A concerned father brought his 10-year-old son for homeopathic treatment. The dad had observed that since his divorce a few years earlier his son had become extremely serious and was often tense, nervous or worried. He felt the boy had been affected by witnessing all the emotional upset his parents had experienced during the initial separation phase.
The dad had also observed that, with new circumstances, his son would become very nervous, was always thinking about how things might turn out and constantly talked through the ‘what ifs’ of situations. He worried and fretted whenever his parents had to talk with each other. His school report cards spoke of his intelligence, conscientiousness and good behaviour.
As we discussed these things, this lovely young boy bravely shared how he felt. He revealed how easily he felt embarrassed and angered by others’ behaviour, especially if unconventional or unkind; even someone telling a bad joke could trigger deep embarrassment. He was very worried about what people might think of him or his family because of the divorce, that he wouldn’t have any friends and would be lonely. Disappointing his dad was a worry too, although his dad constantly reassured him of his love. When embarrassed, he would become hot and sweaty and experience a sensation ‘like a punch in the chest’. He would walk away and hide from people, breathing deeply to avoid crying. After a few minutes it would pass. Teasing made him feel really sad in his heart; he got a ‘choking throat’ and would go to his room and listen to his iPod and try not to cry so as not to appear ‘weak’. As he spoke, little tears squeezed from the corners of his eyes despite his best efforts to hold them in, often gulping water to help choke his emotions down. He scored his sadness at 8/10.
We discussed how grief and hurt can get stuck when we don’t allow the sadness to heal. Swallowing the tears and emotions had cramped this process and life had become an overly serious matter where he tried to be responsible for the family. He pined for things to be like before, rather than accepting the changes. A homeopathic medicine was prescribed based on this response.
The dad reported a fantastic response to the treatment. He described his son as having become light-hearted again and said things were going smoothly and calmly for him now. The young boy said he felt so happy and so light he could fly!
SUSAN BLACKSHAW, professional homeopath, Qld