We were not bonded as a family: a case of Amethyst

Woman born in 1950. Presenting complaint: initially seen in 2004 with chest pain, then in 2013 with headache post viral meningitis.

Gemstone words in italics

Deep shock

Patient (P): "I’ve been getting chest pains on and off for years, in the left side, very deep, from one side to the other. It’s like a spasm, it gets me like a shock, a deep pain. It almost felt like something tragic was happening, it’s such a deep shock pain. It catches me, it stops me in my tracks. It is sharp. I tense up, slow down for minute. I am always on the run, I never sit down."

Julie Geraghty (JG): Tell me more about the deep pain.

P: "It’s like something is closing tight under there, a door, I am holding my breath. I feel weak on that side, I don’t feel I’m in full flow when it’s bad, it makes me stop.
"I give 150% every day. I work for a family organisation as a counsellor with young people. I treat them like my own. I worry for everyone, take on everyone’s problems. They call it the ‘angelic corner’ where I have my desk at work."

Physical work

P: "I do a lot of physical work, heavy gardening; I like to build my own stone walls. My husband says I am bone tired, I am overdoing it. I put everybody else first, my husband is number one."

Split family

P: "I’ve had a lot of stress with my family. My father died in Australia, I was five hours too late getting there. It was such a shock. I don’t know if I’ve properly grieved for him. Someone gave me a spiritual book about death, it enlightened me. His spirit went on, it was only a cloak he was wearing. My parents loved us very much but I was driven so hard. I played county tennis, my father wanted us to be the best, but we were all driven so hard that in the end we rebelled. My husband’s family is so close, bonded, we were always split."

JG: What do you mean split?

P: "We didn’t have the bond, we didn’t sit down as a family. All I remember is the quarrels. I always felt under pressure, I wanted harmony and peace, I felt miserable and lonely. I wanted to escape, to go inside myself, run away. It felt dark around me, no way out. I wanted to hide away. I was a peacemaker, I tried to get my parents to speak after quarrels, but it was too split, they wouldn’t speak for days. That’s what I mean by not bonded. I was on edge all the time, the one holding everything together (gesture: hands cupped with fingers touching). My father pushed us to the limits, my mother supported him."

Dreams: "I dream of flying, I do breaststroke to elevate me to fly away, as high as an oak tree. I love flying, I feel totally safe. I dream of angels."

Hobbies: "I love plants, gardening, I love to see things grow and blossom, die and cut back. I’m newborn in spring. Our garden is like a postcard, I cut the corners with scissors. Everything is tidy. I love cleaning, making everything smell nice, with oils and candles. I love crystals. I like animals, we have a dog, I love elephants, they are big and fascinating to watch."

Weather: "Wind gives me a headache, my eyes run, I don’t find it comfortable in the wind, my eyes are sensitive."

Prescription: Anacardium 200C

Analysis

She seemed to need a Plant remedy in the cancer miasm. She describes feeling the chest pains like a shock which stops her in her tracks. This made me think of the Anacardaceae plant family sensation. The cancer miasm is suggested by her giving 150% every day, overdoing things, being driven so hard, her perfectionism. Anacardium helped a little and I only saw her for one follow-up in 2004.

Closing down to heal

Seen again in 2013 after viral meningitis:

P: "It was such a shock, all of a sudden all the energy drained, then I started feeling sick, shaking, perspiring. I had to have the blinds down, I couldn’t have any noise. My body was in trauma, I felt I’d collapse, a draining feeling. I was in hospital for four days, then in bed for three weeks. I was working hard on myself, calling in all the ancestors from the spirit world to heal me. I believe we have a spirit guide, a guardian angel telling me everything would be okay. I know I am protected, I am loved. I went into meditation, I let the body close down to heal."

JG: Tell me more about closing down

P: "I tried not to think of anything, to regenerate some energy. I am always on the positive, I won’t allow negatives in. I never felt confused with the meningitis."

There are no boundaries

P: "I still feel I’ve got this cap on my head, a pressure (G: gesture). I don’t give in, I carry on regardless… I am this almighty temple (G: two fists). I can drive through anything. There are no boundaries. I love life, I love people, I help a lot of people, by talking, crystals, Reiki. I give so much. I have emptied my system, I have not given to myself. I love building things, creating things, I never really shut down. I love life, I want to be out there, to breathe. I love the planet, nature. I need perfection. I haven’t got a religion, but there is a greater force, the source is love. I give out love to everyone who touches my path. But I have pushed myself too far, it has been relentless. My husband has been begging me to slow down. He has closed the gates, he is not allowing anyone in. My husband and I are soulmates, we are twin flames.”

