When parents seek help
Parents increasingly come to me with children whose behaviour is challenging for the family. They describe daily arguments, power struggles, difficulty with attention and forming social connections, excessive computer gaming or physical conflicts. These cases are a major challenge for a homeopath. Some parents see the changes they later describe as a small miracle.
Many people associate homeopathy mainly with mild acute difficulties. In my practice, however, I also encounter people seeking help for long-standing problems or psychological difficulties. In the original text, I mention attention disorders, Asperger's syndrome, hyperactivity, addictions and outbursts of anger. I am describing the reasons parents come to me, not proven efficacy of homeopathy for these diagnoses.
Parents are often desperate because they do not know how to handle the situation. Attempts to establish boundaries sometimes provoke an even stronger reaction. They try both a respectful approach and stricter rules but do not see the change they hope for. Others often look at them reproachfully for being unable to set boundaries for their own child. My experience, however, is that understanding a particular case requires us to look beyond this question alone.
The following stories are experiences from my homeopathic practice. Remedy selection is based on my assessment, and the changes describe evaluations of particular cases. Personal, family and school details have been generalised to protect the children's privacy.
The virtual world
In the original article, I also discuss isolation and the time children spend in front of computers, tablets or phones. In conversations with parents, I ask whether they perceive a connection between screen time and the child's difficulty concentrating. I consider limiting that time, and the text also mentions my view of sugar intake in relation to hyperactivity. These are reflections from my practice, not a universal explanation or a promise that changing diet will make the difficulties subside.
I consider personal contact with friends important for forming relationships and handling conflicts. Online, communication can be ended at the press of a button; in person, it is often necessary to face a conflict and seek a solution. I believe that if a child with a more anxious disposition avoids contact with others, the comfort of their own room may not help them overcome their fear.
I also listen for these connections in consultations. The following cases illustrate different forms of problems I have encountered.
Anxiety disorder and self-harm
A mother came to see me about her adolescent son, who was self-harming and experiencing anxiety. His history included psychiatric hospitalisation and, according to the account, one of his diagnoses was an anxiety disorder. He also had considerable difficulty falling asleep.
His mother said the difficulties had begun during a period of challenging family changes. The boy felt his opinion was not taken into account. His functioning at school worsened, and he felt lonely among his peers. He resisted pressure; sometimes he had a stomach ache in the morning and did not go to school. His mother also described him as empathetic and sensitive to people who felt excluded.
Based on my assessment, I recommended the homeopathic remedy Lac lupinum. In a later conversation, his mother described him as calmer, sleeping better and spending more time on his own activities. She also said he had stopped self-harming. This is her assessment of how this case developed; the account does not establish what caused the change.
A boy with anger outbursts and difficulty concentrating
A mother came to a consultation with her school-age son. She described him as impatient and explosive, with difficulty concentrating. At school and among peers, he became involved in conflicts and struggled to control his anger. He tried to attract attention and found it difficult to accept a different opinion.
Based on the case, I recommended the homeopathic remedy Bitias arietans, as the name appears in the original text. At a subsequent review, his mother described a marked improvement in behaviour. She said the anger outbursts were less frequent and less intense, the boy controlled himself better and began receiving praise for cooperation at school. Later, she reported that aggression and anger outbursts were minimal.
A need for attention and strong emotional reactions
Another client was a little girl whose parents described her behaviour as very challenging. She reacted explosively and was difficult to calm when her wishes were not met. The difficulties had lasted several years. In moments of agitation, there were also physical conflicts with her parents. The girl was very competitive, movement calmed her, and she was sensitive to shouting and noise. Her mother described caring for her as exhausting.
According to her mother, this behaviour began after a sibling was born. When there is a sense of insufficient attention and strong emotional reactions, I consider remedies from spiders within the homeopathic framework. In this case, I recommended the homeopathic remedy Tarentula.
At a subsequent review, her mother described the girl as calmer, easier to reach an agreement with and less stubborn. I report these changes as her mother assessed them.
Patience matters
I place great importance on patience in my homeopathic practice. A homeopath has many remedies to choose from, and differences between their pictures may be very subtle. Finding the one I consider to correspond best to a client's story may take several consultations.
In each of the cases above, several months and multiple consultations preceded the choice of the remedy described. I see the changes parents later reported as small miracles of my practice. Patience alone, however, does not guarantee an outcome and is no reason to delay necessary professional care for self-harm or other serious difficulties.