Grief is a process of healing, and homeopathy can be very helpful in allowing us to navigate the process of depression or anxiety. As a homeopath, I have treated many people for emotional trauma and grief and I find that is one of the most rewarding parts of my job, to be able to help my patients and lift them to a higher level of emotional health. In my practice, Natrum muriaticum is one of the remedies I use more frequently for depression, and I tend to use a dosage of two times per week for chronic grief.

Grief is something that we can all relate to at one point or another; we all have had some kind of experience with it: the death of a loved one, the loss of a friendship, the loss of a job or wealth or feeling emotionally hurt in any way.

​In the present world, grief, anxiety and depression are seen as a state of weakness if they last more than a few months, therefore most people try to quickly get over them.

​However, this can very often be counterproductive as the person has not been able to deal with the feelings and emotions in an appropriate way.

GRIEF, HOW LONG IS TOO LONG? HOMEOPATHY FOR DEPRESSION

The stages of grief are a universal experience that Elisabeth Kubler-Ross first proposed in the  1969 book “Death and Dying”.  

Through these stages, our mind spends a relative amount of time dealing with the feelings and emotions that arise as we move towards a resolution and, finally, acceptance.

The homeopathic remedies selected here may cover more than one stage and are not exclusive to any particular stage.

For dealing with anxiety after severe trauma or grief, these other remedies, more specific for anxiety will help bring relief as you navigate the process. 

As we move through the stages of grief, we will move from homeopathic remedy to the next. For instance, a person may be doing well on a remedy for a few months, but suddenly, the progression is halted, and another aspect of the case emerges by enquiring further.

It is important to understand that in a process like this, more than one remedy will be indicated to work on the patient’s emotions and that the help of a homeopath to unravel those layers is very important. 

Homeopathy can be very helpful alongside any other talking therapy. It is always advisable to work with a homeopath for deep emotional problems such as depression, as it is important to understand the process and be guided and supported with the remedies.

DOSAGE

For these types of deep emotional issues, 200c potencies are more suitable, and the dosage is twice per week for 8 weeks and will need to be reassessed at that point.

The remedies in the first stage can be taken twice daily until better. Ignatia, Aconite, and Arnica in the first stage can be taken twice daily for a longer period until not needed or the picture changes as you move through the different stages of the process and other remedies are needed.

BANERJI PROTOCOL DEPRESSION TIP

For depression, the Banerjies use

• Lachesis 200 or Aurum 200 every 3rd day
• Ignatia 200 twice per day

1. FIRST STAGE OF GRIEF-SHOCK AND DENIAL

​This is the first stage, where your mind tries to integrate what has happened.

At this stage, a person might express disbelief by saying, “It can’t be true” or “This can’t be happening.” Here, we aim to cushion the shock, and our minds work to understand it by seeking a logical explanation.

ACONITE 200 

This is a first-stage remedy, and the symptoms are acute and strong. The coping strategy is a fight-or-flight reaction.

Sudden attacks of panic and terror.

There is tremendous fear and anxiety with heart palpitations.  Vomiting with fear, and anxiety felt in the stomach.

You may feel coldness, tingling, and numbness in the extremities. As if the limbs fall asleep.

​Waking at night with anxiety and fear, The person needing this remedy may have the sensation as “if what had just been done was a dream”. This is indicative of their shock state.

This remedy is beneficial for situations that arise from:

– shock from a medical diagnosis

-sudden loss of a dear person or pet

-sudden loss of a job

-living in an stressful environment

IGNATIA 200

This is #1 for grief. It is the top remedy for ailments caused by hearing bad news.

Signing and sobbing, highly emotional with the rapid change of moods. One minute, you are laughing, and the other, you are crying.

​You will possibly be crying a lot and feel oversensitive and nervous.

Feeling as is needing to take deep breaths or feeling of oppression in the chest.

You may feel as if there is a lump in your throat or as if something is affecting your swallowing.  

Typically, sleep tends to be quite disturbed, either falling asleep or waking up frequently during the night.

This remedy can be helpful for:

-a family dispute

-feeling let down by someone we love

-a brake up with a partner or friend

-loss of a pet or a dear person

OPIUM 200

Opium, in its crude form, belongs to the plant Kingdon, a member of the Papaveraceae family. The homeopathic source of this remedy is the Opium Poppy (Papaver Somniferum).

Opium is derived from the seed capsules of the opium poppy and contains approximately 12% opioid alkaloids. As an organic substance, opium is a highly addictive narcotic. It acts as a depressant, slowing communication between the brain and body, which is why it is used medically to relieve pain- blocking the sensation- and as a tranquilizer.

