The Periods and Integral Psychology (contd).

What is to be cured?

In the lower patholgies, in the stages between the transitions, or fulcrums (Fig.1) F0 - F3 we would find the childrens remedies such a Chamomilla, Dulcamara or remedies from the Carbon or Silica Series ... the issues are of self individuation, conceptual and emotional boundaries - other therapies might be Psychoanalysis or Primal Therapy.

Fig.1. Fulcrums: Stages and Lines of Development (Wilber).

In intermediate pathologies, F4 - F6 the focus of the Self is on identity vs. rules and roles, which are the issues of the Ferrum and Siver Series, the plant remedies to consider might be the industrious Nux-v or perhaps the coquettish Pulsatilla or the perfectionist Vanilla personalities. Other useful therapies might be the "Script Therapies" which facilitate reprogramming for self-esteem, etc, such as C.B.T. and N.L.P.

In F7 - F9 the focus is Transpersonal. The remedies would be from the Silver, Gold or Lanthanide series. Other useful therapies would be Humanistic branches of psychology such as Psychosynthesis, Existential Psychology or transcendental practices such as T.M., Zen and Mahamudra.

This is however, only a linear view - a result of plotting developmental stages sequentially.
In real life different aspects of our personality develop at different times with different dynamics.

The significance of recognising the limits of this view is that a Lanthanide remedy could be appropriate for a spiritually precocious child! As an example, take the Tibetan monks who search remote villages for reincarnations of their teachers ... In such a case either of the Lanthandies, Lanthanaum (Stg2,R7) or Cerium (Stg3,R7) could be more appropriate than Calcera (Stg2,R4) for a genuinly sensitive and spiritual child who feels insecure because she notices the differences beween her outlook and that of her more down-to-earth peers.

Ref: Integral Psychology by Ken Wilber. See Also: Sri Aurobindo's Psychology

Kali Mur - Voice Dialogue

Ms. Kali-M, expressed through the Voice Dialogue method.

In some cases where there are severely Pathological Subpersonalities the most obvious place to start is the Mineral Kingdom - because the emergance of subpersonalites is a loss of structure, especially of the Ego.

• First consider: Carbon Series (Individuation) - Li, Be, B, C.
• Then: Silicon Series (Boundaries) - Na, Mg, Al, Si.

Voice Dialogue can be used to gain perspective on everyday issues; compare the inner voices of Kali-C with Kali-M... In Kali-M the Kali theme of duty is combined with the Muriaticum themes of mothering (wanting attention and to be cared for) and self-pity (everything is going wrong - poor me!). She could be considered to be the perfect wife for Mr. Kali-C!

The Big Mind Process applied to Kali-m.

The Autonomous Self

• The Integrated Self - My main issues are family and rules.
  
• Big Mind - I'm quite conventional and proper.
  
• Big Heart - I'm very dedicated to my family.
  

The Powerful Self

• The Protector - My job is to protect the Self from harm. I do this by being a good mother, and looking after my family.
  

The Controlling Self

• The Controller - My job is to control. I'm industrious and I have a strong sense of duty. I work hard to show my worth as a mother and I can lay down some strict rules.

The Searching Self

• The Seeker - I'm Eros and I'm here to satisfy desire, but I dont think about sex much. I dont even want to eat, I can become bulimic.
  
• The Vunerable Child - I'm vunerable and get protection by being a good mother. I'm anxious and moody. I like to be left alone.
  

The Reflective Self

• The Voice of the Dualistic Mind - I usually see things in terms of attraction and repulsion but I dont want to be bothered. I'm sorry for myself.

The Shadow Self

• The Damaged Self - If I'm not appreciated as a good mother I become sad, taciturn, indifferent, and even loathe life. It makes me ill. I want to get away from it all.
  
• The Skeptic - My job is to be skeptical of everything. I worry about the home and the future. I dream of death, blood and of fatal accidents.
  

Medorrhinum - Rubrics mapped onto Chakras.

Medorrhinum

Kent: on Medorrhinum:
"Everything seems unreal. Constant hurry. Forgets facts and figures. Wild desperate feeling as if incipient insanity. Exhilaration in evening. Changeable state of mind; one moment sad, the next mirthful. Presentiment of death. Frightened sensation on waking as if something dreadful had happened. Hears whispering. FEAR OF THE DARK. Anxiety about her salvation."


[C7 WISDOM] [SELF-KNOWLEDGE] [DEMON:ATTATCHMENT]

• Ailments from anticipation, forboding.
• Ailments from work, mental. Concentration difficult.
• Delusions religious. Anxiety salvation about. Clairvoyance.
• Hurry. Delusions time passes too slowly.

[C6 IMAGINATION] [SELF-REFLECTION] [DEMON:ILLUSION]

• Despair. Suicidal sadness from. Delusions doomed, being. Death presentiment of.
• Delusions: persued; people behind him someone is.

[C5 COMMUNICATION/SOCIETY] [SELF-EXPRESSION] [DEMON:LIES]

• Ailments from reproaches. Contradiction is intolerant of. Sensitive (oversensitive).
• Forgetful, name, his own. Forgetful, words while speaking, of, word hunting.

[C4 LOVE/RELATIONSHIPS] [SELF-ACCEPTANCE] [DEMON:GRIEF]

• Sadness suicidal disposition with.
• Jealousy.
• Selfishness
  

[C3 WILL POWER] [SELF-DEFINITION] [DEMON:SHAME]

• Anxiety conscience (as if guilty of a crime). Remorse. Reproaches himself.
• Confusion identity as to his. Confidence want of self.
• Egotism, self-esteem.
  

[C2 EMOTIONAL ISSUES] [SELF-GRATIFICATION] [DEMON:GUILT]

• Cares (worries full of). Biting nails. Conscientious about trifles.
• Fear, (apprehension, dread). FEAR, MISFORTUNE, OF.

[C1 SURVIVAL ISSUES] [SELF-PRESERVATION] [DEMON:FEAR]

• Ailments from bad news.
• Anxiety, anticipation; time is set if a.
• Fear, dark, of. Fear, death, of.

From an idea by Anodea Judith.

