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Beyond Jung: Delusions, Dreams and Homeopathy

by Luc De Schepper, MD, PhD, DI Hom., CHom., Lic.Ac
Reprinted by permission. May 18, 2007

About Beyond Jung: Delusions, Dreams and Homeopathy

INTRODUCTION
The colossal material and psychic destruction brought on by wars all over the world, (some recent examples being Iraq, Congo, Kosovo and Afghanistan), should direct our interest more imperatively than ever to the realm of spiritual and psychic realities. But is this the case in reality? Our intellect has achieved the most tremendous things, while in the meantime our spiritual dwelling has fallen into disrepair. As Jung said, “mankind wants peace and mankind prepares for war: Humans are powerless against humans.” Wars, the oldest of means for settling disputes must be considered as the most inept intervention and the most grievous waste of energy. Or is it now a time in our history where good must stand aside so that anything destined to be better must first appear as evil? Real peace must happen within us. Many people spend a life time searching for real happiness while chasing idle dreams, addictions, even religion. The irony is that the only place they ever needed to search was within. Mankind might be exposed to epidemics of fire, earthquakes, wild beasts and other misfires of Nature, but today more than ever, the real epidemic is the psychological destruction of man’s soul.

We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt or anger. We radiate these feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around and brewing inside us, is spilling into the world, creating beauty or discord with other beings’ circles of life, humans, plants and animals! We must remember that eternal wisdom” “Whatever you focus on expands!” Strange ideas may seize upon otherwise sound individuals, occasioned by hatred or suspicion. The world history is full of such examples and we seem to repeat the past as if lessons are never learned. A true lunatic is harmless since one recognizes that he is sick and he will be taken care of. But the unconscious infection of groups of so-called normal people is more subtle and far more dangerous. The perils of the soul have never disappeared and in the Second World War, driven by the quest for space (“lebensraum”), an entire population was infected with autonomous unconscious processes. It is a subtle, secret poisoning of reason among so-called normal people. In spite of our so-called highly valued culture, we Westerners are still children when it comes to the psychic world. We have only rediscovered the rough diamond but it is waiting to be polished. We certainly cannot compete with the intuitive clarity of the Eastern culture.

The human language of our Materia Medica is the supreme strength of homeopathy and we should look upon allied sciences like TCM and psychology to know our remedies better. Psychology, a much neglected step-child of medicine, can help human beings to understand the many incomprehensible evils that man has brought on his neighbors and on himself. Introspection and the investigation of our shadow side must be the guide to a more meaningful future. The very existence of a more peaceful world depends on the psyche that seems to hang on a very fine thread. Much will depend on to what extent each individual captures some of the positive collective psyche and transforms it into an individual one that can take responsibility for the world that he has created around himself.

Man must realize that the root of all good and evil lies in his own psyche. In order to create law and order in this world, we must first create peace and balance in our own psyche. Over the last century, the world has changed its face in so many different aspects, but man's psyche, his worries, sorrows, desires and hopes have remained the same. If anything, a demanding fast-paced world has made such sentiments all the more pervasive, contributing to the soul's struggle with itself.

Analysts, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists have always seemed to be at the forefront of the psyche’s investigation. However, what these
professionals lack and are still missing, is a tool that can not only
investigate the psyche’s meaning through dreams and delusions, but that can also help it move forward to homeostasis, unlocking its present stagnation. As the physical body needs constant help from our immune system to maintain such homeostasis, so the psyche needs assistance from the Vital Force to regulate the fine balance between daily neuroses, anxieties and phobias, on one side of the danger line, and more advanced psychopathologies (like dementia praecox) on the other.

C. G. Jung stated that only through great good fortune could he bring
together the fragments of a schizophrenic patient, but he did not like doing it because "it was a frightfully difficult work," (C.G. Jung, 1968, page 113). The very nature of the disease which is personality disintegration rules out the possibility of psychic influence being the essential agent in therapy. Although Jung professes his indebtedness to Paracelsus whom he praises as one of the first psyche’s explorers, (C. Jung, 1966, p111), he unfortunately seems to never have heard of Hahnemann and homeopathy. Certainly, the disciplines of psychotherapy and still more so, homeopathy have to acquire the strength to swim against a stream of collective prejudice, which has only become stronger with time.

