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The Consultation – with Tiddles and Rover by Geoff Johnson, UK
Firstly observe the movement and behaviour of the dog or cat. Ask for the dog's lead to be removed, and just put the cat box on the floor with the door open, but don't get the cat out.
What will they do? Write descriptively exactly what you see. Explain to the owner that you just want to observe for a while. You can write down addresses and such details as you watch if you don't like silences, but your concentration is totally on your patient. Do they stroll, scurry, slink, wander, rush, prowl or creep? These are words of different animal families, but also of energy. They indicate confidence and survival strategies. Do they stay next to the owner, remain in the basket, make eye contact with you, refuse to look at you, whine in a 'complaining way', hide behind the cupboard, jump onto the comfy chair and own the surgery, look out the window? Are they alert, quick to act or threatening? Do they want to greet you spontaneously, and if not do they come to a finger click or a call, and when they come do they want to engage, or just receive a scratch or stroke. Do they lick you, jump up or approach cautiously looking back at the owner? Do they tend to stay near the owner or keep returning to them? Which direction do they lie in if they lie down? Who do they look at? Do they moan, yawn or sigh? Are they tense, relaxed, confident, indignant, clinging, restless, hiding, climbing, looking to escape, biting your throat? Do they look at you with the head to one side from the owners lap?
Often the owner will try to stop the animal doing things e.g. jumping on a chair. Tell the owner to let them do exactly as they like. Tell the owner just to sit and maybe even not look at or touch the animal.
If the cat hasn't emerged from the box after 10 minutes, ask the owner to get it out and shut the box. What happens now? Was the cat hiding, or was it indignant – or just lazy? Sometime the lac-leo type remains in the box, but when extracted they prowl confidently before jumping to a high spot and gazing into the distance. Do they explore, inquisitive, touching everything? Do they zoom about or
wander casually? If they remain hiding leave them there for a while and ask some questions, and then get them out and observe what happens next. Do they growl, appear threatening and is the tail wagging? Do they seem alive, engaging, tentative, cautious, careful, fearless or courageous? Regarding the owner are they seeking or offering protection? What is your gut feeling of their aura eg sadness, anger, irritability, excitement or indifference?
Whatyouneedtodomostofallisgeta feeling of their energy, and the way they move is the easiest way. Homeopathic remedies are nothing but energy, which is movement. For the mineral cases, look at Scholten's sheet for columns suggesting indecisive (col 2, 3, 4, 5), resolute (6,7,8), unsure (1 to 9), confident (10+) and suspicious (12,13,14,15). Imagine, what is this individual's reaction when presented with building 'The Bridge'? That will
be their reaction to any stressful situation, including being in your surgery, and that will give you a sense of their position on the periodic table. Refer to Peter's (Gregory – Ed) book re suggestions of kingdom – but the easiest way is to think – is this an animal remedy (engaging, jealous, hierarchy, sex, communication)? If not, then are they sensitive and adapting plants or systematic and structured minerals?
They may be restless, but is that arising from anxiety, or from something internal like spider or insect energy?
Much of the above behaviour can be directly translated into rubrics – but only if you know your Mind repertory like the back of your hand. Who uses the rubrics presumptuous, audacity or high spirited? Probably not many of us, but we all know the energy of those states, and can recognise them in the surgery.
Now you are ready for talking. At first follow the owner. Hence first question could be:
1 Why are you here?' Then let them talk. Often in a consultation what is said in the first 3 minutes is the heart of the case. Anything strange or emphasised is to be underlined and returned to.
2 Another question might be 'tell me about them', or 'what sort of chap is Tiddles?’. When the owner has run out of spontaneous information, begin to ask some specific questions. Ones I always ask are:
3 'If you or anyone else in the house is ill or upset, does Tiddles notice, and if so, what
exactly does Tiddles do'. The latter half of that question is very important. Tiddles might be sympathetic, but is it quietly with a paw on the knee like nat-m or a bird, pressing and licking like a milk, generally concerned like most plants, including those not in the sympathetic rubric, OTT like phos, quiet but upset like carc. There are so many ways to be sympathetic. Don't forget the rubrics cares worries others/relatives about
4 'What is Tiddles like with raised voices? Know your ‘ailments form discord, harmony
desire for and quarrelling aversion to’- rubrics. Then does Tiddles run away, hide, get between the protagonists or protect the weaker one?
5 'If Rover is off the lead and sees a group of dogs playing, what does he do?' This tells you so much. Cautious, clinging, fear strangers, confident, playful, dominant, yielding, sociability, violent are a few rubrics.
6 Is Rover ever aggressive? What does Rover do if another dog is aggressive to him?
7 If a stray cat comes into the garden, what does Tiddles do?
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