The Sycotic remedies seem to cluster around Stages 9-12. Med is very concerned about maintaining and holding on to his situation (and ego) which is a big indicator for Stage 11. In Stage 12 the situation worsens, you get more of a feeling of being under attack and try to compensate by boasting and exaggerating. The feeling of having to keep up appearances can be a causal factor of Stage 13, the cancer miasm .

Kali Carb - Voice Dialogue

Mr. Kali-C, expressed through the Voice Dialogue method.

These are descriptions of the inner voices of Kali-C. The layout is the same as in the article on Thuja and in Genpo's Buddhist voices, using the same Lanthanide qualities (Autonomy, Power, etc), so you can easily compare the way in which each line of spiritual aspiration is affected - In this case seriously. Kali-C is in the Ferrum Series - their concerns are centered around protection and security. The Carbonicum element adds concerns about the sense of self-worth.

The Autonomous Self

• The Integrated Self - I'm not really very aware of anything besides family, work and rules.
  
• Big Mind - I'm quite coventional. You could say I'm a bit of a square. I wouldn't consult a Homeopath!
  
• Big Heart - I'm very possessive about my family and my position at work. I'm very loyal.
  

The Powerful Self

• The Protector - My job is to protect the Self from harm. I do this by being conservative, a regular guy! I am a conformist.
  
• The Master - I'm the one who's really the boss, the purified beaurocrat! I make sure I do what has to be done. I'm timid but I can be quite censorious and dictatorial.
  

The Controlling Self

• The Controller - My job is to control. I'm industrious and I have a strong sense of duty. I work hard to show my worth. My mind rules my emotions. I'm really afraid of loosing mental control.
  

The Searching Self

• The Seeker - I'm Eros and I'm here to satisfy desire, I'm ambitious and I don't have much emotional contact so that everything can be kept under control.
  
• The Mind that seeks the Way - I'm Ethos. I'm seeking too, but its the truth I seek. I want peace and joy, which I find at home and in my sense of security. This is the source of my values.
  
• The Vunerable Child - I'm vunerable and without protection, but I'm Pathos, I should be curious and free but I'm moody and unassertive. I can be quarrelsome but I don't want to be left alone. I'm jumpy. I feel like I'm sinking, and I keep dreaming of drowning.
  

The Reflective Self

• The Voice of the Dualistic Mind - I'm the analyist. The Logos. I see things in terms of cost and gain, good and evil, attraction and repusion. I experience antagonism with myself because I'm very dogmatic. I'm the ultimate rationalist.

The Shadow Self

• The Damaged Self - I'm working to absorb and suppress all the anxiety and damage. I keep imagining that things will go wrong. Poverty is the worst thing I can imagine.
  
• The Skeptic - My job is to be skeptical of everything. I'm here to make sure she won't get fooled again! I'm the greatest skeptic! I worry about work. I don't think I'm valued really, but I must survive. It seems like I'm standing on the edge of an abyss.
  

Thuja - Voice Dialogue

Thuja - expressed through the Voice Dialogue method.

These are descriptions of the inner voices of Thuja derived from the bare Rubrics. The layout is the same as in the article on Genpo's Buddhist voices, using the same Lanthanide qualities (Autonomy, Power, etc), so you can easily see how how each line of spiritual aspiration is affected in a Thuja case.

The Autonomous Self

• The Integrated Self - I'm not so glad to be here. I'm angry and abusive. I'm not in harmony. I can be too religious because I feel empty inside.
  
• Big Mind - I am the dark side of emptiness. The universe is cold and deep.
  
• Big Heart - I am empty too! I'v no friends. I dont really care about my family anymore. Am I so bad? I feel like a criminal.
  

The Powerful Self

• The Protector - My job is to protect the Self from harm, but I feel separated from the world. Sometimes it feels like I'm at war!
  
• The Master - I'm the one who's really the boss, but I feel double, as if my soul is separate from my body. It feels like the Gurus and Religions are trying to exert some sort of influence over me. I wish I could get it out of my head. Jung is safer for me than the religious texts.
  

The Controlling Self

• The Controller - My mind is chaotic. I'm industrious and I have a strong sense of duty. I'm impatient and anxious and I don't want to loose control. I want to feel poweful. I can be dictatorial.
  

The Searching Self

• The Seeker - I'm Eros and I'm here to satisfy desire. I'm amorous. I'm normally insatiable but now I feel disgusted with everything. Its just an empty act.
  
• The Mind that seeks the Way - I'm Ethos. I'm seeking too, but its the truth I seek. I want peace and joy, but I just feel spaced-out. I get some strange ideas! I'm extreemly discontented. I feel like an outcast.
  
• The Vunerable Child - I'm Pathos, I should be curious and free but my boundaries are fragile. I'm hysterical and impressionable. I try to please others but I'm easily offended and I feel unappreciated and even neglected.
  

The Reflective Self

• The Voice of the Dualistic Mind - I'm the analyist. The Logos. I see things in terms of good and evil, attraction and repusion. I'm very analytical. I'm a bit obsessional. I reproach myself and I'm full of loathing.
  

The Shadow Self

• The Damaged Self - I'm over-sensitive. I hate contradiction. I dwell on things that upset me. I'm always worrying about trifling things. I'm dishonest, secretive and manipulative. I'm afriad of strangers, of their opinions, because I feel worthless.
  
• The Skeptic - I'm sceptical about doctors. I'm sceptical about my own abilities. Everything I do is wrong!
  
• The Shadow - I keep thinking about death. In my dreams my companions are the dead. It is as they had come back from the Micmac Burial Ground in Stephen Kings Pet Cemetary and don't know it. The beans I am sprouting in my kitchen come to life, just like the cat in the book, they are my responsibility, so I have to decide what to do. Should I kill them? I can't. Life is too precious.
  

Thuja is particularly appropriate in this context because the delusion of fragility can arise from an awareness of mortality ...

Liberating Prayer

My body, like a water bubble,
Decays and dies so very quickly;
After death come results of karma,
Just like a shadow of a boby.

With this firm knowledge and remeberance
Bless me to be extreemly cautious,
Always avoiding harmful action
And gathering abundant virtue.