In its homeopathic form, it is linked to a lack of vital response and insensitivity-blocking the pain- of the mind and senses. This is often associated with a mental state of shock and reflects a coping mechanism—essentially a shutdown of the senses. The fear or fright persists, and instead of an external fight-or-flight response, it transforms into an internal withdrawal or shutdown.

You may be in a state of calmness as if nothing has happened, indifferent to everything around you. Forgetfulness of the suffering and a sense of being in a placid state.

Insensibility of the nervous system. This is a true state of shock. They say “nothing is wrong with them”.

You may feel as if you have lost touch with reality.

To illustrate this state practically, consider a person who has just lost a family member but continues his daily routine as if nothing has occurred. From an outside perspective, it might seem like he is handling the situation well or that she doesn’t care. However, the truth is that he is in a state of shock, and numbness is his way of coping.

Opium in grief presents a distinct response compared to Aconite, Arnica, or Ignatia. In cases of shock or grief, Aconite triggers a complete fight-or-flight reaction in both the body and mind, preparing them for action. Arnica, however, manifests more in the physical body, as the mind hasn’t fully processed the situation yet. In contrast, Ignatia experiences the emotions in real-time, actively managing their feelings, while Opium’s coping strategy involves a shutdown of both mental and physical systems.

ARNICA200,1M

Although this remedy is well-known for injuries by most people, this is also a very good remedy for the first stages of grief with shock. This is a traumatic remedy per excellence, either in the mental or physical sphere.

Fear of being touched or approached by anyone.

Fear that wakes you up at night.

​You may feel as if all your muscles or the skeletal system aches, a bruised feeling in the joints or the body. At night, as if the bed is too hard for you. Parts become sore.

You may feel as if “truck has run over you” or “have been beaten”.

Involuntary discharges or diarrhoea.  

Arnica is as useful for physical trauma as emotional trauma. It addresses the shock of the trauma, whether physical or emotional.

The shock element after trauma can be seen in the keynote- feels well in serious cases- and fear of being touched- where the mind finds it difficult to integrate the present situation and pretends it has not happened.

Arnica is also called Wolf’s bane colloquially, the colloquial name for the Aconitum plant.

Aconite and Arnica are both traumatic remedies per excellence and remedies that deal with shock. Hence, they share some common characteristics as keynotes.

– fear of death

-fear of crowds

-fear of sickness

-fear that starts from sleep, especially after an accident

-cardiac distress at night

However, the greatest distinction between both is that Arnica feels the shock in their body, as if bruised, very sore and painful, but often the mind has not caught up with the event; hence the keynote that everyone can recognise -there is nothing wrong with him. In contrast, Aconite feels the immediate danger both physically and emotionally experiences and expresses both of them simultaneously.

Remedies for anxiety can be well indicated at this stage. They can often do a fantastic job calming down the nerves and helping you function daily.  

2. ANGER

In the same way that grief or depression follows different stages, homeopathy follows the same process in practice.

As the first stage of shock or numbness wears off, a new feeling begins to surface. We try to adjust to a difficult reality, and anger becomes our new coping mechanism. It is an important part of the healing process.

Anger is just a feeling stemming from a sense of powerlessness. Negative emotions often merge into anger when we can’t change or improve a situation.

STAPHYSAGRIA 200 

Feeling always angry, very sensitive to what others say to you. You may always take things in the wrong way. Very snappy.

Feeling indignant about what has happened.

This remedy is often indicated if you have finished a relationship with someone and have been badly treated. It is a good remedy for feelings of anger that stem from humiliation.

This remedy complements Carcinosin and shares several common characteristics regarding boundaries with it. People who need Staphysagria typically feel ” how could they have done this to me” and “feeling stabbed in the back.”

Feelings of betrayal tend to be associated with this remedy.

Some possible scenarios that could bring these feelings at this stage:

-if you have lost a dear person, you may feel angry thinking they have left you

-living with an abusive partner or coworker

-history of sexual abuse

-family dispute

-being at the receiving end of an affair

-unfairness of treatment and job loss

NUX-VOMICA 200

Nux vomica has a particular sphere of action in homeopathy and fits well in this stage of grief and depression.

-this is a good remedy for the effects of wounded honour, especially if related to work or business.

Feeling very angry and impatient. This type of anger is of a nervous character feeling excitable, spiteful, and even violent. You may find it very difficult to handle the sightless contradiction.

Feeling angry and violent without any provocation. As if wanting to kill someone.

You may find yourself fault-finding and picking on others.

There is a desire to talk about one’s problems and nervous reflection on them.

People needing this remedy tend to suffer from dyspepsia with mental complaints and constipation, but not everyone experiences this.
​

LACHESIS 200 

Lachesis state is one that stems from a state of ” internal poisoning of feelings and emotions”. This state could arise from situations such as:

-from a broken marriage with an affair

– a family dispute when some family members were favoured

-sibling rivalry

-a toxic environment at work

– high-pressure family environment

-abusive childhood or marriage

– continue unfair treatment by someone in your life

People needing this remedy are very talkative, changing subjects very quickly or repeating the same thing. One word often leads to another story.

