MICHELE BROOKHAUS RS(HOM), CCH
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Energy And Healing. Should I try it?

9/22/2022

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There are umpteen kinds of energy healing modalities or techniques in the world today. These modalities remove blocks or shift something in the body or energy field so that you are more in alignment with your true self. Healers come in all shapes, sizes and viewpoints. Some are clairvoyant, clairaudient, empathic, aura sensing, psychic, or have some combination of these gifts. Some of these gifts are native, and some are honed.
I consider myself empathic, and when I work with people I often get a picture or visual in my mind’s eye. Words also come that can clarify what I’m seeing, or explain what I “see” happening.  That's native.
My training in Homeopathy is honed. I started in school in 1995 and have studied with many teachers over the years. And besides the material about remedies, there is nothing better than asking the "right" question. 

So what are the energy modalities I practice most?


  1. Homeopathy: This energetic healing modality, based on the principal of “like cures like”, initiated my work into energy healing. Remedies made from plant, mineral or animal substance present themselves based on an intake. An intake is basically a long conversation where we talk about what goes on in your body, your emotions, your thoughts. A homeopath wants to know what makes things better and worse. We want to know about fears and anxieties, as well as any profound experiences that have had an impact on your life. Food cravings, sleep habits, dreams – nothing is off limits to talk about. And, in fact, may be the key to finding a great remedy. A homeopath chooses a remedy for you, for your whole being. It stimulates your life force. It’s about you being seen for who you are, and in that recognition, healing happens. This means that symptoms dissipate, and you come back to feeling more like yourself. (Your healthy self.) 
  2. Process Healing:  Developed by Gary Flint and based in large part on Neurolinguistic Programming, this energetic modality works directly with the subconscious mind. So much of what keeps us stuck is how we think about the things that have happened to us in the past or what we anticipate what might happen in the future. Our thoughts loop and then we end up being conditioned to respond in a certain way based on emotions that may be outdated. eg. Is there really a lion chasing you right not? Or perhaps more relevantly are you currently being raped or beaten?  Or less seemingly dramatic, are you still stuck in the birth canal?   A conversation with the subconscious mind can help integrate and heal past traumas so that there is more space for you to be the you you were meant to be. 
  3. Resonance Healing:  (previously known as RCT)  Expanding the energy to infinity is what is different.  Being one with all that is. And then focusing in and "seeing"' what it is that your body, whether energy body, etheric body, physical body, emotional body needs.  A slight connection that can bring beautiful results. Traumas and emotions integrate. Function tweaks to more optimal. Balance returns. For individuals, families, animals. This is a simple and efficient process with lasting benefits. 

What Are The Benefits?
  1. Reduction or elimination of symptoms. Pain, eruptions, discharges and entrenched emotions are the body's way of indicating that things might not be quite right.  It's certainly not your fault, but it is important to listen. The nice thing about all of these practices that a diagnosis is not always needed.  Oh sure, it's really nice to know what's going on, but there are many ways to work on those symptoms.
  2. Become even more in tune with your body. Once you start listening the more astute you become at noticing things in your body. Not to become hypochondriacal, but because paying attention leads to better results as well as a better relationship with your body.
  3. A sense of ease. Have you ever felt an actual relaxation in your body? This work can cultivate that.  Meditation and certain yoga practices can help with that too. But there is nothing quite like a real physical relaxation in the body that opens up the possibility for what endeavor might be next.

​
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Homeopathy: Things Unseen

7/12/2022

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One day I was musing a bit about the power of things not seen, and Homeopathy definitely fits into this category. It's often ridiculed because how can something with no substance actually do anything at all. Experience tells me it does, and science may actually be catching up to this notion.

But let me go back and fill you in a bit.

Samuel Hahnemann is the father of Homeopathy, a man…. a doctor who lived in Germany in the late 1700’s. He didn’t, however, practice medicine because for him its ways were barbaric as these were the days of bloodletting. So, he translated medical texts because he spoke several different languages. It was while translating that he came across a Robert Cullen's Materia Medica. He was translating it into German and became curious about Cullen’s assertion that Cinchona bark was a specific for malaria because it was a tonic for the stomach. He ended up taking a bit of the bark himself, observing that he produced the broad symptoms of Malaria. He reflected on all he knew about medicine and about Paracelsus’ and the old therapeutic maxim of “like cures like”.