Rajan says one of the main themes in Thuja is connection vs. disconnection. It's in the dream, in fact it runs through all the voices. Thuja's heart is dying. Thuja connects dynamically with her lighter and even more narcissistic friend, Palladium (Silver Series, Stg 10). The connection is at the point where Palladium, like Thuja, demands recognition for her creative intelligence. Praise and appearance are big issues for both these Ladies. Their chat revolves around feeling unappreciated.

There is cold-heartedness and death in Thuja - I suspect the "heart" of Thuja lies is Stages 13-15.

Famous Thuja ... The Songs of Leonard Cohen*

"The gates of love they budged an inch,
I can't say much has happened since,
But Closing Time."

*Thuja is close to Medorrhinum.

The Tubercular Miasm

Rollo May and the existential anxt of the Tubercular Miasm.

The Tubercular Miasm combines layers of the other three miasms into a complex aggregate. It usually characterised by shifting, changeable symptoms, which manifest on the psychological level as feelings of dissatisfaction and lack of tolerance. So, they are free spirits, loving travel and stimultion; they can resent or fear oppression. This can lead to frequent changes of house or job and can mean difficult times for the rest of the family.

"He hurries to live his life even as he intuits that it is burning away from him", (Vithoulkas).

The poetry of Coleridge is said to portray this sense of longing in romantic terms, and Turner's art is said to portray the grandeure and wildness of the Tubercular spirit.

The romantic view of T.B. is portrayed "Death in Venice", with strains of Mahlers Adagio accompnying Dirk Bogards gradual demise ... but only Rollo May describes the real nitty-gritty existential essence of the T.B. Miasm...

From, "The Existential Primer":

After surviving tuberculosis, May decided struggling against the disease had been the key to remaining alive. His “perpetual anxiety” and fear of dying had been helpful, he determined, because it kept him from becoming resigned to death. May wrote about this experience in The Meaning of Anxiety,

Patients who were gay and hopeful and tried to make light of the disease frequently died. Those of us who lived with it, accepted it, struggled against it, recovered. Whether or not I lived depended not upon the doctors or medicine but on me.

Rx: Ars-i, Brom, Calc-i, Phos, Ferr-i, Fl-ac, Kali-p, Mag-p, Nat-p, Phos.

The Periods and Integral Psychology (Intro).

Stage 10 - The Crown of Creation.

1. Theory

Thesis - impermanance : Is it desirable to define a set of static personality traits? If so where would you start? Perhpas by considering Evolutionary Stable Strategies such as Hawks and Doves (Richard Dawkins), which are derived from our genes, or maybe from the twelve archetypes which derived from the unconscious mind (Jung)? Some psychologists describe Type A individuals as being impatient, hurried, competetive and insecure about their status or self-esteem, whilst Type B are courteous and easy-going. The enneagram, Big Five and the M.B.T.I. convincingly describe several other possibly static personality types. All these personality types may simply be the product of Nature vs. Nurture. Since we are subject to new experience every moment it is actually very difficult to imagine 'personality' as fixed. On the other hand it looks like we can soon get traumatised and then stuck into fixed responses and energy patterns ...

On safer gound perhaps, emotional intelligence (E.Q.). is certainly adaptive and dynamic. E.Q. measures intrapersonal parameters (Ken Wilbers "I" quadrant) such as self-awarness, assertiveness, independence and self-regard. It also measure interpersonal parameters in the realm of empathy and relationships (the "We" quadrant). These dynamic skills have the potential to mature and evolve. E.Q. is just one way to measure some of the myriad aspects of our nature, as shown in this adaptation of Ken Wilber's Four Quadrants diagram ...

I - Individual - Fire. Sensation Emotion/E.Q. Concept/I.Q. Stage/Series	IT - Empirical - Earth. Rubrics Sensation Physiology Behaviour
WE - Situational - Water. Culture/Art Myth/Rationale Superstition Philosophy Series/Stage	ITS - Collective - Air. Stage Series Family Order Kingdom

Dawkins described a Meme as an evolutionary stage in the spread of cultural ideas and phenomena. Clare Graves elaborated the concept and described several levels (Memes), which tie in with Jean Gebser's concept of phase transitions, or mutations, in the development of conciousness, from archaic and superstitious structures to excessivley rational structures, and ultimatly towards a spiral-like integral structure which encompasses all the previous structures (Holons). The provenance may possibly hark back to Michel Foucault's notion of epistemes, which has some similarities to the concept of "Varna" described in Rig Veda ... the Purusha (Self) manifests as four main types: the intellectual, the warrier, the acquisitor and the labourer ... hence the Caste System. Ref: Jean Gebser.

Fig.1 The Spiral, from Homeopathy and the Elements.
Jan Scholten's amazing work with the mineral remedies shows a developmental spiral starting with Hydrogen that progresses through the whole of the periodic table.
In Ken Wilber's view each new stage of biological evolution, and spiritual development from Homeo Erectus to Homo Sapiens involves transitions which force the abandonment of our identification with our existing view of self, and the irrational beliefs that support that view. Complete transition entails developing and subsequently identifying with, a new view of self based on more carefully considered beliefs (compare this with the Baldwin Effect and Positive Disintigration).


These are the stage of separation, a liminal stage, and a stage of reaggregation (Turner)*

Typically, after this transition we look down upon our previous self as immature (and in the school playground we cruelly identify other people who are still in that prior stage as immature). He suggests that trauma during transition can result in fragmented, Jungian, shadow-selves, that remain unresolved as we move on through life, and suggests specific therapies for each level, e.g. Gestalt Therapy for transition blocked at level 2 - Purple to Red.

Transpersonal psychologists (Assagioli 1957) see the spiritual "Self" as a separate development line from that of the ego structures that form the sense of "I". Ken Wilber also describes development along relatively independent lines or streams, such as morals, affect, cognition, and spritiuality. They evolve at different times and with different dynamics ... we can produce many examples of highly intellingent criminals, and also stories of simple but virtuous monks realising emptiness - these are the two extreems of the lines of congnitve and moral development.


Fig. 2 Kohlbergs division of stages of moral development into pre and post conventional corresponds quite well to Dr. Scholtens view of lines of development across the rows (or round the spiral) of the Periodic Table.

