Sigmund Freud, the plumber of the mind, ‘distilled’ the direct and unconscious foundations of psychological illnesses, including the mode in which they are ‘voiced.’ Carl Gustav Jung, the explorer of the psyche, amplified Freud’s standpoint by presenting how direct and indirect emotional and other outlines encompass emblematic exemplifications of our unconscious constituents that connect us to the study of illness, or disease.
This whole gamut, in effect, was what pioneering homeopathic physicians always believed in, espoused, and employed in their clinical practice to treating patients presenting with psychological and/or psychosomatic disorders. In simple terms, it corresponds to analysing the normal mind and one bogged down by the song of one’s emotional, or mental, burden. Call it illness, or deviation, or what you may. The bottom line is simple — certain feelings of the mind may, at times, turn anomalous when they stay put in the individual for prolonged periods of time.
One such example is phobia [Greek, phobos], or an irrational fear that something, even when it is unlikely, may cause harm. Phobias are a type of anxiety disorder.
Some of the phobias may occur in normal individuals — a phobia towards animals and insects, including assumptions and presumptions. They may, at times, come about when they don’t ‘like something’ in their family, or profession. A normal mind often finds ways to analysing and adjusting to them. But, some phobias may turn disagreeable when this is not done, or when the whole idea is ‘manipulated’ in some way, or other.
One of the most common phobias is for insects, especially cockroaches, grasshopper, beetles and mosquitoes. Some people harbour the phobia all through their life.
- Agliophobia. This is a form of phobia that occurs due to pain. The common symptoms are extreme anxiety, apprehension and a ‘feared intolerance’ to pain
- Achluophobia. This is a common phobia, caused by a fear of the dark, or darkness. People affected by the phobia may cry, shout loudly, involuntarily urinate, or even collapse out of fear
- Acrophobia. Is fear of heights — this occurs when individuals who are scared of the heights are taken atop a tall building
- Hydrophobia. Is fear of water — it borders on the illness, which is secondary to a rabid dog bite. There is, however, no need for a rabid dog bite for some people to harbour hydrophobia.
Other Common Phobias
- Aerophobia, fear of flying
- Arachnophobia, fear of spiders
- Astraphobia, fear of thunder and lightning
- Claustrophobia, fear of confined spaces
- Cynophobia, fear of dogs
- Haemophobia, fear of blood
- Mysophobia, fear of dirt due to contamination by bacteria, viruses and germs
- Ophidiophobia, fear of snakes
- Trypanophobia, fear of a medical procedure.
Bizarre Phobias
- Androphobia, fear of men
- Arachibutyrophobia, fear of peanut butter
- Arithmophobia, fear of numbers
- Chronomentrophobia, fear of clocks
- Genuphobia, fear of seeing uncovered knees
- Octophobia, fear of the figure eight
- Phobophobia, fear of fears
- Pogonophobia, fear of beards.
Social phobia relates to extreme anxiety related to public, or social, situations, as also public speaking.
The list is incomplete. For a full list, pick up any encyclopaedia, or just ‘Google’ it. You’d turn this into a fun game — but, not at someone’s ‘expense,’ or for a rude joke.
While not all phobias are common, considering the population of the world, at large, they do occur; the difference being of degree. Yet, the fact is, blame it on false modesty, or fear of ridicule, they remain usually unreported, or undiagnosed. This is one reason why medical, or clinical, management of the disorder becomes a tad difficult.
Self-Help
- Take time out for yourself; your ‘me-time’
- Breathe into a paper bag and ‘expel’ your panic
- Face your fears
- Imagine the worst. It, ‘the worst,’ may not happen at all
- Look at the evidence: is it real, or imagined?
- Visualise a happy place; your dream holiday and destination
- Talk about your fears with family, close friends, or your doctor
- Allow yourself to sit through your fear for a few minutes at a time
- Exercise for 20-30 minutes daily. Walking, aerobics, gym, yoga etc., — your choice. ‘Let go’ your fears
- Use humour, watch a comedy, or listen to good music of your choice.
Healing With Homeopathy
Homeopathy works on the principle that the mind and body are so powerfully connected that physical and emotional conditions cannot be effectively treated without a basic understanding of the individual’s personality, temperament, or disposition.
Homeopathy is different from conventional medicine, where individuals are diagnosed on the basis of the illness, or disease — and, the same drug, or medication, is given for each condition.
Homeopathy prescribes a different remedy for a given illness, depending on a multitude of factors, such as the personality, or constitution, of the individual, their state of mind and lifestyle. In other words, the illness may be the same by name, but the presentation in no two individuals is the same — so, they are given two different homeopathic remedies that suit their unique personality, or ‘individuality.’
Let’s ‘picture’ the following homeopathic remedies in managing a few phobias. For the best results, it is imperative for one to consult a professional homeopathic physician — not ‘self-treat’ at home.
- Argentum nitricum is used to treat the fear of heights and air travel
- Gelsemium sempervirens is used to treat social phobia, especially stage fright, or public speaking
- Phosphorus is used to treat the fear of open spaces
- Stramonium is used to treat the fear of closed spaces
- Lyssinum is used for fear of water.
Homeopathic Clinical Study
In a clinical study, 12 subjects suffering from major depression, social phobia, or panic disorder, were treated for 7-80 weeks with individually prescribed homeopathic remedies and assessed on a clinical global improvement scale [CGIS], or self-rated SCL-90 scale and Social Phobia Scale [SPS]. Subjects were given homeopathic treatment either because they asked for it directly, or because conventional treatment had been unsuccessful. The overall response rates for homeopathic treatment were 58 per cent on CGIS and 50 per cent on SCL-90 and SPS.
- Davidson J R T, Morrison R M, Shore J, Davidson R T, Bedayn G. “Homeopathic Treatment of Depression and Anxiety.” Alternative Therapies, January 1997, 3, 1, 46-49.
