Spirituality in homeopathy is manifested in its difference in seeking the ways to eliminate symptoms of a disease, writes Nishant Jain
The correlation of homeopathy with spirituality is more apparent when we have a clearer understanding of spirituality. The pivotal aspect of this understanding is the difference between spirituality and religion. Religion is based in tradition and customs. It is more about practices and forms of beliefs. Whereas spirituality is about the philosophical aspects of such beliefs. This is related to the subtle aspects of life, faith and its intrinsic relation with mind. The origin of the word itself is from ‘spirit’, a form which is something higher than human existence. Spirituality can be regarded as the science of soul.
This vast domain of knowledge is being left untouched by modern development and is considered archaic by many frontier personalities of modern science. However, a closer look at the subject reveals its gravity and deeper knowledge that are highly complex. Philosophers have pointed out that, in fact, science and spirituality are two sides of the same coin. It should be understood that spirituality has little to do with the concept God. It is rather about the potential and limitations of humans.
Now, how is homeopathy related to spiritualityIJ Homeopathy is a healing technique of physical ailments and its relation to spirituality takes it towards an opposite direction from modern scientific understanding of medical treatment. There is no doubt in the fact that the approach of homeopathy is different or rather opposite to that of conventional medicine or allopathic treatment. Conventional method of treatment is oriented towards the physical aspects of a disease. The treatment focuses on organs and hits right at the anomalies of our organs. Psychological aspects of treatment and physical ailments are taken into account, but its pertinence is limited only to a referential context.
On the contrary, homeopathic treatment is based on the larger aspects of symptoms. It takes a holistic approach to treat a disease. Apart from curing its physical paradigms, the treatment encompasses the psychological aspects of a symptom.
Healing in homeopathy is based on the intrinsic nature of human body to heal itself. This medical branch takes the conventional definition of ‘immune system’ to a comprehensive realm. The aspects of vital life force are prioritised in homeopathic treatment. The life force is a conjugation of energies within the body. The symptoms of a disease are due to mismatch or mistune of this energy framework. Homeopathic treatment is directed towards rejuvenation of this framework. The method of repetitive dissertations with patients and matching different formulas of medicines are attempts to address the anomalies of internal energy within a patient.
The world is a physical manifestation of unseen energies. The relation between physical mass and energy is one of the fundamental basis of modern science. The dual nature of existence comprising physical palpable objects and unseen energies that are ingrained in them is also manifested in the human body.
Soul and consciousness are the best reference to this context. Physically, the body is the composition of only matter and organs. The cells, tissues and blood are all compositions of elements and substances. The intrinsic combination of these elements and organs transforming into a life is a mysterious attribute in itself. The formation of consciousness is a mystery to modern science. This is the primary subject of spirituality. Homeopathy deals with interaction of energies and their functioning in smooth working of the human body. The realms of homeopathic treatment are directed towards healing the consciousness more than to act towards physical aspects of the body.
Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, had indicated the strong influence of spirituality in this medical branch. In Aphorism 9, he pointed out: “In the healthy human state, the spirit-like life force keeps all parts of the organism in admirable, harmonious vital operation, so that our indwelling, rational spirit can freely avail itself of this living, healthy instrument for the higher purposes of our existence.”
Thus, homeopathy includes spirituality within its realms of treatment and medical practices. Edward Whitmont, a gifted homeopath, pointed out that remedies of diseases can be metamorphic and symptomatic. He provided an extensive discourse on the relations of consciousness with symptoms and physical diseases. According to him, homeopathic treatment and symptoms of human ailments can be best understood as manifestations of a holographic universe where existent living and non-living things are interconnected with subtle and intricate aspects of existence. He pointed out that psychotherapy, dreams and synchronistic occurrences and conditions of human beings could offer extensive avenues for diagnosis of illness and disease. Whitmont was also a noted Jungian psychologist.
The homeopathic approach to treatment recognises human being as a conscious being rather than a combination of physical processes and elements. Spirituality in homeopathy is manifested in its difference in seeking the ways to eliminate symptoms of a disease. The untrue nature of material existence and the truth in spiritual realms is one of the basic philosophy guiding homeopathic treatments.
Julian Winston summarised in the ninth paragraph of Organon, “The physician wants to make people healthy so they can use their bodies to get on with the higher purposes of their existence. In the state of health, the spirit-like vital force animating the material human organism reigns in supreme sovereignty. It maintains sensations and activities of all the part of the living organism in a harmony that obliges wonderment. The reasoning spirit, which inhabits the organism, can thus freely use this healthy living instrument to reach the lofty goal of human existence.”
Homeopathy is easier to understand from a spiritual perspective. The system approaches the psyche of a patient to reach out for the core of any symptoms. This approach is not to produce a placebo effect on patients but to render a holistic treatment that cures completely. A homeopath’s perception of a disease is not as a physical phenomenon. It is rather perceived as a disturbance of body and soul that are perceptible to the senses. This branch of medicine identifies human as an esthetic, moral and scientific expression along with the physical body. It is a transitional form of healing and it rests on the juncture of chemical and spiritual understanding of life.
The writer is CEO, B Jain Pharmaceuticals