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional)

1. Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?)

2. Self-interest orientation (What's in it for me?)

Level 2 (Conventional)

3. Interpersonal accord and conformity (The good boy/good girl attitude)

4. Authority and social-order maintaining orientation (Law and order morality)

Level 3 (Post-Conventional)

5. Social contract orientation

6. Universal ethical principles (Principled conscience)

Kohlbergs levels express development in both "I" and "We" quadrants, but these can be separated by a change of emphasis or perspective. In Scholtens model there is a progression down the columns, the Series, which corresponds to new lines of development into higher and higher waves or Memes. The Series primarily plots the individuals expression of ideology, responsibility and purpose in the "We" quadrant.
The first two rows (Series) of the Periodic Table relate to birth and to the babies survival, in row 3 there is emotional and conceptual development within the family and home. In row 4 the child takes on some responsiblity for fending for itself and in row 5 imagination and creativity are being explored. At row 6 we are getting ready to assert our powers of leadership and in row 7 we are becoming autonomous and wise. In this model the earlier streams of development emotional appear to evolve sequentially from childhood to maturity, that is, Emotional > Conceptual > Functional. The sense of Will Power and Spirituality may be more variable, as Ken suggests.

 Fig.3 Placing Jan Scholtens Series within the broader spectrum of Psychological thinking, esp. Spiral Dynamics.
There can be a progression (or regression!) nested within the Series - the "Stages" in Dr. Scholtens model. The Stages describe a developmental series of inner attainments within each "Memetic" Period, or wave, such as observing, preparing, persevering, success, and holding on, through to collapse and letting go. (C.f. Karen Horney's Towards, Against, and Away From strategis. Ref: Pt1Ch1.)
The Stages primarily plot an individuals individuation and growth in the "I" quadrant, although this is by nature inseperable to development in the "We" quadrant as our state of being always has some repercussion in the outside world. Even a worm creates Karma!



2. Application

The horizontal developmental process peaks at Stage 10 and gradually starts degenerating. Stage 11, for example, starts to fear that their power and success will not last. These Stages are described fully in the Blue "Elements" Book.

The elements of Stage 10 are Carb., Sil., Nicc., Pall., Plat. and Gd. (Carb. and Sil. share some fundamental similarities with this stage). They all share the theme of Value and Worth (this is Ken's self-identity line). This arguably makes Stage 10 the most significant line in our lives. I visualise it as the mandala of self-perfection.

• Carbon: Discovering Self esteem and Self worth.
• Silica: Developing and expressing the value of Self through Self image.
• Nickle: Asserting the value of Self through ethics and work ideals.
• Palladium: Asserting the value of Self through ideas and creativity.
• Platinum: Demonstrating the value of Self through power.
• Gandolinium: Enjoying the Self through a sense of harmony.

Carbon is about discovering self-worth, in the masculine sphere as Graphites, and in the feminine sphere as Adamas. Silica is about worth in the family and consequently image. Niccolum works hard to be on top and to be respected. The situation reminds me of John Cleese in "Clockwise", the film captures the desparation of a schoolmaster trying to win a bit of respect for his down-beat secondary school.

In the next row, the realm of creativity and artistry, we find Palladium. Success brings appreciation, which brings Palladium to life (she has a delusion of being neglected). Palladium has an association with glamour, but glamour without spirituality can result in mere bafoonery (Saturday night at the Palladium)! Platinum radiates self confidence and natural authority. As in Palladium respect is important. She has such a sense of power that she can become egocentric and regard ordinary mortals as being beneath her contempt. Gandolinium has such a sense of harmony that he feels he has accomplished his quest for spiritual autonomy.

Stage 10 is the Central Pillar of life. However in every case, as in all mineral states there is a sense of something lacking. The sense of self-worth is imperfect - and where there is imperfection there is susceptibility. The remedies can restore this sense of value at each level and bring completion to the mandala.

Sometimes life gives us a gentle push and we topple over into Stage 11 for a while, but life can be cruel and send us crashing into any of the collapsing stages. A sudden death in the family, especially if it's the wage earner (Rubrics: Death of loved ones + Avarice) can cause an Arsenicum state, and that's Stage 15. A very deep state of decline, which if untreated might never resolve (an actual case). In this instance I referred to just two rubrics, those mentioned above, to locate the pathology. The client rebounded back to Stage 10 overnight.

The remedy can theoretically be derived by matching the Series with the pathology. If the prior level of life was Plat. the Rx would be Plat-Ars, etc, etc. More cases are being worked this way, especially with the relatively undocumented remedies, ... and with surprising results.
 
Scholten's simple model of rows and stages offers an attractive classification of the mineral kingdom, but there remains the problem of the remedies from Plant and Animal kingdoms. The pre-conventional level (above) may well correspond to several remedies from the animal kingdom, e.g. the well known impulsiveness and jumpiness of children who benfit fromTarantuala. A further example is of the remedies of the Solanaceae family where children are haunted by fears of the spirit realm.

The conventional (Level 2) seems to have more focus on structural relationships - the realm of social psychology. This may manifest as a mineral remedy in the Ferrum Series, but Level 2 and Level 3 (post-conventional) difficulties can appear in the collapsing stages of any of the mineral rows and in virtually any number of plant families, e.g. the Apiales where withdrawal is a strong theme (cicuta, conium), or the Rosids esp. the Sapindales where hatred is seen (Anac, Rhus-g, Rhus-t).

*For a cultural perspective see: "http://family.jrank.org/pages/1412/Rites-Passage-Ritual-Performance-Rites-Passage.html" Rites of Passage - Ritual, Performance, And Rites Of Passage
 
Check out the Plant Kingdom Database for further examples. See also: Sri Aurobindo's Psychology

 

Dennis Genpo Merzel

Genpo Roshi's Big Mind process combines Zen wisdom with the Voice Dialogue method (and also Psychosynthesis). The idea of many seperate selves, each with their own view, voice and even sensation, is not too far from Jung's archetypes or Rollo May's daimons. A diamon is anything that can take over a person - anger is the most obvious example. The Voice Dialogue method identifes and gives expression to the most significant sub-personalities that are competing to be heard. These "voices" are usually suppressed and ignored because of their conflicting view points. The process aims to create a synthesies of each voice that is brought into the light of full consciousness.