The creation of powerful psychotherapeutic allopathic drugs was not a step forward in the history of psychiatry since such drugs do not advance the psychic forces, but submits them to a chemical influence that enslaves the whole patient. I cannot believe that the robot-like, unfeeling patient, having suppressed and repressed his emotions with the help of the strong, dissimilar, artificial disease created by a psychotropic, allopathic drug is capable of advancing his psychic experiences. There is neither introspection, nor insight and the small amount of psychic strength left in the patient is suspended and perhaps even destroyed. I doubt that Jung would have embraced these mind-numbing tools. What I see in this world that has been infected by these numbing allopathic drugs, is that people are not able to neither grieve nor feel properly anymore. The act of suppressing grief does not annul the need to grieve. People have lost the capacity to suffer naturally and, if become in touch with their feelings, most sink like a shipwreck on the cliffs, overcome by the natural grieving process and hold out for the fata morgana of the delusional psychotropic allopathic drugs.

Does everybody have to become dull, Graphites people who do not see the connection of physical suffering with psychological imbalances? Is there no more place for a gentle healing of emotions rather than suppression of them? The numbing through drugs is spiritual anesthesia and an excess of anesthesia leads to spiritual death. Even though allopathic medicine can define health correctly in theory, in practice this definition and its contents are totally destroyed on every plane. Instead of striving for the social, psychic and individual equilibrium of the individual, it offers as healing only a grotesque patching-up of the body, while the psychological and spiritual sides of the human being are relegated to the darkest, unreachable corners. I hasten to say that even within allopathic medicine, there were and are magnificent thinkers who have noted these shortcomings. And with shame and sorrow, we note that homeopathy itself has many practitioners who call themselves homeopaths but act in accord with a corrupt, destructive and shortsighted institutional form of medicine.

More than anyone else in his time, Jung was interested in "what the patient had to say," that is, in discovering the true story that lay behind the patient‘s suffering. Can numbing and suppressing the emotions through allopathic medication lead to more insight and cooperation from the patient? How can repressing emotions be equal to a cure? Any homeopath knows that allopathic drugs only suspend and postpone, but never cure the chronic natural mental disease (A38: "The stronger of two dissimilar diseases will suspend or postpone the weaker one"). Ever increasing drug doses are required to maintain the suppression and to avoid the unleashing of the torrential symptoms belonging to the natural disease that are held prisoner in the psyche. But unleashed they will be! The psychic prisoner, (the natural mental/emotional disease), will turn its fury onto man’s physical realm, destroying it with a frenzy and intensity equal to its expression on the emotional plane.

I have admiration for the way Jung conducted his practice. He was a pioneer who was fully aware of the enormous number of questions remaining to be answered, and therefore, calling for further investigation. Like Hahnemann before him, C. Jung was always searching, with unusual freedom from conventional prejudices, to understand the patient in all his individual idiosyncrasies. Just like Hahnemann is maligned by some modern homeopaths, it has been my experience that both Jung and W. Reich are almost never mentioned in the psychoanalytical community. It is as if the mere mentioning of their name were an act of disloyalty. Therefore, the burden of advancing the psyche beyond Prof. C. G. Jung, and the burden of answering some of those burning questions has fallen squarely on the shoulders of the competent modern homeopath. By competent I mean being a true Hahnemanian homeopath practicing according to the Organon’s 5th and 6th Edition, versus the 4th. There is no place for mind games ("jeux d'esprit") nor for speculation as propagated by neo-pseudo homeopaths. "Projection is a fundamental error of scholasticism that has lingered on into our modern times ..." (C. Jung, Psychogenesis of Mental Diseases, p185).

