Underlying Concepts Of Homœopathy

Health is seen as freedom and creativity.

On the mental plane, the deepest aspect of your functions around which all else revolves, we are concerned with having accurate information, effective memory, workable or consistent concepts, clarity of data processing, a sound sense of purpose and goals (including a clear basis of spiritual or metaphysical grounding and connection) – this is not the level of passion, but of accuracy, clarity, and connection. Freedom on this level means freedom from Selfishness, Errors and Confusion. Creativity means access to the tools and goals and impetus in the cognitive and spiritual sphere. 

On the emotional plane, the next level of our functions, health means freedom of the Passions – access to the rich variety of feelings of a whole and wholesome human experience. Health on the emotional level also means freedom from passions. Clearly, one can be limited or distressed if plagued by uncontrollable feelings – by anxiety, depression, or even more positive feelings of manic joyfulness or sexual stimulation, etc. if they drive one to inappropriate and destructive actions or expressions. Creativity means the experience of newness, evolution, enhancement in loving connections with others and enthusiasm in one’s life pursuits. 

On the third and most superficial level, the physical plane, health means freedom from Pain and Physical limitations – smooth, effective, comfortable functioning in interface with the physical environment. 

Symptoms are essentially the limitations of freedom. Disease means a complex or combination of symptoms that occur together. 

The concept of constitution is a very important one in Homœopathy – it is the groundwork or underlying context and processes of the individual. At the core of our constitution is our genetic endowment manifested as our ongoing psychology, physiology, biochemistry as modified by our environment past and present. Chronic disease influences, learned behaviour and thought patterns, nutritional factors, etc. become important in the imbalances and weaknesses in our constitution. 

A cure means not merely removal of symptoms but freedom from pain in physical body with a state of well being; freedom from passion on emotional level with dynamic state of serenity and calmness and freedom from selfishness on mental plane with having total unification of the truth. (When ongoing in some cases where it should not be or recurrent treatment is needed, this is considered “palliation”, “suppression” but not “cure”.)
  

The vital force is the inner, organizing, generating strength of the individual. We look at the individual as a whole – rather than some few symptoms or body systems – and we are concerned with the strength and organization of the vital force that directs the whole life show on the mental, emotional, and physical planes. The reason for assessing the vital force as clearly as we can is that it gives us an idea how long or short (weeks or years), stormy or easy the individual’s path to cure will be – and in fact whether the individual can be cured or only palliated. In a culture at least unaccepting, if not hostile, to Homœopathy where mistakes or manifestations of limitations are hard to tolerate, we should decide whether we should be undertaking the treatment of this particular patient at all. 

Suppression is another very important concept. Suppression revolves around the concept that the individual is an integrated whole, and the observations that when symptoms are treated piecemeal rather than treating the individual as a whole one is quite likely to see the disease displaced or suppressed to a deeper level. For example, eczema is “successfully” treated (that is suppressed) by Cortisone, and the patient develops asthma instead – not the concern of the dermatologist who has been successful in removing the eczema, although the patient as a whole is feeling worse. Subsequently, when asthma is suppressed by sympathomimetic inhalants etc., the patient becomes depressed or anxious (on the emotional level) or confused, paranoid (on the mental level). Mainstream or traditional (“allopathic”) medicine is usually suppressive. This is less important if the individual’s vital force is strong and can overcome the disease process anyway. It is also usually unnoticed because allopathic physicians are not trained to think wholistically, to recognize suppression when it occurs. They do not have the experience and concepts (Hering’s Observations of Cure) to expect, observe, and explain the suppression process.