Since the "I" is merelyimputed in any case, there is no difficulty in generating a conceptual generic image of each one. Once we learn to recognise and understand the purpose of each voice a deeper synthesis is possible and it loses some of its neurotic control over our feelings.

In his introductory videos Genpo Roshi identifies and talks to some of the most therapeutically significant voices and clarifies the roles, duties, benefits, and dangers of each one. Genpo first introduces voices, such as Controller, Skeptic, Child, Damaged Self & Fixer.

If the Vunerable Child is understood and accepted we not longer need to fear or hate it, after all, if we feel anxiety and vunerability there must be some perceived threat, so anxiety is quite appropriate in that situation. It is protecting us. Further positive polarites of vunerablity can be explored - sensitivity, innocence and so on. Genpo explores the values of the Protector - whose role is to protect the Vuneralble aspect of the self from hurt. This method's potential for application in C.B.T. and Hynotherapy Imagery speaks for itself.

His process evolved from the more therapeutic style of Voice Dialogue therapy by introducing voices that embody some traditional Buddhist states of mind. He uses the same techinque to give successive glimpses of transcendental awakening (kensho) by facilitating the experience of Big Mind, Big Heart Yin and Yang. Your mileage with is bound to vary according to your experience of the "widsom teachings", but you may catch an unusual glimpse of "the two truths" outside of deeper meditiation.

Big Mind in H'pathy? Of course! Exploring the dynamics of these "inner voices" suggests a very direct way of uncovering the interplay of conflicting elements. Entering the inner world of the psyche and grappling with the "Shadow" is a major charactersitic of the Lanthanides. We can see the themes of the "Vunerable Child" in the remedies in Stages 1 and 2 ... Lonley, Alone, Naive, Shy, Timid. The "Protector" themes are found in Stage 11, especially in the Lanthanides - Look at Terbium Carbonicum - they can be a real gentelman, preserving respect for themselvs and others! The "Bhodisattvas Remedy" for sure!

Lets take this a step too far ... apply some of Genpo's Buddhist Voices to the Lanthanide qualities!

The Autonomous Self

• The Integrated Self - I'm glad to be here. I appreciate and accept everything. I'm Big Heart and Big Mind working together in harmony. I respect the Pandits and the Sages, Natural Law, Karma, the Tao, and the Vedas.
  
• Big Mind - I am emptiness - beginningless, endless, boundless and infinite.
• Big Heart - I am overflowing bliss and compassion. Big Mind with emotion!

The Powerful Self

• The Protector - My job is to protect the Self from harm. I protect it from others, from danger. I protect her emotions, her beliefs and her opinions.
• The Master - I'm the one who's really the boss! I'm responsible and I delgate. I'm in charge of the equilibrium, synthesis and fusion of Big Heart and all the other voices.
  

The Controlling Self

• The Controller - My job is to control. I help the Protector! I have to vigilant so I can control everything ... feelings, thoughts, actions! My greatest fear is being out of control. I can't let that happen.

The Searching Self

• The Seeker - I'm Eros and I'm here to satisfy desire. I get the drinks in. I'm insatiable!
• The Mind that seeks the way. - I'm Ethos. I'm seeking too, but its the truth I seek. I want peace and joy. Self-realization.
• The Vunerable Child - I'm vunerable and without protection, but I'm Pathos, curious and free. I express myself in gaiety and laughter.
  

The Reflective Self

• The Voice of the Dualistic Mind - I'm the analyist. The Logos. I see things in terms of cost and gain, good and evil, attraction and repusion. I'm the ethical thinker. I understand limits and boundaries; the polarities of Spirit and Matter - Yin and Yang.
  

The Shadow Self

• The Damaged Self - I'm here to absorb all the damage. Life damages me. I'v always been damaged. He keeps me locked up in the basement!
• The Skeptic - My job is to be skeptical of everything. I'm here to make sure he won't get fooled again!

Genpo's most recent innovation was to identify the two polarities of each voice - the immature and the mature, which might also be read as the failed or compensated. The immature voices will be seen in the earlier stage remedies, i.e. Lanthanum (Stage 3) to Neodynium (Stage 6). From Neodynium on the voices are gaining maturity. From Terbium (Stage 11) onwards control, freedom and autonomy start to fail and gradually die off.

It may be possible to associate the different "voices" with different parts of the brain. People who have a damaged pre-frontal lobe, for example, loose their social inhibitions and become quite tactless. Activity in the left prefrontal cortex is also associated with happiness. Again, the Amygdyla is central to the experience of anxiety. Different areas of the limbic system are active in REM sleep and are associated with either agressive or 'seeking' dreams. On this view it may also be feasable to assocaite different voices with the Chakras, which is not so far removed from Genpo Roshi's approach. Clients more familiar with the Enneagram may identify easily with their own core personality types and their influential wings.

Juan Illan (OSi) has advised me that "Parts Therapy" is already well kown in Hypnotherapy - it was developed by Charles Tebbetts, and Roy Hunter ('The Art of Hypnotherapy' Kendall/Hunt publishers). Parts Therapy (Tebbetts) is particularly beneficial whenever the sense of self is compromised by a contradiction of will, or there is deeper confusion (of identity) giving rise to a sense of duality. This is a keynote of Anacardium (below), but it also seems to arise in the drug-like remedies - and in the Snakes;perhaps the aetiology in the snakes arises from their inherent Suspicion and Slyness.

Anecdotal Rubrics:
* Will, contradiction of:Alum, Am-c ANAC, ant-t, crot-c, Kola, lac-h, lyc, Naja, rhus-t.
* Will, two wills: Anac, Anh, Cann-i, crot-c, Lach, naja, polys, taosc, heroine.

There are some very disturbing delusions in Anacarduim:

• Delusion: devil - sits in his neck; prompting to murder or acts of benevolence.
• Delusion: Wills, possessed by two - one commanding what the other forbids.
• Delusion: Devil speaks in one ear, and an angel in the other.
• Delusion: He is double. Spirit has separated from his body.

