15.6 Thulium carbonicum case
Width 5, Depth 5, Cure 7, Duration 4
A woman of 70 years of age has anxiety in the morning on waking. It goes together with asthma. It’s a fear of existence, a fear of not being able to control herself. She feels lost, without a goal and full of despair. It’s worse being alone and better with company. She likes to weep then, which ameliorates. She feels it the most in her solar plexus, as if there’s a hole there. It’s worse from feelings of guilt, guilt of not having cared enough for her husband, for her obsessive son. She feels too proud to ask for help but she fears her confusion, not knowing anymore what she’s doing. She fears freedom, which she desires mostly. She needs Seroxat to be able to cope with her anxiety.
Her childhood felt limited and without pleasure. She didn't develop self-confidence, for she was never allowed to discover or decide things herself.
Her father was a very strong personality, saying “What you want you can do”. He was domineering, a dictator, very strict and radical in his orthodox Christian religion. He was always right because he used to say “I’m your father”. He forced her and the other children to work hard, study a lot and do all other kinds of lessons. He never gave a compliment, pointing to every little mistake. He could beat her, even with a chair. She was very frightened of her father, fearing he would kill her. The children and her mother were not allowed to have their own opinions; they had to think like her father. In her heart she hated her father, but her religion forbids her to do that. Her father said “One can never take life too seriously”.
She married a man from a similar strong religious group. He was distant, because the church came first.
She feels depressed, as if something black is around her. She doesn't dare to enjoy life. She has never has been able to take revenge on the suppressive religions. She can feel ashamed that she cursed someone 20 years ago.
She hates being treated as an infant. She wants to be her own boss. She fears being taken out of her house because she’s confused. She's studying philosophy.
Past history
Migraine, severe, vomiting bile, lasting 4 days, with the feeling of going to pieces under her vertex.
Fibromyalgia.
Neuralgia of her face and chest, stitching, as of knives.
Cataract. Glaucoma. Conjunctivitis recurrent.
Cracks in her fingers and heels.
Incontinence of urine from coughing.
Recurrent coryza, bronchitis with high fever.
Fear: traffic, snakes, mice, scorpions, everything, new things, parties.
Desire: sweets, chocolate, fruit, sherry.
Aversion: chocolate, vegetables, lettuce.
Food: < peanuts, cashews, chocolate.
Analysis
Her anxiety with her despair and lack of confidence looks similar to the feeling of her childhood. Her father was very domineering, breaking her will. This sentence can be translated directly into the remedy: her father (Carbon) was breaking (Stage 15) her will (Lanthanides). The orthodox religion with fears of hell fits the Thulium picture nicely.
Confirmations
Lanthanides: hole, desire freedom, studies philosophy.
Thulium: fear losing self-control, fear of loss of existence.
Carbon: fear dark, lost, weeping ameliorates, confusion.
Follow up
A month after Thulium carbonicum MK she feels better, can feel happiness. Before she was rationally thinking that she had to be happy and shouldn’t moan. Now she can feel happy by herself. She cut the Seroxat by a quarter by herself.
Six months later she feels much better. Her anxiety and guilt feelings have diminished 50%, yet she has also reduced her Seroxat to half the original dose.
In 12 years of treatment she has had Cimicifuga, Naja, Cyclamen (6*), Scrophularia nodosa, Melilotus, Carcinosinum, Hydrastis, Myrica cerifera, Ledum (2*), Verbascum (2*), Cobaltum nitricum (5*), Kalium bromatum, Tussilago farfara(2*), Cobaltum bromatum, Lithium muriaticum(2*), Natrum sulphuricum, Aquilegia (2*), Ferrum carbonicum, Penicillinum, Millefolium, Senecio aureus (6*), Sanguinaria canadensis, Erbium metallicum, Ferrum bromatum (2*), Cadmium carbonicum, Digitalis, Cuprum sulphuricum, Rosa damascena, Bismuthum metallicum, Thallium carbonicum, Asa foetida, Primula officinalis, Carbo animalis, Bismuthum carbonicum, Graphites, Anacardium occidentale, Plumbum sulphuricum (5*), Rhus venenata (2*), Rhus aromatica (4*), Cobaltum carbonicum, Antimonium muriaticum, Cadmium muriaticum, Taxus baccata, Calcium carbonicum, Borium fluoratum (2*), Oestradiol, Crassula.
The ones that were given twice were mostly palliative.
Cyclamen (6*), Cobaltum nitricum (5*), Senecio aureus (6*), Plumbum sulphuricum (5*) and Rhus aromatica (4*) were curative.
Comment
In this case we can see that deep traumas can take a long time to heal. But also that it’s not easy to find a really good homeopathic remedy. It’s only after Thulium carbonicum that her anxiety started diminishing.