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MIND: Dwells – past disagreeable occurrences, on (4) MIND: Dwells – recalls: disagreeable memories (3)
They may struggle to free themselves from hurt from many years ago; this is suppression of the unpleasant thoughts.
One step beyond this is repression; this is something done unconsciously, the thoughts being buried beyond easy reach. They do not want anyone delving too deep, even themselves:
DREAMS: Unremembered (2)
So, we are dealing with a patient who has been deeply hurt and remains traumatised, and whose survival mechanism involves attempting to bury the memories so deeply that they do not surface. This can result in the development of physical symptomatology at a later stage, as well as ongoing psychological issues.
Another remedy to consider in such cases is Causticum, perhaps a much under-used medicine for chronic grief and suppressed emotions and anger, although their coping mechanisms can be somewhat different; Carcinosin would also come into consideration for any suppression of emotions, and is present in MIND: Grief, MIND: Ailments from - Grief, and MIND: Grief- prolonged [=chronic]. This last-mentioned rubric consists of only 9 remedies, perhaps unexpectedly.
Another way to look into the suppressed emotional state of the Natrum muriaticum patient is to explore MIND: Weeping. Weeping is a physical manifestation of an emotional state. I have never used this rubric in my case assessments, but now realise it to be a useful route to understanding the depth of disturbance and degree of
suppression seen in these patients, which is key to the true understanding of the remedy type. In addition, our veterinary patients may not show physical tears, but the surfacing of deeper sadness and grief (and other buried emotions) can be, none-the-less, very visible to those sensitive to them.
Natrum muriaticum patients have the reputation of being unable to cry, showing the British “stiff upper lip”, remaining stoical at all times; MIND: Weeping- cannot weep, although sad - the only “Weeping” rubric where nat- m scores 4). This established view may result in a number of potential patients being missed. The diverse nature of the Natrum muriaticum patient can be seen from perusal of all the MIND: Weeping sub-rubrics containing the remedy, listed below (rubrics are taken from Synthesis Edition 9:1). Those rubrics with less than 20 remedies, and those where nat-m scores 3 or above, are written in bold; those marked with a “*” may also, in my opinion, be insightful, and are thus also written in bold type.
MIND:
Weeping (3)
evening (1)
night (2)
sleep in (2)
admonition, from (2)
alone, when (2/13)
anger, after (1)
anxiety, after (1)
anxious (1/7)
bitter (1/3)
cannot weep, although sad (4) causeless (2)
children, in (1)
chill, during (1)
consolation, aggravates (3/23) comforted, no desire to be (1/11) dreaming, while (1/9)
easily (2)
hysterical (2/12) involuntary (3)* looked at, when (2/6) menses, during (2)* music, from (1)
past events, thinking of (2/6) pitied, if he believes he is (3/2) pregnancy, during (1/8)
sleep, in (2)*
sobbing, weeping with (1)
sleep, in (1/11)
spasmodic (1)
spoken to, when (2/13)
telling; sickness, when telling of her (1/19) trifles, at (1)
children, at the least worry (1/5) urination; during (1/3)
vexation, from (1)
old vexation, from (1/7)
violent (1/13)
whimpering (1)
night (1)
sleep, during (1)*
Quite an impressive list for a remedy who is meant to not cry or find it difficult to do so! They are individuals who try to hold their emotions in, hide them from others around them, and feel vulnerable when they may feel unable to do so. Reading through this list can give us a good feeling for the remedy
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