The true homeopath must not only be an empirical scientist, but also an artist if he is to bring forth new compelling and strong theories which must, of course, always be grounded in the infallible basic homeopathic premises and in the laws of nature. Only these will help man to understand life and mankind-- why he is and who he is. Nature makes no errors, man does. The tools available to homeopaths which were lacking to Jung and all subsequent psychologists are the numerous homeopathic remedies that cover many psychic states in their similarity (not equality) which allow the patient to advance rapidly, gently and without sequelae to a permanent cure (Organon’s Aphorism 2).

Each Homeopath carries the torch of knowledge only a part of the way, at which point someone else takes it over. I firmly belief that homeopathy can pick up where Hahnemann left. Just as Jung encouraged his patient to pick up pencil or brush and to play an active part in his analysis, in the same fashion, the homeopathic remedy chosen based on similarity, opens new avenues to the patient and facilitates his recovery and progression in a dramatic way. The patient has been given a car (the remedy) of which he is the driver (as active participant versus a passive slave). The homeopath is the co-pilot, compass and map, ready to help out when necessary (management). Thus this journey is the beginning of the patient’s independence and the setting him free from his delusions.

Healing the soul through homeopathy is like following a moth's struggle to freedom when the right time has arrived. At first, the moth is too weak and underdeveloped to survive in a hostile world, therefore, a strong exterior casing (cocoon) is necessary for its protection. It is like the human being who suffers from his delusions and needs compensations as a defense mechanism, but needs the simillimum to break the chains of his. When the moth is strong enough in its cocoon, it will start its outward journey, but if the moth‘s casing is broken too early/sooner than ready and brought out to the world, it could not survive, endure, nor thrive in it. The growth and struggle this moth must endure is part of its evolution and journey and it lays the foundation for the moth to survive and thrive in the world in freedom. Homeopathy helps the patient along a similar journey, contrary to the soul’s enslavement by psychotropic
allopathic medications. If man is not prepared and strong enough, freedom can be just as imprisoning as prison itself, therefore excellent homeopathic case management is a journey of the soul and spirit which takes place through the mental, emotional and spiritual plane.

Besides the indicated homeopathic remedy, there is also another tool used by the competent homeopath as a guide through the maze and the secrets of the frightful psychological diseases: Hahnemann’s 1828 miasmatic theory, which is the precursor and unrecognized solution to the allopathic genetic theory. This miasmatic practice should be practiced not to safeguard the individual, because he is only a passing phenomenon. Far more important it serves the purpose to safeguard the human species. While allopathy is still struggling with the first practical genetic application, the more advanced homeopath understands, predicts, and already treats his patients according to what Jung would call his “predetermined fixed response pattern“. As much as in the case of constitution and temperament, the patient cannot elect his response to a specific situation especially in a strongly loaded emotional event or in a high-feeling complex, (Footnote 1). To a certain degree, and in different levels of intensity, he will follow what is “predestined” for him. Knowing well the positive and negative side of each miasmatic state, the Homeopath will be able to remove the blockage produced by this genetic background allowing the indicated remedy to work in a timely and effective manner.

Both the homeopathic remedy and the miasmatic nosode are keys to the unconscious world of which dreams are the mouthpiece. Where Jung had only dream analysis, now besides having anamnestic analysis, word association (Footnote 2) and active imagination at his disposal, the Homeopath can use these extra tools to unlock even the sturdiest door. The homeopathic analysis shown by A153 with its rare and peculiar psychological and physical symptoms is superior to the one used by Psychology.
 

Foot note 1: A complex is a picture of often a psychological, of a traumatic or of painful nature, which make up the contents of the unconscious. It constitutes the distressing personal and private side of psychic life, therefore it is often suppressed (the Natrums) or repressed (the Magnesiums). Whenever the Homeopath touches a patient’s such delicate complex, the patient may react with telltale indicators such as silence, anger, irritability, crying, failure to remember the response subsequently, hesitation or lengthened response time, or stuttering. The patient may even close her eyes for a brief time. When this happens, the homeopath must know that it corresponds with a painful NWS in the patient’s homeopathic history as the term complex stands for “personal matter.” It is a cluster of images and ideas revolving around an emotional center. Often negative delusions are high-feeling toned complexes and even "positive" delusions are generated often by a painful NWS. The content of the unconscious collective (a deeper inborn layer) is known as Archetypes which manifest themselves in fantasies and symbolic images.

