Sleeping is trusting. In order to get a good night’s sleep, you need to give up control – yield and trust that you will be safe.
Sleep disorders are characterized by the inability to get sufficient and / or restful sleep. The labels range from insomnia, to sleep apnea, to somnambulism, to night terrors, to restless leg syndrome, to narcolepsy, and even sexomnia. Whatever the disorder, the underlying result and complaint are the same: “I don’t get enough sleep!”
A CASE OF INSOMNIA
JD followed a series of bedtime rituals in order to fall asleep. The 34-year-old school teacher drank warm milk with her bedtime snack, listened to classical music, opened the living room window, and soaked her feet in warm water. After checking and re-checking the front door lock, JD would activate the burglar alarm. She then washed her hands and face thoroughly. The final steps, before resting her head on her pillow, included turning on the night light near her bed and putting in her ear plugs. On a good night, she fell asleep within one hour, and woke up three to four times during the night from the slightest noise, an anxious dream, or the need to urinate.
Each step in her routine was necessary to ensure her quality of sleep, which was mediocre at best. Missing any of the steps or deviating from this schedule guaranteed a restless, wakeful night, followed by an irritable, tired, and angry existence the following day. Travelling or sleeping over at friends’ homes was out of the question for her.
Careful examination of JD’s life story and personality revealed a life-long pattern of feelings of guilt, accompanied by fear of punishment. She also displayed a lot of anxiety relating to the need for order and cleanliness in her surroundings, coupled with the fear of germs.
The homeopathic remedy Syphillinum was prescribed.
Within two weeks of taking the remedy, JD’s ritualistic behaviour pattern began to crumble. She started forgetting to check the door locks and activate the alarm. Soaking her feet had become a nuisance and too much trouble to continue. After five weeks, JD was sleeping more soundly and waking up more refreshed than ever before. Within four months of homeopathic treatment, JD was ready and willing to face the demons that had her chained to her guilty past. She started communicating with her estranged sister and felt confident and hopeful about the future.
ABOUT INSOMNIA
Insomnia, as well as other sleep disorders, is a symptom, not a disease on its own. This wakeful state is the result of physical and psychological causes which the organism is attempting to resolve. Just as the body creates fever to defend itself from invading micro-organisms, or diarrhea to rid the intestines of pathogens or irritants, a sleep disorder is a sign that something else needs to be addressed. Sometimes the solution is as simple as giving up coffee or getting regular exercise. In some cases, sleep disorders can be caused by prescription medication side effects, as well as joint pain, physical injuries, fibromyalgia, hormonal imbalance, or injury to the brain stem.
It is common for women to experience periodic insomnia during hormonal shifts such as PMS, pregnancy, and menopause. Chronic insomnia, however, is often due to underlying anxiety, fear, and depression.
Symptoms of insomnia can include difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the night, having trouble falling back asleep, waking up too early in the morning, sleeping lightly, and waking up feeling un-refreshed.
THE HOMEOPATHIC APPROACH
By analyzing the combined physical and psychological symptoms, a homeopath arrives at one remedy that corresponds to the patient’s state of being. Homeopaths look for a theme that links the person’s physical and psychological states. For example, a person needing the remedy Natrum Muriaticum will have “suppression” as the main theme. They may have unexpressed grief and anger on the emotional level, paralleled with physical suppressions such as fluid retention and constipation. Similarly, a person needing the remedy Causticum will present the theme of “rigidity” running through both physical and emotional states: rigid and unbending ideals about what’s right and wrong, as well as rigidity in their muscles and joints leading to eventual paralysis in the body.
The correct homeopathic remedy generates astounding results. Anxieties start to dissipate, depression lifts, physical symptoms disappear, and the negative life-patterns start to unravel. People feel compelled to make better choices, stay positive, and lead more fulfilling lives.
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