From there he went on to experiment with a following of students and to develop the practice of Homeopathy based on this overarching principle of “like cures like” or similia similibus curentur. He also discovered that the dosage was important. Many of the substances utilized were poisons. How do you reap the benefits without killing the patient?

And thus, the principle of the “minimum dose” was born. Oh, sure he experimented with it, and what he found was that the more minute the dose the more profound the results. In fact, he discovered that the best remedies were ones that went beyond Avogadro’s number, meaning the best remedies were the ones that had no substance left in them.

Here we are in the realm of “things not seen”.
Interesting.

The other thing about homeopathy is that it is in the realm of things not done. I joke with my clients that the best remedies are the ones that seem as if they have done nothing. And that’s because symptoms go away, and you come back to yourself. I take good notes for this reason.

"How are your headaches?", I ask.
"Oh, did I tell you that I have headaches? Come to think of it I haven’t had any since the last time we talked."

It becomes difficult to get any recognition as a homeopath because if I am doing my job right people’s symptoms go away and they forget a remedy may have helped.
On the other hand, sometimes the changes are so dramatic that you can’t help but sit up and take notice.

My first remedy was for a sinus infection. Something that I used to have quite chronically.
This was my first encounter with a homeopath:

She said, “take this remedy, and if your sinus infection isn’t gone in 24 hours take this other remedy.” I thought she was crazy. After all, I would often be on antibiotics for weeks for an infection to clear.
Guess what? It was gone in 24 hours. It made me sit up and take notice.

But what I most love about homeopathy is that it leaves no footprint. There are never any side effects because if it’s not the right remedy it most often just “misses you”. It’s not on the same wavelength or frequency. And the right remedy just brings you back to yourself. And who doesn’t want to be more of themselves?

Any dis-ease tells us something about our state, or what might be going off track in the body. It can take some subtle awareness. Most often we don’t even pay attention until we are wacked on the backside of our heads (so to speak) and we are faced with pain, infection or inflammation.
​

You may wonder about how homeopathy works for acutes epidemics and pandemics, perhaps novel viruses? Well, it does. There is evidence that those who used it in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic survived far better than those who did not. I have a teacher in Africa using homeopathy in the Aids epidemic over there with great success. And me? I’ve seen some novel virus cases at the beginning of symptoms, and I have given remedies. What happened? Nothing. The body system reordered itself and all clients have gone on with their lives.


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The Antagonist Within

7/6/2022

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I don’t know about you, but the turmoil that is out in the world these days seems to be heightening my awareness of the antagonism that I have within me.  

My body is talking. Maybe yours is too.

Are you having aches and pains that you just can’t shake?  I am. And part of me just wants them to go away. And another part of me knows that there is a message there for me. So, I do what I do to shift the energy and often learn yet another level of self-love and compassion.
​Our bodies speak to us. 
But we live in a culture of suppression. It’s why we are where we are. You suppress a people for a while, but you must expect they will rise. You suppress pain with a pain killer for so long, but you expect the pain to return. Underlying causes must be addressed for the body to heal, or for a culture to heal. 
What is the antagonism that you hold within?
Here are some questions to help you get started:

  • What are you angry about that you won’t let yourself be angry about?
  • What are you fearing that may just be an old message?
  • What do you think people are thinking about you, and why do you care?
  • What do you really want, and can’t even admit it to yourself?
  • What haven’t you grieved for fear that the grief might engulf you?
The macrocosm can be a mirror for the microcosm. You are the microcosm. Take care of the inside and the outside world will change.
I’m not saying that it's an immediate change, though sometimes it is. It's more often subtle. More often a coming into oneself. More self-love and acceptance. More of a dropping away of the symptoms that nag. 


I took on my healing journey over 30 years ago, first walking into a therapist's office, and then walking into a Homeopath's office. There have been countless offices and classrooms since then.  I am way more at home in my body. Heck . . . I am in my body. My life is one of peace and fun. My appreciation of myself and others has grown leaps and bounds.
And ... in extraordinary times like these I can still feel the antagonist restlessness that asks me for a little more. To sink in a little deeper to all that is. To open my arms to the pain in others and walk down the road awhile with them and me. 

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Surviving Menopause

7/1/2022

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Hormones. These are chemical substances produced by glands or cells as part of the feedback system of the body in order to create balance or homeostasis. Hormones can sometimes take a while to get back into balance when the body is moving from baby making mode to non-baby making mode. 

