4.12.3 Zincum muriaticum, Case 1
A 37 year old woman suffers from headaches, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, sometimes in the back of the head. The tension also goes to neck and shoulders. The headaches usually start when something is wrong and she doesn’t know what. As soon as she realises what is bothering her the pressure eases. The pain is eating.
The main issue in her life at the moment is whether she should get a job or not. She has two children and had decided that she wanted to be a mother first and foremost. That is why she quit her job as a teacher, but now she is not so sure anymore and would like to get back to work. She gets upset when other people comment on her motherly instincts, calling her a ’mother hen’. One day she met a woman at a party who asked her what sort of work she did. When she answered that she she was a housewife taking care of her children this woman turned away and did not speak to her again. This sort of incident really accentuates her dilemma: to work or not to work? She feels that people look down on her if she doesn’t work, and on the other hand she wants to be there for the children. She can’t bear the thought of her children having to spend the whole day in a creche. She thinks that people find her stupid.
Her own mother also plays a role in this dilemma. Her mother had all sorts of ideas of what she wanted to do in life, but circumstances forced her to stay at home and look after the children. Instead she projected onto each one of her four children one of her own ideals. Nursing was one of them and her mother kept telling her for years what a good nurse she would make. So when she left school she started at a nurses training college, but within a very short time she found out that she hated it and ran away in disgust.
Her mother always felt a victim in life and was full of self pity. She felt forced to comply with the norms that were laid on by society and this had stifled her. Her mother had also been overprotective, always afraid that something would happen to the children. The result was that the patient feels very dependent on her mothers opinions. When her mother comments on the fact that she isn’t working she feels deeply hurt. On the other hand she also felt responsible for her mother and always tried to help her to ease her worries.
She dreams that she has to take an exam in science and she can’t do it. Suddenly she realises that she passed this exam years ago.
Analysis
The central theme is about work and motherhood., which indicates a combination of a Muriaticum together with a remedy from the Iron series. People look down on her (Iron series) if she merely wants to be a mother (Muriaticum). Her mother (Muriaticum) would have like to work (Iron series) and projects her ideas of work (Iron series) onto her children. She feels responsible (Iron series) for her mother (Muriaticum). She feels hurt by her mothers (Muriaticum) comments on the fact that she doesn’t work (Iron series). Her mother (Muriaticum) felt stifled by the norms and values of society (Iron series).
But which remedy from the Iron series should we choose? She is afraid that people will think her stupid, which is a symptom of Zincum. This fits with her dreams of having to take an exam and suddenly realising she has already passed it. And so we get the combined remedy of Zincum muriaticum.
Reaction
After Zincum muriaticum 1M the headache gradually got better. The dilemma between work and motherhood became more clear and she was able to make a definite choice to be a full time mother. She got many insights into the relationship with her mother and her mothers’ remarks did not touch her so deeply anymore. She realised these remarks were an expression of her mothers unresolved feelings and did not affect her.