Shock and Trauma | Part 2

‘From the Latin word vulnerare, “to wound,” vulnerability is our susceptibility to be wounded. This fragility is part of our nature and cannot be escaped. The best the brain can do is to shut down conscious awareness of it when pain becomes so vast or unbearable that it threatens to overwhelm our capacity to function.

- Gabor Maté, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction.

As previously discussed in Part 1, when we go into shock and trauma, we may be unaware.  It may only be through the resulting metal/emotional or physical symptoms that we come to realise that something may be wrong, and something within us may be out of balance.  I recently experienced this and once again felt the power of homeopathy. It bought me back into my body and out of shock.  From this place, I could deal with the shocking news from a healthier and more helpful place.

Recently on hearing unexpected bad news I went into shock and spent about 6 weeks there.  Luckily for me, that was a fairly short time.  Some people can spend months or years in a state of shock and suffer with the resulting physical and mental emotional symptoms. 

I can look back now and see that I went into shock without knowing.  Over the following weeks, my immune system was compromised, and I began experiencing a series of seemingly unrelated illness – cold and flu type symptoms, an infected piercing, swollen tonsils, a painful left knee, and a painful right hip, together with sleep issue, and mental and emotional symptoms.  

The homeopathic consultation gave me time to talk and through careful questioning, my homeopath could clearly identify the starting point of these illnesses; I had never been well since receiving shocking and unexpected news.  This clear aetiology as well the other symptoms, together with changes to sleep patterns and food preferences enabled her to prescribe a triad of remedies which included a well-known homeopathic shock remedy: Aconite. 

Aconite is another of our general remedies for shock and can also be used in preparing 

people for shock, both physically and mentally for example giving before surgery or 

exams, or trip to the dentist. 

I was prescribed Aconite to begin with and this remedy noticeably and quickly started the process of restoring me back to health.

Many writers and therapists who deal with shock and trauma agree that to help resolve shock and trauma, people need to get back in touch with their body and their self. “Trauma is not, will not and can never be fully healed until we also address the essential role played by the body” (Peter A Levine. Waking The Tiger)

Homeopathy helps us to come back into our bodies and to feel grounded and safe, and this can be the start of dealing with life and its issues from a healthier place.

Don’t suffer in silence, seek help: There are many treatments and adjunct therapies that can assist with Shock and Trauma with Homeopathy being one of these.  If you suspect you may be suffering from shock or trauma, you could seek assistance from a qualified homeopath, who with careful questioning during the consultation, will be able to prescribe a suitable shock or trauma remedy. 

I offer free 15-minute calls, should you wish to find out how homeopathy can help you (with no obligation to book a follow-up session).

Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans is a fantastic organisation, at the end of the phone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Shock and Trauma | Part 1

As with Acute illness and accidents, holistic and complementary therapies can assist with shock and trauma. In his book The Body Keeps the Score, Gabor Maté says ‘One does not have to be combat soldier or visit a refugee camp to encounter trauma, trauma happens to us, our friends, our family, and our neighbours.’  Trauma can begin from our conception, at birth, in our early years, or later in life.

Trauma can be physical, mental/emotional, or spiritual.  ‘Trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past but it’s also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain and body and this imprint has on-going consequences for how a human manages to survive in the present’ - Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score. The symptoms of trauma can remain stable, be ever present, yet remain dormant and people can be unaffected, however, they can become unstable from various triggers that occur, or they can hide for decades, or lifetimes.

In this complex subject, multiple symptoms can occur that nobody can explain. These could be arising from a traumatic reaction to a past event that might not even be remembered. Symptoms can remain dormant accumulating over years, then during a stressful period or the result of an incident, they can show up without warning, and there still may be no indication of original cause. A breakdown may follow. This can be a similar response to what might be caused by a single traumatic event. 

Symptoms and emotions associated with trauma can be extreme, when supressed, these can prevent healing. Early symptoms can include (but may also develop in later stages of trauma): Hyper arousal, constriction, dissociation, including denial, feelings of helplessness, hyper vigilance, flashbacks, extreme sensitivity to light and sound, hyperactivity, nightmares and night terrors, mood swings, reduced ability to deal with stress, sleep difficulties.

Later symptoms can develop and include panic attacks, anxiety, phobias, mental blankness or spaciness, avoidance behaviours, attraction to dangerous situations, amnesia, forgetfulness. Symptoms can then develop into excessive shyness, inability to make commitments, chronic fatigue, immune and certain endocrine issues (thyroid), headaches, neck and back problems, digestive issues, menstrual issues, depression, isolation.