Clearly this is a very ill person! The state is said to arise from being rejected and criticised. It creates a very antisocial aspect which can become dangerous. It could well be the case that a sensitive student who has been rejected (perhaps on the basis of race or sexual orientation) takes a gun to school and shoots his former classmates is in the Anacardium state. Not every Anacardium case goes that far ... but the fluctuation beween contradictory impulses and desires is common. Resolution depends upon in integrating all these parts.

Parts Therapy can can also be useful when there are unresolved issues , an element of self punishment or there is maninuplation in persuit of a secondary gain (Hunter).

Also check out: Top Dog and Underdog roles in Fritz Perls' work.

Refs:
Roberto Assagioli
The OSi Terminator:
An Integral Model
Definitions - Origins

The Myers-Briggs Functional Indicators

Relationship of the MBTI Functions and the Plant and Mineral Kingdoms.

Sensing and intuition are the information-gathering (perceiving) functions. They describe how new information is understood and interpreted.

*Individuals who prefer sensing are more likely to trust information that is in the present, tangible and concrete: that is, information that can be understood by the five
senses.

*Those who use intuition tend to trust information that is more abstract or theoretical. They tend to trust those flashes of insight that seem to bubble up from the unconscious mind. The meaning is in how the data relates to the pattern or theory.

Thinking and feeling are the decision making (judging) functions.

*Those who prefer thinking tend to decide things from a more dissociated, detached standpoint, measuring the decision by what seems reasonable, logical and causal.

*Those who prefer feeling tend to come to decisions by associating or empathizing with the situation and weighing it up to achieve, on balance, the greatest harmony.

Can we detect and use these indicators in Homeopathy to determine if the appropriate remedy would be from the plant or the mineral kingdom? As usual, in Homeopathy oversimplification results in disaster, but careful consideration of these factors, in the appropriate context may turn out to be useful.

Expressed in the most simple terms, then, the hypothesis to be tested is that a sensing-thinking person would come down on the side of the mineral kingdom, and an intuiting-feeling person would tend to be on the plant kingdom. Looking at the article on "Ignatia and the Silver series" the emotional and hysterical Ignatia type certainly looks like she's on the intuition-feeling tip! The reasoning seems to pervade in this instance. The clearest demonstration would be a scatter plot of remedy vs. type.

In RADAR (clairvoyance vs. affectionate) the top 10 intuitive-feeling types seem to be : Lac-del. Lac-leo. Cann-i. Kola. Carc. Valer. Acon. Op. Anac. and Hyos. (Puls. 15 & Ign. 21).

The sensing-thinking types (Reasoning vs. Acute senses) do seem to include more minerals: Nux-v. Sulph. Cham. Mur-ac. Positr. Ars. Chin. Bar-c. Graph. Lyc.

On the face of it there may seem to be a similar correlation between the MBTI Attitudes, Extraversion and Introversion in the animal kingdom, especially in animals that flock or herd together - some will lead and some will follow. Some animal remedies do seem to be very extrovert by nature (e.g. Lachesis, Lac-lup), but so are the mineral Phos. and Sulph. types. Many plants do well in groups and like company (e.g. Bamb. Puls.). One would also have to bear in mind the fact that introversion appears throughout the kingdoms (Aversion - company:240) and often presents in a compensated state (e.g. Anacardium).

Conclusion: the relationships between the MBTI types and remedy types seems to hold as long as the comparison is made specific. Overgeneralise and the crossover point vanishes into the mists of abstraction.

The Sensation in Homeopathy and Hypnotherapy

The Vital Sensation (Briefly).

In his book of the same name Dr. Rajan Sankaran started a long journey of discovery by asking, "Where in the symptomatology do we find the type of sensitivity best described? The answer lay in the sensations, the type of pain."

Boeninghausen was the first to use physical particulars as general symptoms. Further, Dr. Rajan's research revealed that remedies from a particular family shared a common sensation, e.g. in the Cactaceae the common sensation is of being crushed or squeezed in a vice.

This helped Rajan recognise that the core issue pervades the entire constitution. He went on to describe finer and finer levels of sensation and awareness... of name or fact, feeling, delusion, sensation and energy. This is worth comparing with Arron Becks (C.B.T.) paradigm of situations or challenges which cause a cycle of: Altered Thinking > Altered Feelings > Altered Behaviour > Altered Sx. It looks like the area of altered thinking corresponds to Rajans' concept of the "Central Delusion".

He developed a new approach to case taking in order to lead the Client through all the levels to the deepest expression of the sensation. He says, "for awareness we have to put the mind away. We need to side-step it." He accomplished this by dissociating out of the experience, and just experiencing and watching the phenomenon without judgement of analysis. This sounds like a form of meditation, and also very close to N.L.P. and Hypnotherapy.

Starting with the chief complaint he follows it as far as far as he can go. Say we have a case of rheumatism that manifests mainly as a painful and stiff Achilles Tendon, we can prompt the client to talk about it more, to describe what exactly is happening. It may feel like being stretched to breaking point or cutting . If asked to describe the cutting or breaking you might well get an image such as "being stabbed by a knife". When you ask what it is like being stabbed by a knife you might get a response such as "When I walk too far it feels like hot needles". This clarifies the physical sensation.

The Ranunculales and Voilales have physical sensations of cutting, stabbing and stitching, whilst the Rutaceae have sensations of constricting, squeezing and breaking. You would normally think of Ruta for tendonitis, but it is the patients return to the same images that confirm stabbing is more important than breaking. To get any further confirmation at this level it is necessary to explore the modalities.

When this has been done we can move to the next level, the emotions. The emotions may be of irritation and brooding resentment. The feelings at this level bring us back into scope the Ranunculales family. The sensation and feelings may pervade the level of delusion. A feeling of being in a fight confirms the Ranunculales again, and also gives some indication of the miasm.

To go deeper into the energy of the sensation we need to explore a different realm. Rajan says, "The language of this world and its energy are so different and incongruous with the outside world they seem almost bizarre".

According to M. Eric Wright*, it is well known that we can carry some kind of mental image of our pain within ourselves as part of our perception of pain. We can make this image accessible by encouraging the person to describe it while in hypnotic trance. He says "Submerged memories of a pain free period can be recalled, along with the concomittant physical and emotional feelings of well-being".

