Graphites

'Where and who was father really?'Concepts Single Carbonicum Everything or nothing Giving meaning
Disconnected Stating values
No integration Self worth
Dignity
Shyness
Workers
FatherAnalysisThe classic type of Graphites is commonly known: the slow, coarse, poorly developed worker, who doesn’t let anything bother him.
Next to this there is the type as described by Sankaran (1991, page 232): people with changeable moods and reactions, who can be upset by the slightest thing. They then become anxious, angry, sad and weepy. But if they can talk about it or cry about it, the problems disappear equally quickly. Altogether a picture that resembles Pulsatilla.
But what is common in these two types? Common is the meaning and value of things. Both types find it very difficult to determine what is meaningful, which matters are worth paying attention to. The first type solves this by adopting a fixed set of values, usually copied from parents or tradition. They do everything 'because it should be done like that'. You could describe it as 'switch off the mind and just carry on'. That is why their mind is so slow and dull: different ideas might com-pletely upset their system.
The second type simply does not solve the problem. Every detail could be just as important as a huge problem. There is no measure for values, so he is easily upset. That explains why he quickly feels better if he can talk about it: he gives the problem of determining the value to someone else. And from his reaction he will see how important the thing really was.
Graphites is often needed as a complementary remedy. I have often prescribed Graphites as a last remedy to round off the case, for instance as a complement to Pulsatilla. The patient will have reacted very well to Pulsatilla, but returns after a while feeling very unstable. She cries easily and feels very uncertain about herself. Reassuring her helps a lot, but the uncertainty keeps coming back. Pulsatilla does nothing anymore. What do you do as a homoeopath? Nothing. until you discover that Graphites is needed here. Then the stability returns. They can make plans again and see things in perspective.
Graphites is an underrated remedy. It is complementary to many remedies, like Sulphur. It might well be needed just as often. The cases described in the chapters on Calc-m and Calcium phosphoricum are also examples where Graphites was needed as a comple-mentary remedy.
Crying easily and often is a symptom that we see many times in Graphites. Graph can cry about trifles or without cause, especially in company or during consul-tations, because they don’t know whether they have anything that is serious. In this aspect they can greatly resemble Pulsatilla. But Puls cries to get attention, whilst Graph cries from uncertainty.
But any sort of emotional reaction can occur, ranging from irritation to gloom, from gaiety to indifference. And these states can constantly change, influenced by all sorts of trifles from outside. Typical is the indecisiveness that remains. We could compare it to a tuning fork which vibrates with all sounds.
Next to this, as already seen, we have the other extreme. The robust, tough worker, the labourer on the land, or the lorrydriver. They just doggedly carry on with their work, not distracted by anything or anyone. Because that is what they have learnt: 'And God saw that it was good'.
A certain sort of father is also typical of the type. He works hard for his family and might be away for his work a lot. He hardly interferes with the bringing up of the children. Patients often did not know what to think of their father. As one of my patients described it: 'Father was never actually there. Where was he and who was he really?'
This uncertainty about who and what their father really is, seems to bring out the uncertainty about the values in life. And with this the two possible types of reaction in Graphites: either remaining very uncertain, or becoming the hard working type.
If we look at the above situation, it is understandable that Graphites is very common. Isn’t (or wasn’t) the situation of the absent father a very common one in our society?