Held By A Finger.
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1995 Mar / Apr Vol IV No 2.
Meena Mankani.

Todays modern world has witnessed an alarming rise in multiple health disorders. Neurosis, an emotional disorder reflecting the unresolved and complicated conflicts of the subconscious psyche, one of the major threats that has eluded the medical science at large for a very long time.

Treatment of neurosis in homoeopathy invariably requires long term careful management coupled with a great deal of patient counselling. However, the prognosis in every case will depend on many factors such as heredity, exciting causes, present conditions, individuals reactions, etc. But, even in the worst of the cases, it is only Homoeopathy that can offer the best help and give optimum results.

I have gathered an understanding of Silica out of treating 13 cases of "anxiety neurosis" wherein silicea was clearly indicated. The age group of all these patients was between 19 and 37 years.

In most of these cases, it was observed that there was a common pattern as to the predisposition and the aggravating factors. After an indepth study of each case, one rubric seemed to be central to the understanding of Silicea in these patients and that is -

Dreams, held by finger, being (*SR III 311).

(*SR = Synthetic Repertory.)

Dreams, as is well known, mirror out all the suppressed desires and emotions from the dark depths of the unconscious psyche, and all the feelings that a person experiences towards various conditions in his life and his involuntary reactions to them. So, in this context, to be "held by finger" therefore reflects several things as under:-

1. A sense of insecurity -
   Rubrics:
   Anxiety, fear, with (SR 176)
   Anxiety, future, about (SR I 78)
   Anxiety, himself, about (SR I 81)
   Frightened easily (SR I 549)
   Fear, evil, of (SR I 497).
   
   
2. Lack of self mastery -
   Rubric : Self-control, want of (SR I 895).
   
3. A dependant state and desirefor company -
   Rubric: Timidity, alone, when (SR I 1025).
   
   
4. Low self esteem -
   Rubric: Confidence, want of self (SR I 159)
   
   
5. Lack of courage -
   Rubric: Cowardice (SR I 188).
   
   
6. A desire for constant firm support -
   Rubric: Clinging, being held, am. (SR I 143).
   
   
7. A desire for guidance with easy suggestibility -
   Rubric : Magnetized, mesmerism amel (SR I 720).
   Yielding disposition (SR I 1102)

So, a personality trait as it emerges from the above is one wherein a person cannot be his own master, or one who cannot lead his own life and who is absolutely insecure and timid. Having no courage and will of his own, such a person must be constantly led by someone who can mastermind his whole life; one who can support him, guide him, protect him and make all the decisions for him.

What cemented this understanding, it was observed that most of these patients had a very strict upbringing with strong parental dos and donts which they had to very meekly follow throughout their childhood and adolescence. They were never allowed any freedom of choice and so naturally they never learned to make any decisions on their own. They were never trained to use their minds and think on their own, so they never learned to lead their own life and have courage and confidence. It was always that their "finger was very tightly held" by their parents (in some cases even spouses), who dictated to them throughout; to hence reducing them to being mere puppets: doing exactly what the person in control desired of them.

Further, total unquestionable obedience on their part gained them the reputation of being the best of the lot which further led to their constant efforts to maintain and live upto being the best in all, at all times in order to feel secure. That accounted for their extreme conscientiousness about trifles and easy remorse. And they would dare not deviate even slightly from what was expected of them lest they "lose the finger". The common statement given by most of them was, "I have to live up to the expectations that everyone has of me". But many a times, such expectations would seem such unattainable targets that they would constantly undergo tremendous anxiety in order to fulfil them. It was as though they were constantly undergoing tests (exams) and simultaneously faced a fear of failure.

On the other hand, when these patients approached adulthood, and faced various responsibilities of marriage and other tests of life, it was observed that the process of proving themselves involved a heightened sense of ego. For instance, the common phrases used by these patients were:

1. "I hate dominance".
2. "I have my prestige to take care of".
3. "I expect respect from others-"
4. "I hate to ask for favours".

And one patient very typically said - "I want to be my own boss. I hate anyone bossing over me. I want to make my own decisions, but at the same time I must admit that I desire constant support".

So, their ego resented "holding the finger", whereas their timidity and cowardice could not let it go a fact which their ego could not easily digest. Thus arose a variety of complications leading to a constant conflict between egotism and magnetism coupled with their growing inability to live upto their fixed images. And being not properly channelised, all these growing pressures finally culminated into the worst form of the pathological distortions Anxiety Neurosis.

Lots of folks confused bad management with destiny - Kin Hubbard.

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