Isn't it incredible that our bodies, when healthy, just knows how and when to get back into a new balance? And when it has trouble, it speaks to us in the form of symptoms. The symptoms that our body presents tell us a story about what is going on in there, and what might be needed. The trouble is that we sometimes don't hear, or don't listen. 
Menopause is one of those times when hormones fluctuate big time. And sometimes it's not so bad riding the wave to the new destination. Sometimes it's more difficult.

Some lucky one's glide through these body changes with ease. With grace even. But most of us can expect symptoms that hale the arrival of what might turn out to be a whole new body.

Here is a list of 
some of the changes that can happen as the changing of the hormonal guard takes place:

  • Everything dries up. (eyes, skin, vagina)
  • Hot flashes, night sweats ​(hence the dryness).
  • Early waking or Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Joint pains
  • Frozen Shoulder
  • Reduced sex drive
  • Painful sex
  • Anxiety
  • Irritability
  • Fuzzy thinking
  • ​Hair falls out

This is quite a list. You won’t have all of these symptoms. And you may have symptoms that aren’t on this list. But even having a few of these symptoms is enough to turn your world upside down. 

What is a woman to do? 
First, know that it’s time to take care of yourself. Women generally put themselves at the bottom of the list when it comes to self-care. And self-care really gives us some insight into ourselves and our preferences. And maybe that frozen shoulder is indicative of you picking up way too many pieces. 

Here’s a simple list for you to consider moving into menopause.

Take care of yourself. 
This is not a trite statement. It’s real, and it’s about time. If you haven’t learned how to do this before now, you must now. 
Say no. Take baths. Move in a way that feels good to you. Ask for hugs. Eat better. Take that trip. 
If none of those resonate, make your own list about what that might mean. We all know inside what that might look like. And if it's still difficult ask for help. 


Menopause as a gift.
It’s in the name. A time to pause. A time to reflect on this transformational transition and decide how you will now use all of the wisdom you’ve gained. There are other gifts.
Be open to what they are for you. I see so many women whose lives opened up after menopause. They saw more clearly their purpose, or what made them excited and went for it. At some point we recognize that we still have time. 

Eat Well. 
Protein, Essential fatty acids, Green food, and water.
This is a simplified list but there is lots of information about how good food supports us. And sometimes it's as simple as slowing down enough to just enjoy what we are putting into our mouths. Or enjoying the company we have as we eat. 

Herbs.
There are many herbs that support hormone production because of their molecular structure, and therefore can help alleviate symptoms.
Here are some to try: black cohosh, passionflower, chasteberry, wild yam and ashwagandha. Read the instructions or get some help from someone who knows how to take these herbs.

Move your body. 
Moving increases endorphins, which elevates our mood, which helps us feel better. It may be as simple as a walk through the woods. Or turning on some music to dance in the kitchen. Or it may be taking on a weightlifting class, a tai chi class or some hot yoga. 

Nap 
If you aren't getting enough sleep at night, try getting a nap in during the day. Or maybe go to bed a 1/2 hour earlier just to give your body a chance to unwind and relax. Also, if you are partnered, consider sleeping in separate beds. Sleep and sexy time are two different things.  


And luckily there are Homeopathic remedies that help too.
Here’s a short synopsis of five possible remedies. Remember, however, that having a homeopath help choose a remedy will likely give you better results. We don't see ourselves as well as someone else. And there are hundreds of remedies that could potentially help.   

