Back to Laurel:

At this point we wanted to understand Laurel's state more deeply. Sankaran explains that physical symptoms are generally creepers on the vine, while the mental/emotional disturbance are the root. If her colitis and endometriosis were creepers, we wanted to know the state which was at the root for her.

2/24/94

"I'm doing pretty good. I saw my gynecologist and told her I didn't want to continue hormones. She thinks it's great. I have no idea when I'll have a period because of the DepoProvera. I've had very minor colitis symptoms."

Dreams:

"I'm getting married and it's not the person I want to marry. Or forced into marriage and can't get out. Same theme, different details: somehow someone or something has put me in this situation. It's not what I want to be doing."

We now asked Laurel about her core issue." It's other people's expectations, wanting to please others, worrying too much about what others think. The littlest thing can happen in an interaction and it can plague me for days. A person at work handed me a birthday present. I thought it was for me, but it was for someone else. I felt embarrassed after. It's either issues of embarrassment or worries about weight gain or my skin breaking out.. how will people who know me think of me now? They'll think badly of me. I was in a wedding recently. I worried 'What if I start getting sick and have to go out in the middle?' I did take one tranquilizer just before. It's the only one I've taken since the remedy.

I don't go out and join a group as I'd like. I think of reasons not to. I get real worried when I have to see my friends."

Laurel has continued to do well. We were able to understood her mental and emotional state much more clearly. We now included the following rubrics, which all contain Colocynthis: Aversion to the company of intimate friends; ailments after anger; sensitive to reprimands; offended easily; escape, attempts to.

Case 2: Christine, age 32.

2/23/93. Long distance phone consultation.

"I saw you for homeopathy in 1985-6. You gave me Natrum muriaticum which helped a lot. Now I'm living in the Southwest. I've done homeopathy there with a practitioner for two years but I'm Not getting a lot accomplished with it.

I have aA lot of problems with jobs. I used to dance, then I waitressed, then I worked with plants. I fear getting another job I hate.I feel trapped (3). I don't know where to move (3)... There's nothing going on. I feel paralyzed by indecision (3)... which way to go? I'm afraid I'll make a wrong move (3). I worked at a flower shop. I called it to my employer's attention that someone was stealing. They didn't want to do anything about it so I quit. I was unable to let go of it. I ended up in the hospital.with a probable diagnosis of pelvic inflammatory disease. I still get uterine pain every two months. I'm sensitive if people are upset (2). I think it's my fault... I'm not able to separate myself from others' feelings (2).

.. Then I worked for a CPA, then a pharmacy.... It's always about other people and my not getting along with them or getting upset with them (3). If they ask me to make up their minds for them, I hate it... like choosing flowers. It irritates me (3). They should know. If they're demanding, I feel severely put on the spot... they expect something of me tht I don't feel able to give them. They're a nuisance. I'd like to withdraw from it.

I don't like when people are controlling. Most everything annoys me (3). I wish they'd go away... strangers, people on television. The things they're interested in, I'm not. People seem unfeeling, unimportant, full of themselves, only concerned about themselves. They're abrupt here... hard.