Author:
Maarten van der Meer
Book:
Evolution of analysis
Type:
Case
Chapter:
3-665.75.13
Capsicum annuum
Remedy code: 3-665.72.13
A young woman, 27 years old, with a heavyset build and an open face, speaks directly and uninhibitedly. She listens to herself and is very observant. "I have a lot going on. I'm home with burnout: extreme fatigue, and many problems with my body. My head and body don't work well together. I also have eczema and infections for which I'm constantly taking antibiotics, courses, and ointments." She stopped working six months ago and is now at home; treatment with a psychologist is not helping. She has gained 25 kg in the past year. She calls herself a 'fan of chocolate,' though it aggravates her migraines. She has had tinnitus for three years, and in the past year, she has also developed hyperacusis. She knows she needs to live to 'grow.' She used to have a managerial job, which was demanding, but it changed after a work conflict. The job is very busy, with a lot of responsibility, but she had to go 'full throttle.' Now she is very irritable, can get very angry, and has had a crying spell that lasted for weeks. She takes medication for concentration, memory loss, anxiety, and panic, citalopram, and trazodone to sleep. She was always very organized, did a lot, and nothing was too crazy. Now: the worst is the panic, everything has fallen apart, and she has hyperventilation. The tinnitus was already there before. The past few years were very stressful, with a conflict at work and in her personal life, and she didn't know how to deal with the tinnitus, which started on the left and then also on the right. She can't hear herself. When talking on the phone, she notices that it is better received in the right ear than the left. She used to be very socially, but now she can't manage it. She didn't want to take medication at first, as she didn't believe in it. She is sensitive to medication, including antibiotics. It started four years ago at the office, bullying began, via email. She started a relationship with a colleague, which was initially not a problem, but later people started complaining. The trust was broken, and it was 'toxic.' There was a lot of pressure on the relationship and the person, and they even brought in a lawyer; she couldn't handle it emotionally. The demands became increasingly extreme. She experienced very unusual fatigue behind her eyes, which is still there. The lawyer arranged for her to be exempted from work. Since then, she has been very distrustful and wanted everyone to stay away. Her sense of justice was damaged. She lives with a sense of responsibility, day and night. That is her strong point. The tinnitus started after a hallux valgus surgery, with a lot of stress and morphine during anesthesia. After the surgery, she couldn't exercise anymore. She was always very active, a top-level athlete. The surgery brought all kinds of bad luck. She felt down: everyone moved on, but she couldn't anymore; sport was her everything. She could still dance. She often has long-lasting inflammations that are still painful. She kept pushing through. The reason for the surgery: she had been dealing with inflammations for a long time. Tinnitus: the problem is that she can't always follow conversations, she avoids them, leading to isolation. She finds it difficult to ask, 'What did you say?'. She wakes up from tinnitus; she is used to sleeping in silence. She is a light sleeper. She can start ruminating. Dreams: about the state of affairs, she remembers them, but over time forgets them. A nightmare: waking up screaming, that was a period, she didn't know well what the dream was about, at 22 years old she had nightmares about assault. She smoked marijuana for years to be able to sleep. Social contacts are difficult, going out with friends. She finds herself very ‘empathetic’; quickly feeling something from people. She has had always a connection from heart to head. It is very strong: all or nothing, it surprises her that she tells me this and explains it this way(now she is relaxed for the first time, in posture and eyes, being frank). But now that connection no longer gives her guidance, she always relied on it. It doesn't work anymore. Her pain threshold is quite high. The eczema is mainly on the back of her body, now also in the folds, by the knee, maybe because she is extreme with showering and washing: in the beginning, she had a cleaning rage, not an obsession with cleanliness, but more 'wanting to clean everything,' including herself. The migraine: she is then sensitive to light, sees a 'blur' beforehand, goes to a dark room, and takes ibuprofen. It starts with nasty, stabbing, throbbing headaches. It just keeps pounding. She seeks rest and silence, but that causes tension because then she listens to the tinnitus. The pain is very intense around the eye socket. Often has tension in the shoulders, neck, and skull. The place where it starts varies. Dairy causes bowel issues. Since the surgery, she has caught every cold. If she keeps running long enough, there comes a moment when she doesn't hear the tinnitus and doesn't have to think anymore. All this time, she didn't take a moment for reflection, for thinking. This is a difficult process, she lashes out, and is difficult towards friends, or as a daughter. There are emotional fluctuations, very high, very low. She doesn't recognize herself like this. Before, she was always very conscious in life. Now it is just superficiality. She compensates a lot. Stress now literally comes out of her skin, with wounds.
