Becoming a Homeopath
A Short Journey
‘I hadn’t really thought of myself as any thing to do with medicine or sickness, in fact I’d always been rather squeamish! But I had a great job in advertising, typically burning the candle at both ends and suddenly I couldn’t function. The weird thing was my doctor, who was very concerned, couldn’t put a finger on it. I had time off and slowly was able to work part time but the writing was on the wall for me and my career. So I resigned and went to stay with my parents in the country for a rest and time to reflect on what I could do with very little energy and feeling very sorry for myself.
My mother took me to see her friend who was a homeopath. I had been aware of this and had even talked to her on the phone in the past, as she had helped me with dreadful period pains as a teenager. I can only say it was like waking up after a long and feverish sleep- after my first appointment not only did I feel better physically but I felt differently. It was so subtle and she didn’t do anything dramatic, we just talked and she tracked back my illness and what I was doing at the time and gave me tiny pills to take. I kept up seeing her for six months, and now I still go once in a while.
The change in me was so dramatic and I was lucky, I felt I had a chance to do something else, my mind was buzzing with the questions I had and she was patient and leant me books and eventually I plucked up courage to apply for a study course. My turning point was my illness, without it I might never have achieved what I have now, a practice in a busy town, a great family and a rewarding career.’
There are many reasons why we study what we do, but in homeopathy there is nearly always a personal event that has been a hinge point in development. Sometimes students come because they have seen what homeopathy has done for a family member, or a child at scholl where they work, or a husband recover from a difficult disease. Whatever the reason curiosity is a powerful motivator to study. For students who already work in medicine or therapy the transition may not seem so great but bear in mind that studying holistic medicine is a reward as well as a challenge. It challenges our pre-conceived notions and gives us a new way of thinking.