Homeopathic Remedies for Grief
How can Homeopathy help with grief?
Grief affects all of us and will touch all our lives at some time. You may have been affected yourself or perhaps someone you know. Grief is the natural and universal response to the loss of a relationship, death of a loved one, divorce or loss of a job.
Homeopathy can be so effective for grief and loss whether it’s the acute stages or the chronic stages where grief has been held for many years. In Murphy’s Homeopathic Medical Repertory there are over 100 homeopathic remedies that are listed under the category “grief and general sorrow”. There are also sub-rubrics or categories such as ‘grief from business loss’, ‘grief from disappointed love’ and ‘grief from death of a pet’.
5 Homeopathic remedies that can help with acute grief:
Ignatia.
Grief after losing a person, business, relationship, pet or even an object which is very dear to them. The person can be very distressed, very tearful, very highly emotional with outbursts of sobbing. This can alternate with being very controlled and trying to keep the emotion in. I love the scene above from the movie ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ where the character of Nina is portrayed in a classic Ignatia state. There is often deep sighing and the sensation of a lump in the throat. The person may want to keep swallowing due to the lump in the throat. There can be insomnia with the grief because the nervous system is so jangled and overactive. They will often be worse for anything that stimulates the nervous system like coffee or tobacco smoke. The person feels worse for being consoled, often they want to be alone with the grief.
Natrum Mur.
Often called the ‘deeper or chronic Ignatia’. This can be grief from loss, deep disappointment and rejection. Often the person has shut down emotionally and has build a ‘wall’ around the heart. The person can become quite stoic and closed and they do not want to talk about their feelings. This type of person will keep themselves busy by throwing themselves into activity or being a ‘rock’ for others. What people might not see is that they will go home and cry alone because they won’t cry in front of others. They tend to not like hugs and like Ignatia will be worse from being consoled. This type of person would feel better in open air but worse from heat of the sun. They often crave salty foods. This is a good remedy for long-standing grief or repeated griefs one after the other.
Phosphoric Acid
Grief with apathy, exhaustion, weakness and lack of emotion. The person may speak in a monotone because they are completely overwhelmed and traumatised by their grief. They have dullness of mind and seem quite spacey as if ‘the lights are on but there’s nobody home’ The person is indifferent to everything, they don’t want anything and might lose appetite and want to be left alone. You might find them sitting alone just staring into space. They might feel better for a short nap and warmth. This person feels worse for cold draughts and being talked to can be overwhelming. There might be a craving for fizzy drinks such as cocacola, juicy things or fruit.
Pulsatilla
Grief from abandonment. The person may feel forsaken , unlovable and left alone in the world. The moods can be very changeable, they can be very tearful and highly sensitive. They can be easily moved to tears of sadness or laughter. These people crave affection, love, hugs, company, sympathy and attention. These people are better from consolation and being fussed over. They are better for cool, fresh, open air and may want windows opened. They are often thirstless.
Rescue Remedy
Easy to get hold of from pharmacies or health food stores. It has many different uses and is so effective for people to take during a crisis. It contains a combination of 5 flower remedies:
- Rock rose – for terror or panic
- Impatiens – impatience
- Clematis – for spaciness and lack of grounding and focus
- Star of Bethlehem – shock and trauma
- Cherry plum – irrational thoughts and lack of self control.
It’s a great general remedy to use when you don’t know what else to use in terms of homeopathy.
For specialist help working through grief I can recommend my lovely friend Lucy Lord who practises the Grief Recovery Method.
https://www.facebook.com/advancedgriefrecoveryspecialistlucylord