  1. Pulsatilla: This remedy is considered a polycrest. It means that it has broad uses. Pulsatilla has many uses in childhood illnesses including colds and ear infections. But it is utilized enormously with many women's hormonal issues including pregnancy as well as menopause.
    It's used when a person is emotional. Easy weeping over the slightest causes. There is a sensitivity. After all, the remedy is made from a wind flower. Consider the "law of signatures". Symptoms can change "with the wind". They can move around. And it can be understandable that a woman needing this remedy feels better outside.  She may stick her feet out of the covers at night because she is hot. And despite the heat they are not often reaching for water. If you've had a history of difficult periods, this may also be an indication for Pulsatilla. 
  2. Sepia: Stagnation is the keyword for this remedy. It feels like everything has stopped, and it's difficult to even get out of the chair to do something. But if they can get up and get a workout in, they often feel better. A woman needing this remedy is often chilly and loves to spend time in the sun warming up.  She’s irritable and doesn’t want to be touched. In the old books it talks about "taking an antipathy to her husband."  Many of the symptoms come on due to exhaustion. It's the over work that leads to the stagnation. 
  3. Sulphur: Hot, hot, hot! And worse in the heat. Sweaty too. The heat rises and can be felt in the face. Being in bed under covers is heat-producing, so here’s another one that sticks their feet out of the covers. Sweets are their downfall and by 11 am they are hungry . . . even if they have eaten breakfast. Sometimes if the only thing you are dealing with in menopause is hot flashes, it's not inconceivable that a dose of Sulphur 30C on an as needed basis will help.
  4. Lachesis: Intense. Both the person and the symptoms can be described in this way. In the books the words "rage, jealousy and loquacity" are used frequently. Simply put, there's passion evident in the woman needing this remedy, if only in her symptoms. Everything is worse in the morning when they first wake up. Mornings are not good to them. Flow feels good. And this includes menstruation. If blood is minimal then there is more pain. Typically, a woman needing Lachesis doesn’t like things around their necks, it chokes or suffocates them. And many symptoms are left sided. 
  5. Sanguinaria: I add this remedy as it seems to be specific for frozen shoulder during menopause. I wish I had recognized my frozen shoulder as a menopausal symptom. It wasn't until later that I saw more and more women that had this problem through the hormonal shifts that are menopause.  
​

We can and do survive menopause. It’s what we do. Sometimes we arrive a little worse for wear. But we needn’t. On this side of the fence, opportunity abounds for more energy, creativity and thriving. 


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Scilla And The Virus

6/21/2022

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Two and a half years in one can’t help but notice that a certain virus continues to be with us. I don’t know how you’ve managed it, but besides taking supplements that are Immune system strengthening, Homeopathy is my go-to.  I have been lucky enough to escape the virus myself but have helped many others get through their symptoms faster and feel better sooner.  
Homeopathy is not a one size fits all system, but it’s also not super complicated to differentiate and come up with a remedy that fits a person’s symptoms.
Here is a case that I just took a week or so ago.
Male 73
A client called on a Friday afternoon having tested positive for Covid.  He had taken Aconite earlier in the day. I have instructed clients to take Aconite as soon as there is an inkling of any acute cold or flu. It is a beautiful remedy for the sudden onset of symptoms. And it has proven its benefit throughout the pandemic, mitigating symptoms and even staving off a deeper expression of the virus. He didn’t have many symptoms. He had some mucus in his throat and was coughing a bit.  I told him to continue the aconite for another dose or two that evening and call the next day if things progressed.
Saturday morning, I got a call. His symptoms had progressed. He told me that he slept poorly throughout the night.  He kept waking up needing to urinate. Mucus was lodged in his throat which was difficult to clear out and he was coughing quite a bit.
He woke up nauseous with some vertigo.  He went to the kitchen to fix something to drink because he was also feeling dehydrated. But he began to feel even more nauseous so headed to the bathroom. On the way, he thinks he passed out from vertigo.  He called while sitting on the bathroom floor.  He was clammy, sweaty, and feeling warm.  He thought he had a fever. 
The thought of putting something into his mouth to eat made him gag. But having a bit of cool water helped. He sounded hoarse. Lying down seemed to help.
What follows is an analysis of his symptoms using Heiner Frei’s Polarity Analysis.  The remedy that shows up as a number one choice is Scilla (or Squilla).  Two years ago Hahnemann Labs put together a COVID kit with this remedy in it.  I hadn’t seen it come up at all in any repertorizations.  And here it is.  The fact that he kept waking up at night to urinate, while not strictly conforming to what we normally think of for Scilla made me more confident in giving it a try.  (The materia medica mostly talks about the cough being so violent as to cause incontinence)
Here are the symptoms that I took that pointed most strongly to the remedy Scilla.
( < means worse  > means better )
> lying position
> warmly, from wrapping up
< rising from bed, after getting up
> lying down, after 
> resting (not moving)
< physical effort
thirst, absent
appetite, absent
urination, frequent
< sleep, during

He had the remedy in a 200C because he had the original Hahnemann kit.  I advised him to take several doses throughout the day and get back to me either later or the next day.

The following day I checked in on him because I hadn’t heard from him.  He was about 80% better according to his assessment and only had a lingering cough.
We decided that his body could likely take it the rest of the way and if he got stuck to call.
One case. One remedy.  Better in 24 hours. Homeopathy continues to amaze me.

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    Michele Brookhaus

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