The first or full consultation is a long affair compared to seeing a conventional medic.After letting my client talk and answer questions in the first consultation, I am often asked by them:
‘How can you make sense of everything I have just told you’?
That is exactly what I do: make sense of any patterns that I can see in their history and psyche. That will point to appropriate remedies to start their treatment with.
Let me tell you what happens after the consultation is completed:
I study the notes I have made – in detail.
I take time to listen to the language used by the client. This helps me to finetune the selection of the remedy.
I use several Materia Medicas to check on what I think are important physical or mental/ emotional symptoms. Often, there are a few potential remedies I look at.
Then I need to decide on one remedy, so again I look at several books, cross referencing and checking.
Once the remedy selection is made, the remedy is posted out with instructions, or an email prescription is sent. A follow-up consultation is recommended 4-6 weeks after the client takes the remedy. I usually prescribe one remedy at a time as I am a classical homeopath.
Why is waiting important?
It takes time for the remedy to act on the human organism and for change to take place, so it is wise to wait before doing a full assessment. The reaction to a remedy can take time, and everyone is different.
When symptoms change, it is important to track those changes.
I always ask:
‘Have there been any changes?’,
it is not unusual for them to say, no, no changes have taken place. On closer questioning, change is very evident, but because it is subtle and gradual, it isn’t always noticed.
I use the follow-up to question closely and assess what has happened. This often gives clues to the next remedy needed.
An important question that you need to know the answer to is:
Why is a constitutional remedy spaced out compared to an acute remedy being repeated several times?
Answer: An acute situation is like a crisis when the body/mind needs to be reminded to resolve the crisis. it is usually an intense time, though not always. A chronic condition isn't necessarily a crisis situation when you see a homeopath. Therefore there is more time for a single remedy to do it's job and instigate change at the pace of the condition.
All consultations, whether full or follow-up consultations follow the above pattern. The aim is to lengthen the gaps between consultations, depending on the client’s needs. An acute consultation is for a short and focussed problem, and needs very different treatment.
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