Crocanthemum canadense
Remedy code: 3-655.23.12.
A 40-year-old woman, petite and boyish in stature, of mixed Indonesian descent. A description of her is "open, fresh, endearing, sparkling, attractive in a receiving attitude and lively." Her voice is light and airy, yet purposeful. She is energetic, speaks quickly, and provides a lot of information. "I so desperately want to sleep! I've tried everything for a year, but nothing works." She struggles with poor sleep, getting very little rest, and waking up frequently, which is wearing her down. There are a few other issues as well. She has hearing damage with tinnitus: a high-pitched ringing, buzzing, and whistling, a "full orchestra," as she describes it. The damage in her cochlea is on both sides. The tinnitus started five years ago and worsens with poor sleep. She has accepted that she must live with it. To manage, she reduced her workload and began working with a coach. At night, she feels angry and frustrated, sad, and tense. Falling asleep isn’t an issue; she reads for a while and drifts off easily. However, after about an hour and a half, she starts waking up. She sleeps lightly, and by 3 a.m., nothing but tossing and turning, she moves around a lot, and grinds her teeth. She has fragmented naps and feels as though she’s awake all night. Her dreams are disjointed. In the past, she had nightmares related to her childhood, which was "far from ideal." She grew up with her mother and younger brother and sister. Her parents divorced when she was one year old, and her sister is from a different father. They moved frequently, lived with violence, and never had a stable environment. As she shares this, she crosses her arms and legs tightly. The instability placed her family in difficult situations, including physical and emotional abuse. There were always financial problems and constant uncertainty due to the frequent, often unexpected relocation's. She describes herself as a flexible person, but now it is to much. After leaving home at a young age, her own turbulent life began. She has children with different fathers and has never had a stable relationship. She has worked hard, stood on her own feet, and often feared financial insecurity. She feels she entered adulthood too early. There is still contact with her previous partners, marked by belittlement, jealousy, and constant struggles for her place in relationships and within the family. She still feels anger and frustration. She refuses to be walked over and fights back, she had to, "They almost had me down." After this period of conflict, her tinnitus began, it brought her anger and sadness: the realization that it will never be quiet again. Exercise helped her cope, but sleep problems worsened and the tinnitus intensified. Family issues also arose, and she couldn’t discuss them with her children's father due to his anger. The situation escalated, and things became increasingly dark. Her past nightmares included themes of burns, dying, and being chased. Now, she grinds her teeth and wakes up exhausted. Before menstruation, everything worsens: tinnitus, sweating, and her mood. She enjoys hobbies like sailing on the sea, fitness, reading, painting, music, attending concerts, and all sort of dancing. Cooking and eating are also important, and she pays attention to her health. She sometimes suffers from constipation (with pain, bleeding, bloating, and fungal issues). She had asthma in the past, which resolved after her first pregnancy. However, she is still prone to respiratory issues. She confirms the she constantly scans her environment: “You feel everything around you, you see everything.” She has always been on guard to protect herself. She is highly attuned to the emotions and moods of others, observing and sensing changes. She remains open to new experiences and ideas. She prefers natural remedies and avoids addictive medications from conventional doctors. She describes herself as curious. The relationships with her children’s fathers are still marked by constant struggle, whether overt or subtle. She never felt like a priority; always "just tagging along." As she tells this, tears come up. “I always have to share my children. I’m not difficult, so I often give in for the sake of the children’s well-being, but it feels like it’s never enough. It’s always a struggle. I always have to give everything, and it reminds me of my childhood.”
Analysis
Silver series: Sensitivity, the capacity for scanning the environment, observing, frequent relocation's leading to lack of cultural roots. Lot if interests. Suppressed emotions worsen symptoms. All this is more characteristic and visible then her autonomic behavior or relational saga. So we look in the Malvidae.
Silver series: Ears, art, creativity.
Phase 3: Compromise and adaptation.
Phase 2: Feeling just peripheral, leaving home too early, no protection (she still had the feeling).
Stadium 12: Struggle, fights, repetition, constant movement or on the move.
Crocanthenum canadense (Cistus canadensis is a synonyme): Unsafe environment, sensitivity, themes of jealousy.
Prescription: Crocanthenum canadense C30.
Follow-up
Her stress levels, which previously always peaked, decreased within an hour, and from then she can let things go more easily. She begins to sleep more deeply and finds it easier to fall back asleep upon waking. She feels calmer and is better able to rest. During the COVID lock-down, she adapted well and could handle the situation. In the first weeks, she still woke up a few times during the night for a while, she started dreaming again. For instance, she dreamed of driving a car with the hand brake constantly engaged. She couldn’t stop, and every time the hand brake reappeared, the tires wore out. The dream left her feeling "strange" and irritated that it kept happening (in dream symbolic a car is your body and the energy, here reflecting her situation over the past years). She wakes up feeling more refreshed and is less frequently overwhelmed by the urge to nap during the day. She still sometimes feels groggy but feels more grounded and less on edge (as we know that every hour missing sleep, catching sleep is one and a half hour sleep extra, so this is naturally). Her eyes and gaze seem more centered. In the years that followed, her improvements persisted.