All man have such common inherited patterns of emotional and mental behavior that come upon man like fate and their effect is reflected on his most personal life.

Foot note 2: Word association is when the psychoanalyst gives the patient a series of up to a hundred stimulus words and instructs him to respond with the first word that comes to his mind and the analyst measures the reaction time, the time it takes the patient to formulate an answer. When the stimulus word hits a painful feeling-toned complex (the NWS), the patient will take much more time to make an association. Sometimes he won’t answer at all. Those words that score the longest time, if not totally understood, the psychoanalyst asks the patient what they relate to, especially in affairs of the heart, consciously suppressed or delegated to the unconscious. I think about words such as “love, marriage, mother, child, etc.” which will often provide us with striking insight in the patient’s mind. See definition “Core Delusion, How to find it,” for further info.

When it comes to dreams, allopathy tries to explain them by using its technical tools which are expected to discover abnormal brain activity. It is hoped that the union of Neurobiology and Psychology be the answer to uncover the dreams secrets and bombard the patients with PETs (Positron Emission Tomography) and MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), which should detect abnormalities in the brain. But this new technology hardly seems to help unravel the mysteries of the night as was so much hoped. Allopathy would do well to build on what Jung had to say about dreams. It is sad and unfortunately true that man learns nothing from his past history and experiences. As man is more than ever prejudiced toward the past, the truth often gets condemned. It is fate that homeopathy shares with the Jungian philosophy.

If Jung came back to life, he would have to repeat even more firmly that “Our present lives are dominated by the goddess Reason who is our greatest and most tragic illusion," (C.G. Jung, 1968, p91). There is indeed a concerted effort from science to turn away from anything that is "not reasonable," even if it can be demonstrated, like the meridian’s presence in TCM and what the late Benveniste showed in his research regarding the preserved activity of homeopathically diluted remedies in which there are no molecules left. Present science prides itself in unlocking all of nature’s secrets, but at the same time is losing the battle against diseases like Infantile diarrhea, malaria, leprosy, TB, teenager suicide and depression and other epidemic occurrences. Rather than the patient‘s "objective" analysis, it is the psyche’s investigation that remains the science of the future. Every inquest in a disease should start with an in-depth analysis of the patient's psyche, which includes the totality of his conscious and unconscious psychic processes.

C. Jung would have been dismayed with psychotherapy‘s modern rules. Medical plans sometimes cover only ten visits per year, fewer, or none at all. Gone is the yearlong study of the psychically challenged patient. One more reason why psychotherapy needs to have a more effective tool available like the homeopathic remedy which can bring the cure to a quarter, a third, even half of the time. Nowhere more than in psychiatry is A246 applicable and desirable. From this point on, this book will attempt to show the need for homeopathy and psychology to “enter into an active dialogue”.

Nowadays new theories abound in psychology and homeopathy. We can get along for quite some time, no doubt, with inadequate and speculative theories, but eventually inadequate therapeutic methods will bring nothing but complications and dismay to the patient. My continual search for different approaches to finding the simillimum is always based on my failures which are priceless experiences that open the door to a better approach. Every patient arouses the explorer in me, my curiosity, my spirit of adventure and my compassion. Every patient touches my heart, which is too soft but, it has held out so far as positive rewards have always been superior to the many negative forces in my life. It is a sacred duty to protect Hahnemann's seed of homeopathy's knowledge from the fatal frost of fantasy and speculation. This does not imply unqualified submission to a dogma; one can very well maintain an independent judgment. Open discussion is essential to science. This “who is not for us is against us,” this “all or nothing,” is in my opinion necessary for religious sects and useful for political parties. But to science, this attitude must be considered harmful. “Just as the stoutest walls are reinforced with many different materials, so the strongest groups allow differences to coexist inside the whole.” In homeopathy, we are all a family in which even the father (Hahnemann) enjoys no dogmatic authority, but only that to which he was entitled by reason of his abilities and labors. His pronouncements should not be followed blindly, as if they were divine revelations, but like everything else, should be the subject of thorough criticism, which he would have accepted with the wisdom and attention it deserved. Moreover, we, his younger children, should accept being told the truth to our face about our mistakes and successes, however bitter and sobering it might be, without childish sensitivity and vindictiveness.

