A young woman of 32 years old, a picture to look at; she comes across as gentle and even 'sweet', she has an almost childlike ingenuousness and radiates a mixture of dependence, insecurity and independence. The reason for coming is that she has suffered from itching on the legs for three years. The insides of her thighs itch, and as soon as she starts to scratch a rash appears. The rash consists of small red pimples, which open when she scratches extra and contain watery fluid. As soon as she wears tight trousers it gets worse, in summer it is better but heat aggravates. She herself seeks the cause in something psychological; from a book she recognize that itching has to do with the theme of self-confidence and the legs with personal growth.
Lately she has been very preoccupied with her self-confidence, after she collapsed last year shortly after her first pregnancy, which incidentally went without problems and which improved the itching. Over the past three years she was caught up in a complicated friendship, and this has gnawed at her self-confidence. She was already living together when she was still in secondary school, and has been married for years. An acquaintance made remarks that the relationship was not good, that there was no adult attention for each other, that there was no respect for each other, that they were too bourgeois. She suddenly began to doubt her relationship, sought help from a coach where the subject of 'friendships' was analysed, upon which she got bladder infections and later the itching. For two years she felt emotionally bad, was volatile and became suspicious of all remarks that had to do with the relationship, she began looking for something behind everything, was 'on her guard' (is something going to happen?). With the subject of friendship, what matters to her is the question of whether she is worth it, linked to her self-confidence in general.
In her childhood, at home whatever she did was never right, and what she did was never enough. Her motto was 'I never do anything right, I'll just keep quiet', and she sucked her thumb (almost symbolically) until she was eighteen, after which she left home to live together. Towards colleagues she can, by her own account, react aggressively and meanly and get angry over nothing. Despite her sensitive and probing attitude she can very clearly shield herself well, and with verbal violence or by radiating firmness give herself enough space. As important in her life she names: friendship, love and having fun, doing what you yourself want and not what is expected. She can even get itching when people do something for form's sake, only 'because it is expected', such as going to a birthday party, sending cards, going out, the way you deal with your relationship. 'You do that because you care about someone, not because it is expected'. She has a tendency to put people on a pedestal, and then walks on tiptoe herself. She always goes towards the other, sees only the positive things about someone. A regularly recurring dream is about war, threat and being on the run. The feeling in this dream is of being dragged along with something you do not want.
AnalysisThe problems coincide with doubt about the relationship; during the telling, nervous blotches are visible on the neck, which fits the
Rosaceae. What plays a stronger role than the
Rosaceae theme is self-confidence, of trusting and being loyal to her own feeling. Bladder infections can be a sign of held-in anger. In her childhood she did not speak out, discouraged because it did not matter anyway. This holding-in of her opinion and expression in general is possibly compensated for with the ambition at work and the aggressive tone she can have towards colleagues. Throughout the whole story there is doubt, sensitivity or even vulnerability against which she protects herself by withdrawing or compensating. This attitude towards the outside world helps her to function well; the only exception to this is the important item of friendship.
Her foothold, self-worth and independence began with the ideal youthful love, with whom she felt connected; the rough breaking of this idyll happened because she doubted herself due to the opinion and remarks of friends.
Throughout the whole story there are characteristics of the
Malvales as named by Jan Scholten in the syllabus
Plants 8, May 2005. The not expressing of her opinion, the emotions turning inward, needing protection and seeking it in a group in the form of recognition and appreciation, physical reactions to stress factors, in particular to 'feeling connected versus no longer feeling connected'.
Tilia europea, from provings this itching and rash are known, as well as the picture of the ideal relationship; from earlier casuistry the shutting-off (which she did in her childhood), being discouraged, having no or unusable communication. Longing for an uncomplicated life with space and freedom, setting high demands on the relationship. From
Malvales, recognizable in this case: doubt and searching for something better, a need for the group in the form of acceptance, although there is strength enough to stand on one's own feet. Literally or figuratively walking on tiptoe fits
Stage 9. An unattainable ideal, you are never quite there:
Stage 9.
Prescription: Tilia europea C200.
Follow upAfter the remedy the itching is soon a good deal less: the first two weeks a moment twice a week instead of every day constantly, after which the itching suddenly disappears altogether. During this period there are many dreams that she can remember well, she does not tell about them except that they are all different. A few times a nervous feeling comes over her with palpitations along with it, as if something exciting is going to happen (a feeling of anticipation).
Emotionally she is firmer, friendship is still an important theme, she has twice stood up for herself very clearly with the risk that the friends would walk away; the result was that the friends actually came to her to agree with her.
After three months she reports still a dry skin and spots on the back, not visible but palpable, which sometimes itch slightly. The legs are doing well, she wears very tight trousers again. She feels herself becoming ever firmer, no longer walks on tiptoe to keep friendships going. She realize that she has always been looking for a 'best friend' with whom she could share everything. Her coca cola addiction is over (the Kola nut also belongs to the
Malvales). Months later she comes to tell that things are going very well, that she is free of complaints. She can take a knock, looks much firmer and is very concrete and future-oriented in her attitude and thinking.
CommentOther casuistry, learned us characteristic of Tilia, it seems to be the need for recognition of the person and the complaint: 'do you see it, do you feel it', 'look at me, touch me', is the underlying message. It can come across as a more than average identification with the complaints, but the intention behind it is clearly wanting to come across, wanting the confirmation that there is full attention, that they are taken seriously and above all that they are seen. A form of seeking compassion and at the same time keeping distance. Not afraid of confrontations as long as they can position themselves emotionally neutrally or aloofly. But very sensitive to the kind of attention they receive, with an attentive alertness that shows they are very aware of that attention. If they feel good, then there is a certainty with which they dare to make themselves vulnerable.
In the Homeopathic literature the following are named as mental symptoms:
Anger contradiction, censorious, intolerance contradiction, pleasure morning, quarrelsome evening, lamenting, discontented, fear people entering a room, anxiety open air ameliorates.
Symptoms cured from other casuistry: trigeminal neuralgia, migraine, feeling cut off from other people (dd cerium), excessive perspiration, sweet perspiration with a honey smell, which can be profuse in sleep and leave brown stains on sheets. Aversion to Linden blossom tea, the sickly-sweet taste. Fond of honey (eating a jar a week, having countless flavours in the house), flaking nails, aversion to people, a need for nature and the wide polder landscape, which can clash with the need to belong to a group or even to live in a commune, preferring friendship above the relationship, intense restlessness on the chest or a feeling of anxiety in the stomach region (worse in the morning), anxious dreams and problems staying asleep.