Homeopathy and Psychotherapy: Differences

Homeopathy and Psychotherapy

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine, used for over 200 years, that treats the person as a whole. We believe that illness is not just a physical state but a reflection of how the person is coping with life. And whatever coping strategy the person uses, it reflects psychosomatically on the body. We find that certain strategies tend to increase the risk of certain types of diseases, thinking patterns, and behaviors.

There is enough research to show the efficacy of Homeopathic remedies on humans, animals, plants, and even cell cultures in the lab. Read below for research and case examples from my clinic, including several cases of breastfeeding-related mental health issues.

Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is the use of psychological methods to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome problems. Psychotherapy aims to improve an individual's well-being and mental health, to resolve or mitigate troublesome behaviors, beliefs, compulsions, thoughts, or emotions, and to improve relationships and social skills. (Wikipedia)

History and Methods

Homeopathy was discovered in the late 18th century by Dr Samuel Hahnemann. It was a time when medicine was in the dark ages, and he refused to practice medicine as it was then. He took up translation of medical texts, from which he discovered the ancient principle, “like cures like” (Latin: similia similibus curentur), which served as the basic principle for what he later called the healing art of Homeopathy.

A modern medical example of like cures like is radiation therapy for cancer. Radiation causes cancer when the parameters are set right. At the same time, radiation can heal the cancer if the parameters are set right for that.

Another example is the plant Colchicum autumnale. It contains colchicine, a compound that in high doses can cause symptoms resembling gout-like inflammation. Yet, in carefully controlled doses, colchicine is used as a modern, evidence-based treatment for gout. The homeopathic remedy Colchicum is used as a treatment for gout and other issues.

With Homeopathy, the remedies used can be seen as a microdose of a substance that stimulates the body to heal itself. It can be likened to giving the body new instructions (i.e., information) to shift its function to a healthy way again.

This is why Homeopathic treatment is always individualized, to match the client’s body type, mind type, and specific manifestations of the dis-ease they have.

Psychotherapy, on the other hand, has to do with the mind, behavior, and emotions. It has roots that trace back to ancient practices, with early methods combining religious, magical, and medical perspectives. The term "psychotherapy" was first used in the late 19th century, after which it became a profession on its own, focused on treating psychological issues.

Modern psychotherapists use a wide variety of tools and techniques, combining traditional talk therapy with structured methods, assessments, and evidence-based practices. These include cognitive-behavioral therapies, mindfulness-based therapies, and trauma-focused methods.

Homeopathy and psychotherapy are complementary. What’s more, both practices have several things in common: they are healing arts that rely on the therapeutic relationship between the practitioner and the patient. Both deal with suffering, mental health, and the patient’s story. The homeopathic session, as with psychotherapy, always starts with the client talking about their issues without interruption.

Science Supports Homeopathy

Some people hold the view that there is no scientific evidence to support Homeopathy. The hundreds of high-quality research studies that are available disagree. Find out more on my Science page.

A 2015 randomized, double-dummy, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial from PLoS One compared the efficacy of individualized Homeopathic treatment to Prozac for moderate to severe depression in menopausal women. Both treatments were found to be safe and to have an effect much better than placebo. Homeopathy caused greater clinical improvement in symptoms of depression than fluoxetine and also improved the patients’ menopausal symptoms, whereas fluoxetine (Prozac) did not.(1)

The fact that the homeopathic remedies improved the depression as well as the post-menopausal symptoms suggests that it is holistic in its action. And this tells us that both issues (in the study) are related in a way that homeopaths can understand.

While in psychotherapy, there are many methods and tools for alleviating depression, they can only manage sleep and hot flushes in post-menopausal women. Another example is thyroid diseases. Psychotherapy and psychiatry don’t have protocols for thyroid cases except to manage the symptoms. In Homeopathy, thyroid disease has been successfully treated mostly because homeopaths go to the root of the issue.

I have already documented a case of grief in my previous 2 articles. It was a case of hypothyroidism after chronic unresolved grief. With a few doses of a homeopathic remedy for grief, the test results showed a normal thyroid again after about a month.

Breastfeeding “trauma”

Another issue that Homeopathy excels at resolving is the issue of breastfeeding. Scientific evidence shows that a lack of breastfeeding (or not enough of it) has detrimental long-term effects on humans.

