Homeopathy is commonly used throughout Europe and India to treat not only physical ailments but also mental and emotional disorders. Ignatia is prescribed as a cure for heartbreak, Aurum is used to treat suicidal depression, Nux Vomica addresses ailments born of stress and ‘high living’, Sepia is used for flagging spirit, Lycopodium is given for confidence, Sulphur provides creative focus and Natrum Mur is thought to rout out deep-seated grief.

For the classically trained mind, however, homeopathy is inexplicable. While homeopaths will speak of ‘potentised’ remedies, according to laws of physics, there are no active ingredients to be found in a homeopathic remedy. Furthermore, substances that are considered chemically inert, such as silica, gold and carbon, are somehow magically transformed into medicines using a process of dilution and succussion.

The mechanics of homeopathy radically differ from those of conventional, or allopathic medicine. In allopathic medicine (anti-pathos), a drug is given to counter various symptoms. In contrast, homeopathic medicines are thought to aggravate and thereby stimulate the body’s own healing capacity.

The term homeopathy is derived from the Latin homeo-pathos, meaning same suffering. In the practice of homeopathy, a physical, emotional or mental state is matched with a remedy capable of eliciting the same symptoms. Rather than the medicine, it is the body’s reaction to the remedy, which is considered curative.

This session will explore the intriguing history and developments of homeopathy from its origins and founder Samuel Hahnemann, through to Hering, Kent, Vithoulkas, and the ‘Jungian’ homeopaths, Edward Whitmont and Catherine Coulter.

We will also explore the archetypal temperaments associated with the key homeopathic remedies used by homoeopaths as well the various psychological challenges that these polycrests are thought to represent.