Homeopathy and psychiatry: gambling

People who need lily remedies feel forced out, pushed aside, excluded, banished, rejected and dismissed. They also feel uncared for and ignored.

by Dr. Edward Gogek — 

These interviews should always lead the person back to childhood. The remedy state should be the same one throughout life.

Although addicts and alcoholics make up a large part of my practice, I have never seen homeopathy cure a substance abuse problem. Many of these individuals need a 12-step program. Homeopathy does not work well on genetic problems. However, process addictions, such as bulimia, gambling, sex and love addictions or compulsive shoplifting, respond well.

John was a middle-aged, married man with two teenage children and a good job. Late one night, his wife found him writing a suicide note. She convinced him to go to the hospital and, after a brief stay, he was sent to me.

He told me, “I have a gambling problem. I drained our bank account; we might lose our house. I just could not face my wife.” He had been going to Gamblers Anonymous (GA) and had not gambled in a month, but still thought about it all the time.

John had a big fear of heights, which is common in gamblers. Gamblers dream of rising to a high place financially, yet suffer from a terrible fear of falling all the way back down. That described his career as well.

“I was a vice-president and successful in a big company with 150 employees working under me. I am driven by success, but I do not think I am good. I liked being high up in a company and always wanted to achieve a higher goal. It made me feel OK, but it was scary. It felt like I was faking it, and people would find out. I might make a mistake, do the wrong thing and lose everything.”

A lot of homeopathic remedies help this feeling, and we tried several, with no results. He was stable, helped by an antidepressant and GA, but still insecure in his recovery because of his constant thoughts of gambling.

During one long interview, he shared this story. “When I am high up in a company, my fear is they will find out I am not any good, and then they will not want me. I am always afraid people will get to know me and not like me. They will find out I am not witty, funny or interesting, and they will like other people better. I was insecure and anxious like this as a kid.”

These interviews should always lead the person back to childhood. The remedy state should be the same one throughout life.

“My brothers and cousins were older and they played together. I wanted their approval. I was desperate for them to want me around, but they would lock me out and did not want to include me. They just did not find me fun; I was boring to them. I wanted to be liked and included.”

He still has that same feeling as an adult. “If I have a high position, then I will be important and people will like me. So I do not want to mess things up — to be unreliable. As long as I am successful, people will like me and want me around.”

This problem was in need of a lily family remedy. People who need lily remedies feel forced out, pushed aside, excluded, banished, rejected and dismissed. They also feel uncared for and ignored.

Inside, they feel a desire to hold on and to grasp tightly, so they will not be pushed out. They want to belong, to be incorporated and to be a part. They strive to be good-looking, interesting, pleasant and charming. They try to make people happy, so that they are liked and included.

The most commonly used lily remedy is Veratrum album. According to the Mumbai homeopaths, its sensation is an “acute fear of losing his social position and being suddenly excluded, fired or kicked out.” Many people needing this remedy go into politics. It is also known to treat compulsive gambling.

John took a single dose of homeopathic Veratrum album 200C. One month later, he hardly thought of gambling at all.

Edward Gogek, M.D., M.D.(H), is a board-certified psychiatrist who uses both alternative and conventional treatments in Prescott, Ariz. He graduated from the Hahnemann College of Homeopathy and has studied the sensation method with several of the Mumbai homeopaths. 928-443-0032 or www.drgogek.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 31, Number 3, June/July 2012.