What exactly do you do in your practice?

Homeopathy - Like other classical homeopaths, I see clients face to face, or talk over the phone for 1 1/2 -2 hours. In that time frame, I collect information about the client's symptom picture, both physical and emotional.

This means not only collecting details such as "throbbing headache in the right temple area that comes on suddenly at 3pm and is better with ice and worse with jarring noise and light"- it also means attaining a solid feel and understanding of where the client is emotionally at this time in his or her life. In sum, it means trying to grasp the essence of what's going on with the client.

In the case of children, I interview the parents and observe the child. If the child can talk to me, that's great. However, I usually get most of the information through observing the child's behaviors and talking to the parent about recent events and outstanding physical symptoms.

At the end of the interview, I either recommend a homeopathic remedy which I think would best assist the individual in their healing process, or take time to further analyze the information and reconnect with the client within the next two days to give a recommendation.

After the individual (or child) has taken the remedy, I monitor their response, and provide guidance to the individual or parent about the resulting healing process.

Muscle Response Testing - If you're not already familiar with muscle testing, this is a technique that is commonly used in alternative health care, in which the practitioner tests the client's muscle strength in order to obtain information from their body wisdom. The idea is that we each have an innate body wisdom that knows all of the answers to our questions about our healing process, and by tapping into that wisdom, we can get clarity on how to heal.

The technique usually involves the client holding one of their arms out in front of them. The practitioner tries to push the client's arm down while asking their body wisdom a question and the client tries to resist. If the arm goes down (indicating a weak muscle response), this is interpreted as a No answer to the practitioner's question. If the arm remains strong (indicating a strong muscle response), this is interpreted as a Yes answer to the question.

In my practice, I often use muscle response testing to help navigate the homeopathic interview. I may ask "Do I need more information about this particular emotional issue?", or "Do I need more information about your digestive problems before proceeding?" In this way, I am able to hone in on what we need to cover, shorten the interview time and save you money.

I also use muscle response testing to discern the potency of the remedy I recommend for you, the frequency of dosage and number of days you take it. I might also use muscle testing to select a flower essence for you, or to confirm the appropriateness of a particular nutritional supplement, herb, or adjunct therapy.

For individuals that I work with over the phone, I have the ability to do muscle testing remotely by doing an O-ring test. An O-ring test is another common technique amongst practitioners. With this technique, I make a ring with the middle finger and thumb of my left hand and then test the muscle strength of this connection by asking a question a nd then trying to pull the fingers apart with my right hand.

Muscle testing is admittedly a controversial technique in the alternative health care community, as practice styles and philosophies vary widely. I personally have incorporated this technique into my practice only after many years of study, practice and refinement - such that I have reason to believe that the answers I'm getting are accurate and can be trusted. This is not a tool I use lightly, but rather one of the parts of my craft that I take most seriously.

Flower Essences - I sometimes also recommend flower essences to support the healing process. Flower essences work similarly to homeopathic remedies - but are usually much more subtle, and therefore more gentle. They can be powerful tools for people who are going through emotional crises (e.g. a dark night of the soul) - or people who are stuck in a common life pattern.

Holistic Repatterning (HBLU) - For those that can come in to my office in person, I sometimes offer a holistic repatternin g technique called HBLU (Healing Body Level Up). This technique uses muscle testing and a question and answer protocol to zero in on negative imprints and traumas that may be impacting the subconscious mind and contributing to health issues.

Once imprints are identified, I use muscle testing to discern which intervention(s) or therapies might be appropriate. These might include homeopathy, flower essences, or a number of self-help energy repatterning exercises such as the Emotional Freedom Technique. (HBLU proved to be especially useful to a number of people following the 9/11 tragedy.)

Voice Dialogue - Also for those that can come in to my office in person, I sometimes facilitate voice dialogue sessions. Voice dialogue is a type of self-awareness technique based on the Jungian concept that we all have a collection of sub-personalities within our psyche, each with its own feelings, desires, beliefs, etc. Often times chronic health issues are related to the inner conflict amongst different sub-personalities.

As a voice dialogue facilitator, my job is to guide the individual in accessing and giving voice to some of their different sub-personalities - essentially giving each a chance to express their thoughts and feelings without interruption from the other parts of the psyche. This exercise gives the individual a greater awareness of the push and pull within their own psyche, and enables them to embrace parts of themselves which they had previously suppressed. The result is often a more harmonious inner dialogue and the resolution of chronic symptoms.

Supplements - Although a cornerstone for many practitioners, I tend to recommend a minimal amount of nutritional supplements. I'm fairly well versed in western herbology and nutritional supplement products - and I do occasionally recommend these - but I like to stay focused on homeopathy and emotional healing. If you're looking for someone who works primarily with herbs and supplements, I'm happy to refer you to one of my colleagues.

Referrals - There are number of healing modalities that work synergistically with homeopathy and that you may need to assist you in your healing process. When this is the case, I use muscle testing to discern what therapy your body wisdom wants you pursue, as well as which practitioner to go to.

The therapies that I most often refer people to include massage/body work, acupuncture, cranial sacral therapy, psychotherapy, and NAET.

NAET (Nambrudipad Allergy Elimination Technique) is a technique that uses a combination of acupressure and homeopathy to clear the body of allergic responses to foods, environmental substances, neurotransmitters, hormones, etc - virtually anything that triggers an immune response in your system. Both of the chiropractors I share office space with offer this technique. Ask me more about it if you're interested.

To what extent do you use your intuition in your practice of homeopathy?

Finding the best remedy for each client is really a process of pattern recognition and I think for me this comes through some experience with putting the pieces of the puzzle together until I'm able to reach a gestalt or an "aha!".

Often the pieces come from key symptoms presented by the client, along with intuitive hunches I confirm through muscle testing, and an acute empathy for what my client is experiencing.

In this sense, I use my intuition to a great degree - both in interviewing my clients and in finding the key "feeling" of the case. When I'm able to hone in on the core feeling of the case and correlate that with key symptoms, I can identify the best remedy.

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