Prescription: Samarium phosphoricum 200C

Analysis

Samarium is Stage 8 in the Lanthanides, suggested by her statements: “I don’t give in, I carry on regardless, I can drive through anything,” but it did not help much. The Gemstone remedies can be confused with the Lanthanides, as in both groups of remedies there is a desire to understand things at a deeper level, to explore the hidden areas.

Miracle woman

P: "I am not going to carry on down the path of being a miracle woman. I’m feeling very sensitive, the wind plays a part with this head feeling of tightness and pressure. It is like having a hat on the top of my head, with a tight rubber band, making it tighter. I hold my head with my fingers (G). Craniosacral therapy helps. It helps my head to have a glass of champagne, I need the bubbles. I feel the pressure going. It’s a good job I am so controlled, otherwise I could be an alcoholic! My husband is keeping the reins on me (G), I’m so enthusiastic, I love to do things; our house is open house. He is trying to make sure I am not doing too much. I always want everything to be perfect, I am so fussy. I am very intuitive, I listen, I can tune in, I am able to send people an inspirational message, to know exactly what they are dealing with at that time, but I am not psychic. There is only one religion, the religion of love. I had a past life regression: I was in a black hole, I couldn’t get out of the black crater, I was trying to pull myself out. I like to put my own energy into a place, I don’t want stale energy in the air. We use crystals and dowsing to dissipate stale energy."

She was then given Phosphoric acid 30C and later 200C, which helped a lot with the pressure sensation.

Follow-up after six months

P: "Phosphoric acid is no longer helping. I have developed tinnitus in my left ear. The pressure has got worse with the cold winds, the wind is so cutting. I have to wear hats all the time, a hood; it freezes my head. We are so exposed to the wind where we live."

JG: What is your favourite crystal?

P: "Amethyst, I love the colour, then citrine, then rose quartz."

Analysis

By now, it was apparent that there were Gemstone themes in this case. Gemstone patients are often on a spiritual quest for personal development that involves a struggle between opposing forces of dark and light, feeling as if stuck in a dark place, buried in a black hole, but wanting to undergo a process of transformation from the darkness into the light in order to become their true self.  People who respond to Crystal remedies can be highly sensitive, intuitive, with an interest in all aspects of energetic healing. We will also see the general language of the Gem remedies: sharp, cutting, bonded vs. split, cracks, facets, hard, brittle, clarity, etc., which reflects the rigid crystalline structure of these stones. Pressure is seen in all the Gemstone cases as they are formed under pressure, deep underground in the earth. Each gemstone had its unique colour and patients will have a great affinity to their specific crystal’s colour.

Gemstone remedies have a great sensitivity to their surroundings and can describe the experience of shock, which can look similar to a Plant remedy. However, this case does not express a specific sensation and its polarity that we would see in a plant case.

Prescribing Amethyst for this case was not done simply because she mentioned it as her favourite crystal. In Amethyst cases, we will see all the general Gemstone themes, plus the unique features of Amethyst.

The theme of love: the need for love, looking for a soulmate, even ‘addiction to love’, and the degree of feeling starved of love in personal relationships (including maternal and family love). There is a huge feeling of isolation when cut off from love, even to the point of feeling out of the body. It is a remedy which can help one through big personal struggles like divorce and court cases. It is also a wonderful remedy for addictions, particularly to alcohol, which are exacerbated after the ending of a love relationship.

Amethyst is as sensitive to others’ feelings and open to being affected by atmospheres as Phosphorus and has an interest in healing, peacekeeping and keeping the atmosphere clear of negative energy. There is difficulty maintaining boundaries.

Amethyst has the patient’s exact symptom of headache being aggravated by cold wind: it is the only gemstone in the rubric: Head pain, wind aggravates.

Prescription: Amethyst immersion 200C, one dose weekly

Follow-ups

After four weeks: “The remedy has been working well during a busy period while we were doing major renovations on our house, which is all-consuming for us both, everything is in total chaos. I have had some intermittent head pressure; when it happens, I take things a little easier until it passes.”

After three months: “The head pressure has decreased considerably over the last six weeks, which has been a blessing. I am feeling very good, especially given the circumstances, as we are about to move back into the house. The flushes are considerably less; on holiday, I was able to enjoy the sunshine rather than being uncomfortable when flushes occurred. That has been wonderful. So, overall, it is brilliant. Thank you.”

Her improvement has maintained over the last four months. She now very rarely gets headaches and if she does, they are ‘normal’ headaches, not the tight cap pressure sensation. She is not so hard on herself and is more able to care for herself instead of always prioritising others. She is learning to be less of a perfectionist … she no longer trims the grass edges with scissors! That gives her more time to spend with her family, pets, and friends. She was able to space the remedy to fortnightly, then to monthly.

Photos: Shutterstock
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