The session may begin with deep relaxation and an age retrogression to recall the feelings of well being. The next step is to invite the client to recall the beginning of a typical pain episode and observe and describe all the associated sensations and modalities without experiencing distress, (these discomforting images and sensations can, perhaps be analysed Homeopathically). The pain episode is then supplanted with the sensations of well being, as in the N.L.P. 'swish' technique.

Another technique in Hypnotherapy is to suggest healing images which moderate pain perception . Debilitating sensations such as "crushing" can be re-framed as "squeezing" or "pressing", which offer a more hopeful prognosis and may therefore act to reduce the fear and anxiety associated with the sensation.

There is little doubt that a more hopeful outlook will help the client make the most of the Homeopathic Prescription.

*Ref: M. Erik Wright - Clinical Practice of Hypnotherapy.

Kalium and its compounds

Fig 1. Kali and the Anions (Click images to enlarge)

In the Kali Compounds there is an interplay between both the elements, which causes deep conflict. This conflict is at the center of the case.

The underdeveloped sense of security in the Kalis is affected and undermined even further by the element it is combined with. The diagrams show some of these areas of conflict.

Down Column 17 the Muriaticums, Bromatums and Iodatums want deeper and deeper relationships. The sense of being alone and being in danger increases.



Chlorums are restless and hyperactive. They can have nymphomainia but can also have an aversion to sex - they have a desire to escape.

Bromatums have a terrible sense of shame, they can't bear to be looked at, which may because they imagine that they are persecuted by phantoms or strangers. They can dream of quarrels and fights. There is sexualtity but it tends to be supressed because they become indifferent to things - at home and at work.

The lonliness of Iodine is the most extreme. Like the Bromatums they dream of the dead. They are haunted people. This depth of fear could be expressed as P.T.S.D. - but they are also very susceptible to checking and related compulsive disorders...

* Thoughts; persistant; terrible.

Iodatums have sexual desires (Nymphomania - like the Flouratums) but they would rather be left alone. Love cannot touch them ...

* Anxiety;company - shuns, even his doctor.
* Family: Aversion to.
* Fear touch, of.

Taken as a whole, Column 17 fits a range DSM criteria for a diagnosis of disorders such as Paranoid or Schizoid (Cluster A) or Antisocial Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder (Cluster B), .

1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment.
2. Unstable and intense interpersonal relationships with extreems of idealization and devaluation.
3. Identity disturbance - an unstable self-image or sense of self.
4. Self damaging impulses such as spending, sex, substance abuse etc.
5. Chronic feelings of emptiness.
6. Inappropraite intense anger.
7. Paranoid ideation under stress, even going as far as dissociation.



Fig 2. All The Common Anions as they appear in the Periodic Table.

The severity of problems of the Carbon Series and Silica Series in Stages 14-17, such as a feeling of separation, increases along the row moving towards Stage 18 (some autistic conditions), so in this scheme absolute and utter isolation would be at R7Stg18.



In the Carbon Series (Row 2) the focus is on detatchment from the womb and realising our own self-worth.

The Silica Series (Row 3) focuses on asserting individulaity and identity.
This is connected to the progression from Home, to Friends and to Lovers.

When prescribing giving s'one Arsenicum, then later on give a Lanth', e.g. Cerium, has a different dynamic than giving the combination Cerium-Ars.

Why? Because when compounds are formed new properties arise, water is not simply a "mixture" of Hydrogen and Oxygen. On the same principle, if both elements seem to be indicated, we can assume the Arsenicum issues must be dynamically interacting with the Cerium issues to create a complex combination.

If you give the Arsenicum first you might get some good results but you still havn't untangled the complex Gordian Knot. The situation can be visualised as retreating into the protection of a familiar cocoon. In Cerium (Stage 4) this is quite likely to be a spiritual practice. The Ars. influence is the decling of abilities and subsequent loss of confidence, esp. with external changes and situations i.e. at work.

Lanthanides: Quick links to Interhomeopathy

Secret Lanthanides by Jan Scholten.

Dr. Scholtens latest book introduces us to the use of the Lanthanides and their salts in Homeopathy. He identifies autonomy, shadow, power and rarity as the major themes in these remedies. These are all major themes of indepenence. The Stages (across the periods) of the Lanthanides are a metaphore for the stepping stones on the path to spiritual development, which he illustrates using the esoteric teachings on the Labours of Heracles.

Dr Scholten describes some Lanthanide qualities at www.minimum.com ...

- desire to be in control of oneself
- desire to understand people
- desire to understand oneself
- desire to go into the inner world, the psychic world
- aversion to doctors
- feeling of being strange, not understood
- aversion to smalltalk
- desire to follow their own path
- desire to lead their own life

Another property of the lanthanides is Luminescence! "When lanthanide ions are incorporated into certain materials, such as glasses, crystals and powders, these materials may become luminescent, which means that they emit light after having been stimulated ("excited") to do so.". Ref: Luminescent Lanthanides


The real significance of Jan's work on the Lanthanides is that we now have the homeopathic keys to the development of the "Integral Self". The radioactive actinide series, also rare earths, share many Lanthanide properies and themes. They may eventually give insight into the highest states of the "Holistic Self".

Lanthanide cases in the International Homeopathic Internet Journal:

Stage 3: Lanthanum
Stage 4: Cerium
Stage 6: Neodynium
Stage 8: Samarium
Stage 11: Terbium
Stage 12: Dysprosium
Stage 13: Holmium
Stage 15: Thulium


See also:
Formless Mountain; The stage structures of development.
Homeopathic Elemements Weblog; Elements.

For an interesting discussion on how we have embraced and rejected freedom and autonomy in the recent past, see this short article on the book "Escape from Freedom" by Erich Fromm.

Ignatia : Silver Series,Stage 10 or 11?

Ignatia and Stage 10/11 Elements.

The Igatia archetype (Ref:Philip Bailey) is charismatic, styish, chic and artistic. That brings us to the Silver series with a bang! They can be teachers and scholars, and their purpose is to increase the awareness of the audience. This is at the peak of the Silver Series.