Analysis
Solanales: always take the most prominent symptoms for an analysis, here the aggression, the relentless nature, the intensity. Another characteristic is the expressive way of speaking, looking for a field in front of and above her: characteristic of the Lamiidae, seen in Lamiales, and Solanales. Expression and sensitivity, the way of speaking and looking confirm this, the feeling around, linked to themes of fear and threat. You can see or feel this, which gives us strong indications for the Solanales. Capsicum is recognized in her sensitivity to people and atmospheres, her posture, and her appearance. Intense dreams, dreams with a significant impact fit the Solanales, dreams guiding as a solution, is known from Capsicum (she tells this in a later consultation).
Gold series5 aspects: control, autonomy of Gold series, atmosphere, sensing, and purpose of Silver series. Awareness of the body, atmosphere, and influences, is a known aspect of the Solanaceae.
Phase 7: Over boundaries, being out of bounds, wanting to get away, lashing out, problems after anesthesia.. Phase 5: restlessness, driven nature, busy bee.
Stage 13: letting go of sport, work, irritation, resentment.
Obesity fits Capsicum. Extremes fits Solanales, as does going crazy, lashing out.
In follow-up consultations, many characteristics emerged, including family themes in Phase 7 and Phase 5 and the importance of dreams. Because these are important characteristics and confirmations, they are described in detail.
Prescription: Capsicum annuum C200
Follow up two weeks
After taking the medication, she fell asleep like a log, without medication! She had a dream about a sinking ship with familiar people, from school, and old colleagues; she tried to save them as the water rose. People were clinging to her, it was about letting go. The meaning was so clear to her, that she wanted to hold onto everyone. The next day she had a splitting headache, over the skull. Since then, the anger has been much less; when she feels irritation coming, she can now stay with herself. This hasn't happened in the past few months. Less ruminating thoughts, she felt a compulsion not to take medication, she wanted to manage on her own. Sound: it has a lot to do with emotion, the ears are a barometer of how the body handles anger, etc. She realizes this now, in the past three years: with anger, the ears are three times worse, after anger, she has ear trouble for days. Now she has a cold, and a heavy body, ENT, sinus infections. The eczema is subsiding, less inflamed, and gone from the skin folds, within the first week. Dreams: focused on old situations that have already happened, she no longer wakes up so irritated (confirmation of Stage 13). Dreams about work situations. Or in a small circle, the family. The dreams are clear again. Dreams before: waiting for a conflict, fun things at work, a playground, relating to childhood. The energy is better now; she dares to try things, start a new enterprise helping people. It takes energy, because she always is affected by what is happening with others, and can't protect herself well against it. What they say, what they do. She always kept going until she couldn't anymore. Thyroid check: something swollen on the lower right. Before the restlessness was more in her body, it came up from the feet, now it is only in the upper body. Now she is getting more control back and no longer lose energy to anger, and explosions. Another dream: a car, in the garage, it was about to collapse, so she ran upstairs. The feeling was a) you want to save everyone, b) you can let go (the car represents the body, the energy, running upstairs is the consciousness, the thinking).
Follow up four weeks
She is very satisfied; normally, she needed a lot of medication for ENT issues, but now the airways have remained open. The migraine hasn't returned. The skin is good, energy has risen from a 3 to a 6 or 7, but she wants to get back to a 10. The weight stayed the same. Ears: no longer so prominent, the more emotions, the worse. No longer takes sleep medication. Emotionally she is much better; with people who used to trigger immense anger, she can now stay calm. One time she was a whirlwind, with blind rage and screaming, she is ashamed of it. She felt it rise from the shoulders and neck, happening as if it flooded forward; she made the gesture from back to front over her head. It was related to a disappointment. She has spoken up for the first time to her father, who always kept his distance and was not there; this is a family theme. My question was 'Who am I, where do I come from.' She never felt heard and had been fighting for years. As a small child, she was interested in paranormal matters and had lucid dreams: she controlled them, so she no longer had nightmares. Only if there had been a significant event, the most frightening then was not a dream but a feeling of being trapped in her body and mind, unable to escape (this is known is Solanales, often called sleep paralysis). She realizes the drawbacks of her sensitivity, can't protect herself well, notices now that she needs to express it, and has started painting again. From a young age, she wrote poetry and painted. She was always so open to atmospheres, but the door slammed shut, she didn't know why. It claims it belongs in her life. It can be suffocating and can take her over.
WP: Capsicoidae, themes of violence, rejection, and sexuality. Self-confident and outgoing