Like in a model experiment, we can study the peculiar spread of the disturbances of an energetic field by watching what happens when a stone drops into the the water. The intensity of the spreading wave ripples diminishes with distance. When the spread is blocked by an obstacle, the waves are reflected; turning back, they add to the original disturbance and confuse its pattern. In analogy, the energetic disturbance, created by a storm center in the human “spectrum,” tends to spread into the adjoining areas in ratio to the intensity of the central field, diminishing with the degree of spread. When the extension meets a barrier the energetic flow is intensity; turning back, it adds to the original disturbance, changing its pattern and bringing forth expressions in different directions. In this way, the empirically so-well0known symptomatology of suppression is accounted for.
For instance, a “storm center” situation in the “area” of hormonal and autonomic regulation will affects the directly adjoining field of organ functions and biochemistry, perhaps giving rise to circulatory or rheumatic disorders. the upward extension would affect the instinctual sphere and hence produce mental symptoms, typical perhaps for menopause or puberty. According to our hypothesis, a blocking of the extension in one direction should intensify the flow of disorder into the opposite one. Actually, we have observed that thwarted organic expressions (stopped discharges or rashes, removal of organs, etc.) may often be followed by more serious disorder, even by mental disturbances. Conversely, mental repressions of instinctual conflicts preventing their extension into consciousness, lead to disturbances lower down in the organic sphere, as confirmed by the psychosomatic literature of recent years.
Obviously, the optimal therapeutic approach depends upon the correct diagnosis of the “location” of the focus of the turbulence and, secondly, upon the understanding of how the various therapeutic methods affect those different areas of the “spectrum.” The homoeopathic provings seem to suggest that the potentized medicine exerts its main effect upon the lower part where chemistry and vitality meet. From there, a further downward spread of its action affects gross chemistry and organic structure; the upward extension of its energy reaches into the instincts, desires, aversions and temperamental traits.
The more material effect of allopathic dosage, chemical and mechanical therapy (infusions, surgery, etc.) centers even further down towards gross chemistry and substance structure. The psychotherapeutic approach, in turn, acts directly upon the upper sphere where our consciousness is in interplay with the unconscious instincts on the one side, and the unconscious spiritual life; its downward extension, through instinctual and hormonal nervous regulation, may affect the physiologic and biochemic organ functioning.
Probably the main difficulty in diagnosing the central focus of the energetic disturbance is accounted for by the fact that the patients awareness of symptoms is determined by the “wave ripples” which happen to reach his little island of consciousness. In registering these we cannot the sure, at first, where they originated and whether all the waves actually reached our observation point. Many a storm may be subjectively asymptomatic by not reaching our consciousness island at all; many messages are received only indirectly from secondary manifestations.
For instance, a condition manifesting, let us say, as cholecytopathy may, in one instance, be the extension of a constitutionally inherited hormonal, secretory and autonomic nervous imbalance and thus require a constitutional medical approach. In another case, the same picture may arise from an unconscious repressed psychological conflict situation of which, at first, we perceive only the organo-physiologic reverberations. In turn, one case with predominantly mental disturbances may represent a deadlocked psychological conflict; another one with similar symptoms may arise through organic imbalances.
At this point, two short case histories are offered which, by their comparative similarity, illustrate the difficulty of deciding for the best therapeutic approach.
Mrs. M.L. age 49, for 10 years suffering from weekly attacks of severe migraine. The attacks are left-sided, with pains that feel like piercing the eye, attended by a globus sensation in the throat abdominal cramps and vomiting. The patient it irritable, over sensitive, easily offended, cries easily, feels worse before the period, worse from exposure to the sun, worse from approaching thunderstorms, chilly but better in open air and craves sweets. She is married to a much older, very fickle man by whom she is utterly dominated and seemingly not too well treated. Her emotional attitude being of a still rather adolescent character, she cannot cope with her situation, except by fits of rage and despair.
Under Sulfur and Sepia there is a general constitutional improvement along with prompt control of intercurrent acute disturbances; yet, over a period of six year, the migraine tendency persists. At the end of this time, an analysis of the unconscious is started. As she becomes aware that in her marriage relation she unconsciously still lived her childhood and adolescent pattern towards her also quite domineering father and succeeds in acquiring a more mature emotional outlook, she succeeds in holding her own in her present relation. A new modus vivendi is established in her marital situation and now, for a year, there has been neither any recurrence of migraine nor of any of the other frequent acute disorders that formerly plagued her.
Miss J.C. age 24. Attacks of unexplainable compulsive terror and apprehension, seizing and almost paralyzing her when walking in the street. Feels as though she would faint, with cold perspiration, heart palpitations and trembling all over. She is irritable, impatient, cannot cry, feels better during her menstrual period. She is unhappy and frustrated in her relation to her fiance whom she thinks she does not love; however, neither is she able to deny herself to him or to effect a break. she cant say “No,” to a man.
Also, here, an immature emotional attitude is confirmed by her dependence on a domineering father with whom she still lives and from whom she can not tear herself loose. Sepia 1M, single dose, completely removes the, to her, so threatening symptom complex; this in spite of the still persisting personal difficulty. For several months there has been no recurrence, though, in the face of the general background, there are doubts about the future. Here, apparently, a basic, hormonal autonomic nervous liability was responsible for the excessively upsetting effect of a fairly average personal problem, thus justifying a medical approach.
An understanding of this intricate and contradictory soul body relationship may protect us from the mistake of considering a case incurable or of changing the remedy when a correct prescription does not seem to work. The difficulty may simply lie in the fact that one particular approach had, for the time at least, reached its limit of practical applicability.
Undoubtedly, our understanding is still extremely fragmentary and our auxiliary hypothesis may perhaps appear rather complicated and far fetched. We ought to remember, however, that our position is similar to that of physics, in respect to unclear research, where we have progressed to that point where the utterly abstract and complicated findings cannot be made clear except by means of structural models which are but pictorial analogies or symbols. Also the atom model does not represent an actually observable reality, but, like our “spectrum,” is the best possible way of expressing something unperceivable, by means of a comparison or symbolic representation.
Such are our stumbling attempts, also, in medicine to proceed from a static, mechanistic approach to one that reckons in terms of fluctuating energies. Physics has outgrown its mechanistic childhood. so has, in part at least, the still comparatively recent science of psychology. It is time, also, for medicine now to shoulder the difficult task and free itself from the shackles of the mechanistic thinking which was the heritage of the nineteenth century.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
DISCUSSION.
DR. ROGER A. SCHMIDT [ San Francisco, Calif.]; This paper finished the day with appropriate fireworks. This is another paper for mature minds. Dr. Whitmont has brought us another valuable paper in exploring this so keenly and analyzing in scholarly terms some of the problems that baffle all homoeopaths.
There are some of us who believe that recognition of homoeopathy will be achieved by explaining it through physic. Dr. Whitmont, given time, will get it through psychology. Dr. Whitmont is a good semanticist, and he proves it by approaching these interrelated four-dimensional problems and exposing their complexity and relativity. The human beings is indeed very different from animals, and the keynote of the difference is consciousness. We all have had these neurotic cases loaded with hundreds of mental symptoms, and fail to individualize them because the symptoms are common and it is almost impossible to select and grade them.
