Addictions, _The Homeopathic Treatment of.by Frans Kusse
Response on Homeopathic treatment POSITIVE
The responses of clients, responsible therapists and the homeopathic physician to a questionnaire were unanimous: 70% of the clients respond positive to homeopathic treatment. They feel emotionally and physically better and are more capable to overcome their addiction. The results in the long run are good, but it needs more study to distinguish the effects of homeopathy from the other therapies given.
Introduction:Since seven years (may 1998) homeopathy has been part of the treatment in 'De Brijder', a regular clinic for addiction in the province of 'Noord-Holland'. Amsterdam belongs to the province, but has its own clinic (Jellinek). Both clinics are closely related and cooperate in scientific research. 'De Brijder' has many offices all over the province. The clinic itself is located in Alkmaar, 40 kilometers north-west of Amsterdam and contains a detox unit, a unit for outpatients (part-time) and a unit for inpatients.
Homeopathy was introduced as a possibility for clients of the clinic who had some stability in their private life and social environment and insight in their underlying problems. Especially the therapists of the outpatient unit were much in favor of holistic approaches and in fact, they invited me to work in the clinic.
Experiment:In the beginning, homeopathy in the clinic was marked as experimental. During the first half year I saw 13 new clients. Most of them were clients of the outpatients unit. At the end of this period all clients, the responsible therapists and the homeopathic doctor received a questionnaire to judge the effect of homeopathy, apart from the other therapies.
The possible answers were: - bad - insufficient - doubt - sufficient - good - excellent
The answers were unanimous: 70% of the clients respond positively to homeopathic treatment, although most of the clients had no knowledge about homeopathy and some were very skeptical.
Case:One of the 'excellent' cases was spectacular. For a man who suffered from obsessive, fearful thoughts I prescribed one dose of
Lithium metallicum 30K. In the first week his symptoms got worse, but after that week the thoughts, the main reason to use drugs, were gone and did not appear again!
We decided to continue the experiment for another half year. When the results at the end of this period were the same - 7 out of 10 scored 'good', the staff of the clinic decided to accept homeopathy as a possible treatment for the clients of 'De Brijder'.
159 clients have been treated with homeopathy since 1998 and the results were in the same order, about 70% reacted well. They were in a much better emotional and physical state and were clean when they left the clinic.
Outpatient unit:
My close cooperation with the therapists of the outpatient unit taught me a lot about healing and especially about the possibilities in the treatment of addiction.
Clients of this unit visit the clinic three days a week during six to nine months. They have to be clean and the use of alcohol or drugs during treatment is strictly forbidden, although in practice some 'failures' are tolerated.
The therapy is very intense and includes group therapy, bodywork, creative therapy, family constellations, relation therapy, etc. The aim of the treatment is to get insight into the underlying problems, to solve them or to learn to live with them as well as possible and to integrate this in daily life.
From the holistic point of view the real cause of addiction is not only to be found in the (inherited) constitution, but also in the system of upbringing and in traumas. By personal interviews we discovered that about 50% of the addicts are victims of sexual abuse during their youth and about 80% are victims of sexual and/or physical abuse.
The role of homeopathy in the treatment of addiction:
Homeopathy appears to be an important instrument in translating insight (information) in order to change patterns of feeling and behavior (body). In my view transference of information is the explanation of the effect of homeopathy (as is stated by prof. Dr. Madeleine Bastide -1-). The combination of being aware of the underlying problem (consciousness) and stimulus to the vital force (homeopathic remedy) enforce each other and can really give permanent cure, physically, emotionally and mentally. Insight alone can sometimes bring real change, but in practice it is seldom strong enough to take away patterns of addiction. It seems as if these patterns have become part of the body memory, like the genetic information.
Homeopathy can help at three levels, detoxification, the present physical condition and the actual state of mind The first level is the actual condition of the client. Although at this moment homeopathy is not used during the period of detoxification, I am sure that it could be of much help. Most clients I see for the first time have actual problems. They show symptoms that are caused by the drugs or alcohol they use, they are physically in a bad condition or/and they suffer from recent emotional traumas. I am convinced that it is necessary to start the treatment at this level.
Conclusions:
Homeopathy helps to overcome addiction.
In the treatment of addiction homeopathy can prove its worth as part of mainstream medicine, especially when conducted by a team within a regular clinic.
Every 'good' homeopathic doctor can treat clients with addiction. The homeopathic work does not differ much from the general practice.
Working in a team often supplies information that makes the homeopathic interview complete and eases the remedy choice.
The homeopathic interview often brings essential information for other therapies.
To find a good remedy we must use all the knowledge that is available. In my experience the way of analyzing described in the cases of Jan Scholten -2- is very clear and very helpful in finding remedies for traumas and constitutions, but in practice I use all methods I have learned from Vithoulkas, Geukens, Sankaran, etc.
Literature:1. The
Paradigm of Corporal Signifiers (Bastide M., Lagache A, Revue Intern. Systémique, 1995;9:237-249/ Altern Ther Health Med. 1997;3:35-9)
2.
Homeopathy and the Elements, Jan Scholten (1994, Alonnissos)
Categories: TheoryKeywords: addiction,
Lithium, abuse, de Brijder