Dissociation and The Impact of Trauma 

Dissociation protects us by disassociating ourselves from the experience and splitting it off from our conscious mind. Because of this many people do not know they have suffered a trauma. Trauma can radically change people and they are no longer the same as they were prior to the trauma.  However, the unresolved trauma remains and has influence over our lives and our self.  Walking in nature, is medicine in itself, and on today’s nature walk I see plants and trees that provide some of the homeopathic remedies that can support us through shock and trauma:

Buddleia

Also known as butterfly bush, we can often see it growing near and in railway stations, growing out of walls and many places where there is very little soil. The flowers vary in colour dependent on the amount of sunlight they receive. 

Buddleia as a homeopathic remedy is known as the Universal shock remedy and is useful for all forms of shock and trauma.

Many trees also provide us with homeopathic remedies which support more specific forms of shock and trauma:

Aesculus Hippocastanum (Chestnut tree, White Flower), Aesculus carnea (Chestnut tree, Red Flower), Malus Sylvestris (Apple Tree), and the great Oak.

For chronic conditions, you should seek advice from doctor or qualified homeopath.

Always remember for EMERGENCIES - CALL 999 or your Doctor

Treating First Aid and Acute Illness with Homeopathy

During these times when it might be difficult to see your GP as quickly as you need to, if you haven’t already, it could be practical to gather knowledge and have some practised healing tools, that you are confident to use in times of need. There are many holistic and complementary therapies that can help with First Aid & Acute Illness.  Homeopathy being a great example of this. 

Homeopathy has been around for 200 years and was developed as a form of holistic medicine by a German doctor and pharmacist, Samuel Hahnemann.  It is the second largest system of medicine in the world, over 200 million people use it worldwide.  In India more than 100 million people depend solely on homeopathy for their healthcare.

How is this relevant to us today?  Homeopathy can empower us to treat acute issues and use in first aid situations.  This is because Homeopathy is safe, non-toxic, and non-addictive. It can be taken alongside conventional medicine and is suitable for all from babies to seniors. Homeopathic First Aid can be used for accidents, injury, or trauma, and can be for physical or emotional issues. Examples are Burns, Bruising, Shock We can also help with Acute issues which are usually short-term, or an Illness caused by an Infectious agent. Examples are Fever, Sore throat, Earache, Chicken pox.

The Helios Basic 18 Kit Covers some of the most common ailments and minor injuries for all the family, and is comes free when you book onto my 2-hour workshop on Treating First Aid & Acute Illness with Homeopathy

What’s in The Box

You may have heard of some of the Remedies Included in the kit: Aconite, Apis, Arnica, Arsenicum, Belladonna, Bryonia, Cantharis, Chamomilla, Gelsemium, Hypericum, Ignatia, Ledum, Mercurius, Nux vom, Pulsatilla, Rhus tox, Ruta and Silica.

Homeopathic medicines are known as Remedies are sourced mainly from plants and minerals. (Although not exclusively).

As a Homeopath I use my morning walks to notice the plants that form the basis of homeopathic remedies.  I love the way nature gives us clues to the beneficial uses of plants.  I love to explore the remedies in relation to the time of year they grow and bloom, the colour of the plant and where they grow.

The Doctrine of Signatures

Dating from the time of Dioscorides (40–90 AD), a Greek physician, pharmacologist & botanist. The Doctrine of Signatures states that herbs and plants resembling various parts of the body can be used to treat ailments of those body parts, or the similarity of plant colour can match the colour of symptoms. It was believed that plants were marked with ‘signs’ or ‘signatures’ of their purpose. These signs could be shape, colour, or texture and serve as a clue to which organ the plant treats.  Examples include the walnut (which looks like a brain) and is used for brain and head related ailments and functions.  Eyebright is said to resemble the human eye and is used for treating eye infections.

I introduce these principles into my workshop, which makes for fun and interesting learning.  You will learn the basic 18 Remedies and how to use them for everyday injuries and acute complaints.

Homeopathy treats individuals with the aim of stimulating their own natural healing ability. For chronic conditions, you should seek advice from doctor or qualified homeopath.  To book onto one of the Treating First Aid & Acute Illness with Homeopathy workshops – please contact me for details.

Always remember for EMERGENCIES - CALL 999 or your Doctor.