You may feel “as if full of poison”.  Bitter about the situation ( past or present) about what has happened but a bitterness that is envenomed.
​
Feeling jealous and suspicious about things with a great tendency to give yourself to sorrow and to think yourself persecuted and despised.

No desire to mix with the world.

The Lachesis energy is very syphilitic in nature, so any pathology around this remedy can be quite destructive.

Let me give you an example of how the person may have got there in the first place;

Have you ever been so upset and angry about something done to you that you keep thinking about it over and over again? The anger takes over, and for years this is surfacing daily. Meanwhile, your mood goes down and over the years, and you have fallen into depression.

This is one of the possible scenarios for a Lachesis patient.

HYOSCYAMUS 200

In this remedy picture, the anger has turned into rage. This state arises from being let down by the person you depend on or love.

You may experience rage with a desire to hit and even bite. The rage is very strong.

Rage with desire to insult, hit, bite or even kill.

Feeling jealous and grieving. Fear of being betrayed.

This is a good remedy for those grieving from unfortunate love, either from a partner or someone you love very much, such as a friend or a family relative.

Anger and grief about a faithless lover. After these, you may feel all men are bad- “thinks all men are swine”

You may be feeling very suspicious of everyone or as if someone is plotting against you.  For example, if this situation stems from a partner’s infidelity, you might feel consistently angry and suspicious of him. Conversely, if it occurs at work with a colleague or your boss, you may experience anger and find yourself constantly monitoring their actions out of fear of what they might do.

If you want to learn more about this remedy and why these symptoms are related to grief, check my other blog!

3. BARGAINING- HOMEOPATHY FOR DEPRESSION

At this stage of depression, the heaviness of the picture is more prominent, and this is reflected in the choice of s remedies in homeopathy at this stage.

During the grieving process, bargaining often occurs, where individuals attempt to negotiate for a better outcome, be it medically, socially, or spiritually. This can manifest as thoughts like, ‘If I do this, will it be back to the same?’

Feelings of “if only”. As we deal with the past, we try to breach into the present by regaining control. We bargain to make sure this does not happen again.

Bargaining is one of the stages of grief that can precede or occur during depression, highlighting the struggle to regain control after loss.

During this stage, we often direct our appeals to a higher power or something greater than ourselves that might be able to change the outcome. Bargaining during the grieving process can include:

-praying to God

-making a promise to ourselves

Bargaining arises from a sense of helplessness and provides us with a perceived feeling of control over situations that seem overwhelmingly chaotic. During this process, we often concentrate on our own shortcomings or regrets.

AURUM 200 

This is one of the best well-known remedies in homeopathy for deep depression. A state of hopeless depression and weariness of life. Some people may feel as if ending their life, although feel very quiet about it.

Life has no value.

You may get up in the morning with difficulty thinking if life is worth living. Life has lost all enjoyment for you. Often, the human company is undesirable, and you may end up without friends or superficial friendships and be lonely at the top.

Strong feelings of self-condemnation and worthlessness. You may feel as if nothing is turning out well for you, or nothing that you can do will make any difference.

​You may feel as if nothing that you do is good, and you will never succeed in life. The future looks very dark to you.

Ailments from grief, disappointed love and loss of property or not being able to achieve our goals.

Feeling like being alone all of the time and feeling angry at absent persons while thinking about them. So this is a good remedy for someone who has experienced losing someone very dear.

Praying and self-reproaching. You may want to pray often in moments of despair or searching for higher life purposes.

Constant questioning without waiting for a reply. Speaks in questions.

This is a very dark picture; you may feel very dark and heavy.

NATRUM MURIATICUM 200

This is another great remedy for depression in homeopathy. To give you an idea of how one can get to this state, we can look at its signature -SALT- which is used to preserve and keep it in its original state without decay. That is the grief of Natrum Mur, dried up but somehow “still fresh”.

Have you ever been hurt or brokenhearted and never been able to let go?

If you need this remedy, you will feel sad and reserved. You want to be left alone and will not openly discuss your feelings.

This remedy often follows Ignatia very well. We have moved from acute grief to a concentrated grief state.

Natrum Muriaticum and Ignatia are complementary remedies and work very well together. The dosage of Natrum mur can be combined with Ignatia often.

Thinking about what is causing the sadness and all the unpleasant memories.  Dwelling on it and the ideas cling and prevent sleep at night.

​Hating people that have offended you. Feeling revengeful.

Feeling sad but can’t cry.

Constant recurrent thoughts of past disagreeable occurrences.

