An Understanding of the Lithium Series with the Sensation Approach
By Dr. Mahesh Gandhi, M.D. (Psychiatry), Senior Consultant and Faculty, the other song
Co-authors:
Dr. Sneha Vyas, Resident Doctor, the other song
Dr. Devang Shah, Resident Doctor, the other song
Abstract: This article is a compilation of successful psychiatric cases treated over years, with an added insight from a background of post graduation in psychiatry. The cases demonstrate a simple yet effective approach to difficult cases, with an in-depth logical analysis in order to trace a pattern, even through a random conversation with the patient using the Sensation Approach.
Keywords: Anxiety disorder, Panic attacks, Schizophrenia, trauma, catastrophe, suffocation, separation
(The key to short-forms: D – doctor, P – patient, HG –patient’s hand gesture, Italics demonstrate the case-taking method and techniques which were used so as to elicit the case to the best. The cases are edited for brevity.)
Summary of Lithium line:
In Mineral kingdom the main issue is about structure and capability. Mineral kingdom represents the journey of a human being from birth to death. Each row is a symbolic representation of various life stages a human being undergoes in the course of his life. Row 1 represents existence, row two - birth processes, row three - identity, row four –security, row five - creativity and row six - responsibilities. Each individual in the Mineral kingdom is fixated or stuck at a particular level of development.
Lithium line is very important to understand especially in psychiatric illnesses. This row is the cornucopia of efficacious medicines for the practicing psychiatrists.
Lithium line is compared to the process of child birth and separation of the baby from mother’s womb. All the patients needing remedies from this row need to have protection from outside world. The world seems very frightening and scary for them. Independent existence is very dreadful. In my experience, all the remedies in this row have a fear of falling. They have a very weak ego and are very fragile.
Lithium is like a fetus which is completely dependent on the womb, with the umbilical cord still attached. Beryllium is like 9 month old fetus that has enjoyed everything in the womb, does not want to come out and is happy inside. Boron is a stage at the beginning of the process of delivery, where the labour contractions start. The child is confused whether to stay in or to go out. The world that he knows starts shaking so he panics and tries to hold on. In Carbon, the child has decided to come out and is a stage where the head is lodged. The question at this stage for it is ‘Do I have enough vitality to go out and face the world?’ Nitrogen feels restricted and constricted in the birth canal and wants to come out as quickly as possible. Oxygen represents coming out of the birth canal and taking the first independent breath. Flourine is symbolic of separation where the umbilical cord is cut; it wants to be separate which can be seen through the rubric ‘delusion marriage must dissolve’.9
References:
1 – Michael Hourigan and David Kent Warkentin, ReferenceWorks Pro, 4.2.1.1, Clarke’s Dictionary, Mind
2 – Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2, Nitrogen.
3 – Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1
4 – Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2
5 - Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2, Boron.
6 - Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2, Nitrogen.
7 – Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Columns, Column 17 and Row 3, Chlorine
8 - Rajan Sankaran, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2, Oxygen.
9 – For further references, Structure, Volume 1, Row 2.