Just like in alchemy, homeopathy exposes how arduous the work the homeopath has with each patient and how few can attain the necessary knowledge and experience to undertake this task. May this book contribute to mankind’s relief of suffering. May it bring relief to the modern man’s isolation and confusion and help him integrate both, his luminous conscious side with his dark unconscious one. May this book show that homeopathy is a healing modality that has the power of curing man's psychic and physical suffering, since it does not only has all the necessary tools to relieve suffering but also leads the patient to the fulfillment of his full potential, which is homeopathy’s highest spiritual goal.
 

EPILOGUE
After many years of experience I now know that it is extremely difficult to discuss true classical homeopathy at public meetings or seminars. There are so many misconceptions of the matter, so many prejudices against the latest Hahnemann views, that it is almost impossible to reach mutual understanding in a public discussion. Yet, a question that I heard with increasing desperation among homeopathic students and practitioners alike is, “Why is it that there are so many different opinions regarding the practice of homeopathy?” It indeed must look as a dark, obstructing evil to the student when he is confronted with so many contradictory opinions where Hahnemann has supplied us with so many clear and logical instructions. I have always found a quiet conversation on the subject much more useful and fruitful than heated arguments in public. Unfortunately, it often happens that so-called homeopaths think themselves entitled to judge homeopathy who have not even read the Organon. It is my firm conviction that no one is competent to form an opinion on the matter until he has studied the basic writings of the homeopathic school. Only then, will we see that these endless fights among homeopaths, which are the sole cause of non-progression of homeopathy, are absolutely unnecessary. Hahnemann’s teachings are clear, he invites us just to “follow him well.” So far, I have found nothing in the modern literature anything that can contradict any of the aphorisms in the 6th edition of the Organon, nor have I found anything worthwhile to be put in the “7th edition.” Please inform me if I am wrong and where I am wrong.

The great problem of our time is the fact that we don’t understand what is happening in this world. We are more and more confronted with the darkness of our psyche, our unconscious, and seem to have lost our “meaning of life.” This spiritual disease shifts our values and everything loses its certainty. How can we become more objective with our psyche? How can we be more honest with ourselves and confront our core delusion so that we understand why we are doing the things we do in spite of the things we say. Why is it that homeopaths are willing to dish out homeopathic remedies to anyone, while I have found that only a small fraction of those enthusiastic homeopathic supporters is taken their own remedy? I can hardly think that the homeopathic practitioner’s association is more perfect and balanced than the rest of the population. We must look at our soul not just with a telescope but rather a microscope. Otherwise what is abnormal and needs correction will look as beautiful constellations pleasing the ego. So are you, the reader, on a homeopathic remedy? If not, it is time to start your journey to psychic and physical health. The path to individuation is a lonely, cumbersome and often unpleasant one. Few honest individuals can bear such search but knowing and feeling the progress one is making during such travel, makes up for the loneliness felt in a world of fake and superficial glitter. When we are close minded we cannot accept unconditional love. When we are able to show our vulnerable side, it is the chance we take at being hurt the most or loved the deepest. Many closed people remain so all their life. I’d rather be vulnerable and take my chances at living a full life. To those that search for the same and want to reach their full potentialities, we want to be shining examples and branches of hope and faith. With roots planted firmly in the science of earth and man, and branches reaching towards the vast spiritual art, we find balance and create the Tree of Life!

Above all Paracelsus believed in magic, intuition, and empathy. So do I!

Dr. Luc De Schepper

HSNC does NOT provide any form of treatments. HSNC offers educational information and resources to parents on classical homeopathy.
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