When thinking about dosage for Natrum Muriaticum in depression, twice weekly is a good pace.

4. DEPRESSION AND LONELINESS, MY FAVOURITE REMEDIES IN HOMEOPATHY AT THIS STAGE.

As we come to terms with it, the hard realisation of the present sinks in and empty feelings fill our lives.

At this stage, we often turn inward as our sadness deepens. We may withdraw, become less social, and reach out less to others about our experiences. While this is a natural part of the grieving process, this stage of depression can be profoundly isolating and one of the most challenging stages.

AURUM 200 

This is a remedy for deep depressive and melancholic moods and it is one of the top remedies in homeopathy for chronic depression. Thought of ending life may cross their mind. They feel better by these thoughts as if this is their only way to free them from their state.

However, this is also indicated for deep depressive states that are high-functioning and difficult to detect. In this case, the person needing this remedy has this feeling but rarely talks about it and externally, they seem to be coping well with life; the person tells a story, but their physical body tells a different story.

For instance, there is involuntarily smiling when talking. This is a way to cover up the internal depressed state the unconscious mind takes out to mask the suffering.

You may get up in the morning with difficulty thinking if life is worth living. Life has lost all enjoyment for you. Energy may be very low.

Strong feelings of self-condemnation and worthlessness.

​You may feel that nothing you do is good and that you will never succeed in life. The future looks very dark to you.

Feeling alone all the time and angry at absent people while thinking about them. This is a good remedy for someone who has experienced losing someone very dear or something very important to them.

The grief part of this remedy not only stems from disappointed love or stress, this is also a grief that can stem from losing a job, a social position or a financial loss.

Ailments from:

– grief

-disappointed love and

-loss of property or

-not being able to achieve our goals.

This is a very dark picture, and you may be feeling very dark and heavy, although those around you may not notice your suffering.

This is often a deeply hidden picture that is not externalised and is often missed.

NATRUM MURIATICUM 200  

Those needing this remedy will probably feel sad and reserved, not wanting to talk to people about their feelings- They want to be left alone to cry.

Thinking about what is causing the sadness and all the unpleasant memories. You are dwelling on it, and the ideas cling and prevent sleep at night.

Hating people that have offended you. Feeling revengeful.

Feeling sad but can’t cry.

Constant recurrent thoughts of past disagreeable occurrences. Thinking about it over and over.

In these cases, Natrum Muriaticum 200 dosage for depression once every 3rd day works very gently to help us move on.

​PHOS-AC 200 

People experiencing sadness and needing this remedy, feel indifferent to everything, and apathetic. At the same time, they also feel very weak and debilitated physically. 

Energy tends to run very low.

​You may feel nervous exhaustion and drowsy with it. You may be feeling like sleeping all day.

Feeling as if a “weight on the head”

You may feel worse after doing anything that involves exercise, such as walking, but a short nap will help your mood.
​
PULSATILLA 200, 1M

This is a remedy that you may know already in homeopathy, but you may not have considered this for depression. If you need this remedy:

-you may cry easily

-you feel better if someone is with you and talks you through your feelings.

– you may feel better after being held and hugged, you crave human physical contact

-you can have quick changes in mood in short periods of time. Up and down.

– you can often feel better after crying

-you may feel as if “you are enveloped in a heavy dark cloud”

Feeling as if “beside yourself”– in a state of extreme agitation or excitement caused by strong emotions.

Going out into the open air will often lift your mood, and you may feel better after walking outside.

If you are a female, the time of the menses will always make you feel worse.

The person experiencing this state, they tend to have the feeling of “Thinking you are alone in this world, feeling that you are always alone” .

The individual in this situation often feels as though “they are alone in the world”, experiencing a constant sense of abandonment.

This is a good remedy for depression that stems from:

-being neglected in childhood

-having a poor relationship with a mother figure

-history of abandonment

These are the most important characteristics of this remedy in homeopathy when working with depression.

Emotional dysregulation also plays an important part in depression or anxiety disorders.

Emotional dysregulation is a mental health condition that makes it difficult to manage emotions and reactions to them.

People with emotional dysregulation may experience intense emotions for longer periods of time than others, and their reactions may seem disproportionate to the situation.

These are the key characteristics of this remedy when addressing depression with homeopathy.

Dosing suggestions for this remedy: you can use the 200c every 3rd day or 1M weekly

5. ACCEPTANCE AND RESOLUTION

​Homeopathy can not change the situation that led you to feelings of depression in the first place, but working with homeopathy can help you to accept the reality, integrate it and move on. Things may never be the same, but we accept it.

We can not change an experience, but we can decide whether to take the hurt or the lessons learned with us when moving forward.

Homeopathy can facilitate that transition and bring clarity.

​We become interested in life again; we invest in friends and new experiences.

We start to live again!