What to Expect when you see a Homeopath
A visit with a classical homeopath is quite a different experience from seeing a conventional Medical Doctor.
Instead of a 5 to 10 minute visit, the first consultation with your Homeopath can take about 1 ½ to 2 hours. During this time your Homeopath will want to hear about all the symptoms of your current illness, as well as your past medical history. Homeopathy is a holistic approach to health, so your Homeopath seeks to understand you, as a whole person, who is suffering the illness, rather than just the ‘medical’ condition itself.
One of the problems that Homeopaths face is that most people don’t see the importance of many of their symptoms, having been conditioned by the medical system to think that an illness only occurs in one part of the body and that any other symptoms are a different illness or unrelated.
Another problem is that sometimes people have had a symptom for so long that they consider it normal, just part of who they are, and don’t even think to tell their health care practitioner about it. Sometimes people rationalize their symptoms and then dismiss them as not being of any significance.
It is important to tell your Homeopath everything. Be thoughtful with your answers and give as much detail of your symptoms as possible. Even if you don’t see how it might be related, your Homeopath most likely will. This can be a learning experience for most people to really think about and communicate their symptoms in detail and possibly reflect on how it affects their mental and emotional state.
Other information that can be helpful to your Homeopath include things like your fears, anxieties and stressors, digestion and food preferences, sleeping habits and dreams, and the effects that different weather conditions, seasons and temperatures have on you. This may seem strange at first but your Homeopath relies on the natural ability of the body to express its illness through signs and symptoms in the body as well as in other aspects of an individual’s life. Understanding these signs and symptoms will help lead your Homeopath to find an appropriate remedy for you.
For example, simply telling your Homeopath that you get headaches is not very helpful. Instead, telling your Homeopath you get a throbbing headache on the right side and your face gets hot and red at the same time can be very helpful.
Once the consultation is done your Homeopath takes time to research your individual case and to find the remedy that best fits your “symptom picture”. This is why your remedy is not usually given at the first visit. A week is a reasonable amount of time for this part of the process.
Arrangements are usually made in advance either to mail the remedy to you or for you to collect it on an agreed-upon date. Instructions on how to take the remedy will be included in the package.
A usual time frame for a follow-up visit with your Homeopath is around 4 to 6 weeks. Each case is unique, however, and your Homeopath will let you know when they would like to meet with you again. The follow-up visit usually lasts around 1 hour, during which time your Homeopath will listen to what changes may have occurred since taking the remedy and assess your response.
True healing is a journey, not an event. Just as it took time for your condition to develop, it will take time to heal and your Homeopath can be a major contributor to your health if you:
- keep your appointments,
- follow the recommendations given and
- be patient with yourself.