. Then after 6 months of carrying on as normal, (as best he could), he felt a bit down. He also got an infection of oral thrush, swollen glands, his neck felt stiff and he had a feeling of pressure in his head.
He had a course of antibiotics from the doctor, they didn't make much difference so he had another course, still no change. He was also by now beginning to drink rather too much in the evenings and he really didn't want to go down that road.
He was a lovely man, very amenable, said he would do whatever it took to get him back on the straight and narrow. His family had bought him a little dog for company, which had helped but still the symptoms persisted.
I gave him Natrum Muriaticum and on his return visit one month later he reported that the oral thrush had gone completely. He still had a little neck ache but it was not as bad as before, his glands had gone down with just a little tenderness remaining in the nape of his neck and he was curbing the drinking. He still had emotional moments, it would have been his wife's birthday in a few weeks time, but felt generally much more positive.
At this follow up I gave him a second dose of the Natrum Muriaticum, he did not come back for a third appointment as he reported that he was feeling physically very well and coping much better with his loss. This had been achieved after just two appointments.