Formula-fed infants have significantly higher rates of gastroenteritis, diarrhea, pneumonia, and ear infections (otitis media) compared to breastfed infants. Meta-analyses show a 2–3x higher risk of gastrointestinal infections and a 3.6x higher risk of hospitalization for respiratory infections in the first year of life. (2)

Mental and emotional states are probably harder to compare and study, but with Homeopathy, we see that resolving this lack of being breastfed causes big improvements in anxiety, self-confidence, and social interactions. Symbolically, this issue can be seen as a lack of nurture and a problem connecting to the mother, the source of warmth and affection for the child.

Case Examples

MM, 35 yo, female, Switzerland, her mom had to stop breastfeeding her after a month or so. Two days after receiving the remedy we give for people who have not been breastfed enough (or at all), she felt “great, a feeling of liberation which started after the remedy.” Then she tells me of a situation: “I had a teacher’s conference, stood on stage with 2 colleagues in front of 200 people. While we are presenting, people started talking to each other and commenting. It didn’t touch me, for the first time ever.”

Another case, LE, a 30-year-old female from Lebanon, was breastfed for only a month. After a single dose of the remedy, and over the next several hours, she experienced the following changes:

“Felt warm, happy, euphoric, no cigarette cravings! Very jovial and chatty, after a week of feeling very low. 2 hours later, nervous system in rest mode, jaw unclenched, lower back pain released (was very tight before). That evening, I feel warmer, like I have so much love and warmth to give. Was passing near a mirror, had a lot of love to myself, did not focus on how I look or other details. I was able to see myself through another lens, I saw innocence and wisdom at the same time. A sense of contentment and ease.”

MS, female, 27 yo, Saudi Arabia, she wasn’t breastfed a lot. She received several remedies, including one for breastfeeding. After a month, the following results:She reports that the people around her say she is different. She used to be shy as a child, wouldn’t talk, and didn’t like people. Now she is better at talking to people, her anxiety is less, and she feels calmer. After the remedies, her sleep time has increased; she was not sleeping enough before she started the treatment. She says she wants to live and search for what makes her happy and satisfied. Before, she was attached to people because she couldn’t find her value from inside. Now she says she is “inside herself.” She says she wants to take care of her health.

The final case in this section I will share is IS, 33yo, male, Lebanon, who was breastfed only for 1 month. The next day after taking the first dose of the remedy, he felt more grounded and more self-confident. He continued taking it monthly. His facial hair grew to a normal beard, and he found he was able to say “no” to requests from others, which wasn’t the case before. He was a “people pleaser” before that moment.

Resentment

Another remarkable case, RMB, female, 65 yo, Lebanon, came to me for urinary bladder pain. Had a history of sexual abuse. Recently, she was triggered emotionally by a man who married her daughter. He reminded her of the man who assaulted her as a child. She was depressed, angry, resentful and always arguing with her son in law with a lot of drama. One of the remedies I gave her was for such a state, “hateful, resentful, angry.” She only took the remedy 4 times and incredibly her resentment was resolved, without even talking to her about it. She invited her daughter and her son in law for Christmas and put the whole issue completely to rest. “I’m happy, not depressed anymore. Psychologically I'm good. I made a decision and I'm feeling good. I’m in control of my emotions again.”

Healing transformations such as these are common in Homeopathy. When the cause of an issue is resolved, the body and mind go back to their balance. As we see with the breastfeeding cases, the problems such people have do not originate in the mind alone.

Both homeopathy and psychotherapy offer unique yet complementary ways of healing. While this article was more about showing off the power of Homeopathy from a psychotherapeutic perspective, the intention is to spread the word. The cases brought forth illustrate how deeply transformative and quick Homeopathy can be, especially when the root causes of illness are uncovered and resolved.

Citations

1. PLOS ONE Staff. Correction: Individualized Homeopathic Treatment and Fluoxetine for Moderate to Severe Depression in Peri- and Postmenopausal Women (HOMDEP-MENOP Study): A Randomized, Double-Dummy, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015 May 4;10(5):e0127719. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127719. Erratum for: PLoS One. 2015 Mar 13;10(3):e0118440. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118440. PMID: 25938465; PMCID: PMC4418841.

2. Stuebe A. The risks of not breastfeeding for mothers and infants. Rev Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Fall;2(4):222-31. PMID: 20111658; PMCID: PMC2812877.