Lets take a look at the rubrics used to describe the Ignatia state:

AILMENTS FROM - abused; after being - sexually
AILMENTS FROM - anger - silent grief; with
AILMENTS FROM - grief; emotions
BESIDE ONESELF; being
AILMENTS FROM - anticipation
BESIDE ONESELF; being;contradiction; from
AUDACITY
COMPANY - aversion to - fear of being alone; yet
DELUSIONS - ruined - is ruined; everything is lost.
DELUSIONS - laughed at and mocked at; being

One can immediatly see the archetype described above, and additionally she is easily upset and soon feels that all is lost. This could easily be Stage 10 (Palladium) or 11 (Argentum). In fact Stage 11 experiences the feeling of trying to hold on and protect their success, this can be seen in the fears expressed by Argentum clients.

Similars [Ref: Synthesis CD]:

1. Graph S2St10
2. Nat-m S3St1/17. Sil S3St10. Phos S3St15 Sulph S3St16
3. Kali-c, Caust S4St1. Calc S4St2. Ferr S4St8 Zinc S4St12
4. Plat S6St10

The 'Similars' list also picks some later stages, notably Zinc which is Stage 12. Jan says Zinc clients tend to go over things in case they mess up, the pressure to keep up makes them restless. Notice how the picture changes in the transition between the Silver Series and the Ferrum Series - the pressure to perform at work is felt much more.

Aurum is also a Stage 11 State (Gold Series), it is noted for its dark depression. However, the most important Stage 11 remedy is Terbium. Jan says they can be charming and radiate confidence. Self control is an important Lanthanide issue. The Terbium client likes to stay in control, even in the most difficult circumstances (the Loganaceae sensation is "shattered").
The feeling is that being out of control is like blackness.

The Sapindales - Stage 14; Indifferent to formality.

Mineral remedies which manifest various aspects of the Anacardium picture.

How can we use the relationship of similarity between remedies? I find this knowledge useful for differentiation at the remedy selection stage. My philosophical approach is to identify themes from the series and stage which arise from the consultation. If a plant remedy is required, rather than a mineral, a plant having some major charactestics of that series/stage may turn out to appropriate.

Fig 1. Anacardium.

CONFIDENCE - want of self-confidence [Nat-m Calc Sil Zn]
FASTIDIOUS - prove himself; he has to [Cupr]
SENSITIVE [259]
AILMENTS FROM - offended; being [Nat-m Merc Pall Sulph]
ANGER - violent - offense; from slightest [1]
OBSTINATE [141]
EGOTISM [Aur Merc Nicc Pall Plat Plb Phos Sil Sulph]
CONTRADICTION - disposition to contradict [Cupr Ferr Nicc Sulph]
ESTRANGED - society, from [8plants]
ANXIETY - conscience, of [111]
DELUSIONS - devil - sits in his neck; prompting [1]
DELUSIONS - committed a crime; he had [Kalis Ars Germ]
DELUSIONS - pursued; he was - enemies, by [Cupr Merc Zn]


Similars [From the Synthesis CD] :
Nat-m.,R3St1/17. Sil,R3St10.Phos,R3St15. Sulph,R3St16.
Kali-c, Caust, R4St1. CALC,R4St2. Zinc.R4St12. Ars,R4St15.
Ant-t,R5St15. Iod,R5St17.
Plat,R6St10.

Stage 2 Remedies, Mag, Calc. In stage 2 we are pretty unsure of ourselves and can be quite timid. In Anacardium timidity, and a critical and even aggressive compensation are quite marked.

Stage 10 Remedies Sil, Plat. These remedies both have issues with self-image. The Stage 10 remedies can all be quite haughty and domineering. Anacardium can be pretty contemptuous too!

Germanium, a Stage 14 Remedy can suffer from estrangement, like Anacardium and many of the Ferrum Series remedies (esp. Ni, Cu & Zn), can in general become quite annoyed when criticised or slighted (they hate formalities!). Sensitivity to criticism though, is such a universal trait ... we have to be clear where (which series) this sensitivity is directed, e.g. our conformity to the rules, our artistic ability, or our abuse of power. It is also worth taking into account the way our reaction its expressed, 'Anacardiums' can become extreemly violent and even kill. The mineral remedies are more likely to kill themselves.

Some Stage 14 themes show through in Rhus tox, Anac's closest buddy, esp. Anxiety about business, which goes so far as to be expressed as a delusion of being persecuted or even murdered. There is hatred and suicidal thoughts brought on by thinking about the situation ... which brings us to Plumbum, the Power Series remedy of Stage 14, where the feeling is that there is nothing left of their former powers. They try to carry on as if nothing is wrong but all that's left is a show of authority. There is a deep inner weakness (Syco/Syphilitic).

Stannum, also Stage 14, in the Silver Series, is worried too ...but this time its about ideas and creativity ... they feel powerless and sad because their work is no longer admired. Their opinions are often ignored and they have to make a fuss in order to be heard ... which really takes it out of them. Weakness is an important indication in Stannum pathology. (Scholten: Elements pp. 628. 778).

The Lanthanide remedy of Stage 14 is Erbium. They feel that they are loosing thier power and this threatens their autonomy. They try to be stoical about it. As Dr. Scholten says, it's a very gloomy place to be, and because they are so sensitive the hurt is locked up and never dealt with... but they wouldn't visit a therapist because that would mean giving up some of thier power.

Stage 15 Remedies, Phos, Ars, Ant. In Stage 15 the main characteristics that show up, to some degree, in Anacardium are a feeling that they are under threat and struggling to hold onto the power they had, and that thier affairs are badly in decline.

This feeling of 'hanging on by the fingernails' is heightened in Stages 16 and 17, until most mineral remedies, as in Anacardium, become disenchanted and antisocial in various ways.

Anacardium can give a deeper action than of any of these remedies, when it fits the totality.

If Anacardium is the Silmilimum and the action of Anacardium covers several stages this implies that an indiviual can suffer from problems arising from these same stages.

How could a single remedy such as Anacardium seems to cover so many stages? The difficulties may possibly have arisen from an earlier time in their development or career. There may be a thread of vunerability running through the whole life story that influences decisions at every turning point. That thread is Homeopathic Gold!