My house is haunted: a case of Crotalus cascavella

In November 2012, I visited my good friend Ivan. He wanted to discuss things between Heaven and Earth. He knew that this topic is one of my favourites and therefore he could speak without shyness or fear that someone would laugh at him. He spoke enthusiastically about how he attended a clairvoyant who gave him a detailed description of his personality, strengths and weaknesses, the situation in his family, and also his relationship. We talked about the upcoming "End of the World", which was supposed to happen on the 21st of December. Ivan told me how he felt about it, saying that in his opinion it will be just a kind of renewal, a change that happens, and that he feels this internal change already. I was very surprised, not by the content of his words but by the  zeal and enthusiasm radiating from him. I admit that so far I had no idea how strongly Ivan engaged in the world of spirituality. He did not let me say anything; he spoke almost all the time, going from one theme to the other.

Strange things happen in the house
After a short pause between two breaths, I asked him how things were going at home. I know that some strange things had been happening in his house for  several years. Then, he began to speak slowly: "I feel that it is still escalating. At night, I wake up. I often dream about the old woman who is in our house, even in my room, and she is watching me. When I wake up, I feel that she is there, but I do not see her. I feel that the energy is not good . Sometimes, I feel a cold energy in the house, even if the windows are closed. It sometimes happens that the TV in my room turns on without any reason. A few moments after I turn it off, it turns on again. Sometimes, the drawers in my living room open up by themselves, but I know that I have left them shut. Sometimes, I fear that I will go insane. I want it to stop. I am scared."

I do not want to exaggerate this story; it is not a horror story from the movies, where the most unrealistic things happen and life is threatened. This was not the issue, however, I saw that Ivan was really scared. What I would like to emphasize is the fact that Ivan is not a kind of “mad esoterist”, unstable and full of uncertainty. He is a very stable, well grounded, natural person, and not the kind of person who inflates stories in order to gain attention. His work is very practical, in the financial sector. He was quite shy and calm while telling me his story, and he did not tell this to anybody else.

When is treatment necessary?
I wanted to help Ivan but I had an important dilemma, which I had thought about many times before. What is the role of the therapist in this case? Should I give the patient the right remedy in order to eliminate his supersensitive perception of the invisible world? Is his perception real? Is it some invisible reality or it is just fantasy that emanates from the subconscious? What if it is a spiritual gift which is needed for his internal development or his spiritual task? Will I not harm him, if the remedy weakens his perception? I assume that many homeopaths deal with this kind of issue in their practice. We need to ask ourselves if these spiritual experiences are a part of our patients’ spiritual development or a dangerous pathology which should be treated.

The answer comes from the patient. If he feels too constrained by his ability, if it paralyzes him and does not allow him to live a fullfiled life, it is necessary to intervene. It is, however, important to note that the primary significance and pointer in judging the “normality” and “abnormality” here mainly lies with the patient, not the homeopath. It is important that the therapist should not play the role of a judge who knows best what the patient is experiencing and whether he can handle it. As everywhere, there are certainly exceptions. If the patient is completely out of his senses and has uncontrollable outbursts but he thinks he can handle it, the intervention of the therapist is needed.
I suggested that he tried homeopathy even though I personally felt that Ivan could handle the state without any treatment. As he welcomed the idea, I started to search for his remedy.

Strange coincidences
So far, I had no experience with the treatment of mental conditions without any physical problems. Coincidentally, a few days before the meeting with Ivan, I attended a homeopathic seminar with Markus Kuntosch, “The colours of homeopathy”[1] “The colours of homeopathy” in Bratislava, where we learned how to use the colour spectrum in our practice. It is really simple and clinically proven. I showed Ivan the color spectrum and asked which colour was his favourite. Without reflecting long, he pointed to the colour turquoise. As I already knew, people who need a snake remedies often choose turquoise as their favourite. That in itself is not a sufficient reason for choosing the remedy, it is just one symptom. In the realm of snake venoms, however, we have one that has a close relationship with the invisible world; it deals with the underworld, has dreams of dead people, and can communicate with them. Spirits can also haunt them. This is the Brazilian rattlesnake, Crotalus cascavella. I realized that this was the case. A ghost haunted him!

Of course, I know that this is not a usual approach to prescribe the remedy, based just on two symptoms, in this case the colour preference and mental modalities, but I did not see any other peculiarities nor generals and particulars. Another strange “co-incidence” was that I had just bought this medicine from the pharmacy shortly before Ivan’s visit.

Prescription: I gave him one dose of Crotalus cascavella 200C and asked him to report any changes.

Follow-up                                                                                                                                                    
The next day, Ivan reported that his condition had worsened; he was afraid to go home. He almost did not recognize his brother, who seemed like a monster to him. I advised him to try to manage it and to contact me if the situation did not improve.

I am not afraid, even if the phenomenon would come back
He did not contact me for two months. I supposed that the state was the same as before the remedy, but just to be sure I called him after three months and asked how was he doing. He answered: “Very well”. Since he did not continue, I asked him about the situation in his house. “Oh that? That stopped. Nothing happens in the house anymore and I don’t see anything, either. The nightmares have also disappeared. But do you know what surprises me most? I don’t have any fear, even if the situation would come back. I feel like I am stronger, like I am in a kind of protective bubble.”

I was very happy with the result. More than the fact that the strange events and experiences subsided, I enjoyed his changed attitude. The often repeated phrase of homeopaths was again confirmed: “We most learn from our practice, not from books and seminars.” I did not need to deal with the dilemma concerning the spiritual development of my friend, the remedy took care of the issue. The patient gained the inner strength he needed, and if the strange phenomenon would once again appear, he would be able to face it without fear.

[1] Based on the work of Ulrich Welte “Colors in Homeopathy” Narayana Verlag, 2009

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Crotalus durissus kaskawel; M.Betley;CC BY-SA 3.0