A New Approach to Classical Homoeopathy and Case Taking

Over the last 20 years there has been a revolution in our understanding of the homoeopathic model of disease. This change was largely due to the work of Dr Rajan Sankaran and The Bombay Group who started to look for patterns in the way the disturbance in the vital energy (essence) was expressed in individual cured cases from their client records.

They realised that the disturbance to the vital essence of each patient manifested in a unique and universal way whether the patient was talking about an emotional problem, a physical complaint, their dreams or even hobbies. The 'vital sensation' that represents a client’s disease state was an all encompassing pattern which could be seen in all aspects of a patient’s life.

Differentiating the Kingdoms

The characteristics of the 'vital sensations' that were identified in clients who needed mineral remedies were distinctly different to the sensations found in clients who required animal and plant remedies. Understanding the different qualities in the sensations and how they manifested led to an improved ability to identify the kingdom (animal, plant or mineral) from which a client required a remedy. Through careful case taking an even finer differentiation to the sub kingdom and species of an animal or plant remedy and the exact row of the periodic table in the case of clients requiring mineral remedies, is possible.

The ability to identify the different kingdoms and sub kingdoms reliably and reproducibly in clients’ cases meant that the science of homoeopathy had taken on a systems-based approach which improved the accuracy of remedy prescriptions and therefore treatment outcome.

Taking the Case

My role as a homoeopath is to guide my client to a deeper understanding and expression of their vital disturbance. It is likely that they have experienced this state for the whole of their lives but it has never been fully articulated or exposed in the past and hence this process can be a significant healing in its own right.

The client knows what is most important for them and they direct the process of exploration of their disease state. My job is to observe the patterns and sensations of the vital disturbance and to match them with the appropriate homoeopathic remedy.

The Job of the Remedy

Dr Rajan Sankaran writing in 'The Sensation in Homoeopathy' beautifully expresses the basis of our individual disease state and the way to cure.

‘Disease is the non-human song playing within us, the melody of another substance from nature. That song is perfect as it is, but when in the human being it is in the wrong place. The non-human song has to be diluted till it ultimately fades and ceases and only the human melody is heard. This is the job of the remedy.’