Most of us have an idea of what anxiety feels like, we sometimes call it different names like: fear, worry, tension or stress. It is a very common feeling in our modern times, and is part of our (all too human) fight or flight response. There are often physical sensations that go hand-in-hand with it like: butterflies in the stomach, racing heart, fast breathing, muscle tension or difficulty sleeping. Often we know what is making us feel anxious, like an exam or flying, however, sometimes we might feel it for no evident reason, or it might last for long periods of time. It is also an accepted medical condition, and a common phrase is that a person is “suffering from anxiety”.
Psychologists teach us that there might be more to this though, that there are levels of our mind where thoughts and feeling can exist that we might not be aware of. If we can access, and understand what is going on in our subconscious, then we should be able to learn to not let these thoughts get under our skin. However, delving into our thoughts, and facing our fears might be scary, so medication to treat anxiety is a popular option. The regular medications (like tranquillisers or anti-depressants) can work well for many, while some, unfortunately, can have side effects. I believe a well-trained homeopath can help by filling a space between the medical doctor and the psychologist. On one hand we have natural options for reducing daily tension, anxiety and stress safely. On the other hand we are trained to take a wholistic case history, and should be able to shed more light on why a person is anxious – and therefore help the patient to understand more of the cause as well. I believe that the correctly chosen homeopathic remedy can reduce the amount of psychic tension and fear that the mind has built up around an issue, and (once we are now aware of the issue) the remedy can make it is easier to consciously start finding a way forward.
The homeopathic treatment often involves two levels of treatment. 1) General Calming Treatment, and 2) Specific Causative Treatment.
1) General Calming Treatment. One of the homeopathic remedies the most well known for treating anxiety is Rescue Remedy. But there are also some other natural remedies that have proven effective. These include amino acids like GABA and L-Theanine. Herbal remedies such as Lemon Balm, Sceletium and Passion Flower also have an important place. There are stronger herbal medicines, but it would be better to see a practitioner who knows when and where to prescribe these.
2) Causative Treatment In this situation, a proper case history has highlighted an underlying cause; here I would suggest a HIGH potency of a single homeopathic remedy, to work on a mental/ emotional level. Some examples could be:
- Low self esteem – this is a common cause of anxiety, not feeling like you are enough for the task ahead. While this may also require work to build your self worth, there are some remedies that can help to improve these feelings and support this work. These include Anacardium, Baryta Carbonica, Calcarea Silicata, Lycopodium and Silica Terra
- A fear of failure – this may make many, or all, things difficult and scary. The following remedies can reduce anxiety caused by this underlying fear: Lac Caninum, Lycopodium, Carcinosin, Gelsemium, Silica Terra
- A fear of death or disease – for some people this would cause anxiety in any situation where the brain perceives that there is a chance of injury. Remedies to help alleviate this include: Arsenicum Album, Kali Carb, Phosphorus
- A fear that something bad will happen, or something will go wrong. This is a very South African fear. People may have had bad things happen before and now they are sub-consciously waiting for the next bad thing. Remedies to help this might be: Aconite, Calcarea Carbonica, Arsenicum Album, Argentum Nitricum, Causticum
- Guilt – some people may have done things they are ashamed of, or have been convinced they should be ashamed of. This underlying shame can cause sadness, tension and even anxiety. This also requires emotional healing and growth, but remedies that can help are: Aurum Metallicum, Alumina, Arsenicum Album and Psorinum.
These remedies should be individually chosen, they should be prescribed gently (these are high potency remedies) and we should also remember that the need for a remedy could change as your healing journey uncovers new things. This article is not meant to be diagnostic, but rather to show that homeopathy can work on many levels, even on emotions. And to provide information to those seeing specialized homeopathic attention in this area.
