Tools for dealing with Trauma and Stress

June 21, 2006

by various authors

An extract from Resilient spirits Healing from extreme trauma by Miranda Castro, FSHom, RSHom(NA), CCH.

Severe traumatic stress
Because of the violence of the attacks and the number of deaths, the DSM-IV * (the psychiatrist's bible of diagnosis) classifies the events of September 11 as extreme trauma, meeting the criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Health care professionals should always take traumatic stress and its sequel - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - seriously. They are a potential pre-cursor to the development of disease-physical, emotional and/or mental-as all homeopaths know.

Get expert help If you are experienced in using homeopathy at home, your health is basically sound and you have had a generally mild response to a traumatic event then see if one of the homeopathic remedies below fit your picture. If your symptoms are severe or prolonged then you will need professional help.
* Check in with your local homeopath. Thank goodness for homeopathy's gentle administrations at times like this. To provide a healing relief for those who are in shock or in mourning, for those who are scared and anxious, for those who can't sleep or are just plain worn out.
* Get support from a psychotherapist experienced in trauma counseling - if the feelings that surface are worryingly intense or you are not able to pick up your pieces. If you feel yourself to be stuck in an anxious or angry or depressed state then don't struggle on without some professional help.
* The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is used by psychiatrists, doctors, psychologists and psychotherapists to diagnose and differentiate between mental and emotional disorders.

An extract from Homeopathic remedies for traumatic stress by Miranda Castro, FSHom, RSHom(NA), CCH.

Homeopathic remedies can help with the effects of traumatic stress but they are always going to be limited in terms of their scope to heal when people are suffering at a deep level. It takes time to move through stages in the process of healing. And some of those stages can last for what feels like ages while we try to understand and make sense of what happened. While our hearts and souls heal.

The following remedies are a selection of those often needed in the aftermath of a bad shock. They aren't the only remedies, and they aren't the full pictures. They are more like snapshot reminders, specifically as they relate to a traumatically stressful situation. Each remedy is described in terms of how it relates to at least one other similar remedy. Making friends with homeopathic remedies in this way is helpful for when it comes time to select them - so that you understand at least some of their similarities and some of their differences. For a remedy to work really well, it's always advisable to take the general state (symptoms) of the remedy into account as well. These symptoms as well as fuller descriptions of the emotional state are to be found in any of the larger homeopathic materia medica books (and in my own Homeopathic Guide to Stress).

Some home prescribing reminders In an acute situation, even a serious one like that of September 11, you can help yourself and your family heal from effects that do not go away after a day or so. If the symptoms are serious, if they persist or recur, and especially if the homeopathic remedies don't help, then it is really important that you consult with a professional homeopath and/or your primary care doctor. You often need to differentiate quickly and accurately between two or more homeopathic remedies in an acute situation. Always check with your homeopath if you are not sure. While getting the right remedy matters less than in a long-term chronic situation, the right remedy will make the difference between alleviating real suffering and only helping a bit. The right potency is the one you happen to have on hand. If you have more than one potency, then use your degree of confidence about the remedy as a guide: the more certain you are that it's the right one, the higher the potency. Lastly, always remember to make a note of the remedies you use and why, as well as the person's response to the remedies. We all have typical responses to the same kinds of stress, and it's easy to forget whether you gave, say, Aconite or Stramonium to your child after that big bad shock earlier this year. You are in a similar situation now and simply can't remember which one worked. Write those great little remedies down so you can turn to the correct ones to help you and your family deal with stress-not just the everyday stresses.

An extract from Each one is different: Individual reactions to traumatic stress by Stephen Messer, ND, DHANP

...homeopathy is best prescribed through an individualization of each prescription. We can help people a lot with homeopathic prescribing, but the best remedy will be the one that fits their particular reaction to the trauma.

Please see, Homeopathic Remedies for Traumatic Stress

In addition, many people will respond to trauma in a way that is more in line with their chronic or constitutional state, and instead of a first-aid remedy they will need another dose of their "constitutional medicine." They should consult their homeopathic practitioner.