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In This Chapter

^ Finding out what homeopathy is all about

^ Understanding how it works

^ Discovering what homeopathy can be good for

^ Knowing what to expect in a typical consultation

^ Knowing how to find a safe and effective homeopath

Omeopathy is one of the most widely practised, yet also one of the most controversial, forms of complementary medicine. This system of medicine is based on the principle of ‘like cures like’ and uses minute doses of substances that would Cause Symptoms in a healthy person, to Treat Those same symptoms in a sick person.

For more than 200 years, homeopathic medicines have successfully been used in Europe, India, the US, and elsewhere to treat a wide range of ailments and their popularity continues today. Homeopathy is now practised by many doctors, nurses, dentists, and vets as well as those trained specifically in homeopathy, and over-the-counter homeopathic remedies are big sellers in pharmacies and health food shops.

However, controversy rages because the substances used in homeopathic remedies are so diluted that no molecules of the original plant, mineral, or animal substance remain. For this reason, critics argue that homeopathic medicines cannot possibly be having any effect other than as a Placebo - that is, the effects are all in the mind of users. Also, research evidence showing positive effects for homeopathy is very limited and no one knows exactly how it works.

In this chapter, you discover the roots of homeopathy and look at the type of ailments it seems to help. I also examine ideas about how it may work and give you a bird’s-eye view of what happens in a homeopathic consultation. Finally, I give you some tips on how you may like to use homeopathy yourself.

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Finding Out about Homeopathy

The term homeopathy was coined by Dr Samuel Hahnemann from the Greek words Homoios, Meaning ‘similar’, and Pathos, Meaning ‘suffering’. Hahnemann based his therapy on the following principles:

The Law of Similars: Hahnemann believed that the effects of a substance on a healthy person could be identified by a system of Proving (see the later section ‘A (very) brief history of homeopathy’) and then used to treat the same symptoms in a sick person. This Law was revised by later homeopaths to the Law of Sameness, or the Doctrine of Isopathy, whereby a disease may be cured by diluted preparations of itself.

Infinitesimality: Hahnemann experimented with diluting substances to remove their toxicity and vigorously shaking them between dilutions, which he believed released their healing power. He concluded, controversially, that the more diluted a substance was, the more potent the remedy became. This is also known as the Principle of Minimum Dose.

Individualisation: Hahnemann considered each person to be unique according to their own complex physical, mental, and emotional makeup and believed that the whole person, and all their symptoms, needed to be treated, not only their disease and disease-related symptoms.

Homeopathic remedies are made from highly diluted plant, mineral, human, and animal substances and even poisons and are believed to work by somehow triggering the person’s natural healing ability. Sarcodes Are remedies prepared from healthy animal or human tissue or organs (for example, the remedy thyroidinum is prepared from a specimen of thyroid tissue). Nosodes Are preparations made from diseased or pathological specimens.

A (Very) brief history of homeopathy

The idea of like curing like has existed in medicine since ancient Greek times, when it was mentioned by the great physician Hippocrates. It has also been featured in folk medicine through the ages. However, the inspired work of a German doctor, Samuel Hahnemann, in the late 18th century, led to homeopathy being developed into a comprehensive system of medicine.

Hahnemann practised medicine for many years but gradually became disillusioned with the barbaric practices that were common at the time. He gave up his practice and concentrated on translating medical texts from various sources in his search for a more natural, yet effective system of medicine. The works of the renowned Scottish physician William Cullen and the great Swiss alchemist Paracelsus seem to have given him the clues he was looking for.

In Cullen’s great Materia Medica, Hahnemann read about the use of a bark, from the Peruvian cinchona tree, to treat malaria. Now we know that this bark is effective against malarial fever because of its quinine content but at the time Cullen claimed it was because of the bark’s bitterness. Hahnemann found this claim hard to accept since other bitter substances did not ease malaria. So he got some of the bark, which had become quite a common medicine in Europe at the time, and tried it on himself for two weeks. To his surprise he started to develop fever-like symptoms that mimicked malaria (some people have since suggested that he may have been allergic to the bark!). This outcome gave him the idea that more diseases may be cured by substances that could produce disease-like symptoms in the body.

Hahnemann wanted to try out various medicines of the day to see their effect on healthy bodies but realised doing so would be difficult with substances such as arsenic and mercury – common medicinal substances at the time but also known to be poisonous.

The great Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus had already suggested that it was ‘the dose that makes the poison’ and so Hahnemann hit on the idea of dissolving the substance in water or alcohol and then repeatedly diluting it until little of the original harmful substance was left, in order to make it safe. He also added a process of Succussion-Vigorous shaking between dilutions – which he believed somehow released the healing energy of the substance, although no scientific verification for this exists.

After experiencing malaria-like symptoms with cinchona bark, Hahnemann started testing out other substances – a system he called Proving - using himself and other healthy volunteers. He carefully observed the symptoms that were produced in the healthy subjects and then tried using the same substances on sick people with similar symptoms.

Hahnemann found that large amounts of a substance sometimes made symptoms worse and so he started to experiment with increased dilutions. To his surprise, the more diluted a substance was, the more potent it seemed to become as a remedy. He later called this concept the Law of Potentisation and, as he and others experimented by making ever greater dilutions, he noted that, even beyond the point where technically none of the original substance was left, the remedy could still have therapeutic effects.

Hahnemann started to practise again using his homeopathy, and his gentle, effective style of treatment rapidly gained popularity. He carried on testing out more and more substances by ‘proving’ and wrote his findings up in a series of voluminous books. His ideas soon began to spread around Europe and farther afield. In England his system of medicine soon became the treatment of choice for the upper classes and even enjoyed royal patronage, as it still does today. German doctors also took his therapy to America and India, where it is now used by more than 300,000 practitioners!

Grasping the idea behind homeopathy

Homeopathy is based on nine basic principles. The key principle is Hahnemann’s Law of Similars Described in the earlier section ‘Finding Out about Homeopathy’. Other important principles include:

1. The miasms, Which are three basic patterns of disease that underlie all human suffering – skin conditions, inflammatory conditions, and degenerative conditions (see the later section ‘Exploring miasms’ for more).

2. Proving, Which means that the profile of a remedy can be identified by giving it to volunteers and then recording all mental, physical, and emotional symptoms experienced.

3. The totality of symptoms - that the whole person needs to be treated, not just the disease. All symptoms are regarded as important, not only the disease-specific ones.

4. Hering’s law of direction of cure, Which homeopath Constantine Hering added in the 1800s. This law suggests that cure moves in a predictable order: downwards and outwards, from the most important organs or body systems to the lesser ones; from the mental to the emotional to the physical; and from the most recent symptoms to the oldest ones. Homeopaths use observation of this process to determine if a remedy appears to be working or needs to be adjusted.

5. Vital force Or an inherent ‘life force’ that governs health and disease. This concept has been likened to that of Qi In acupuncture. A weak vital force leads to disease. Hahnemann believed that homeopathic remedies could somehow stimulate the vital force.

6. The single remedy, A principle of classical homeopathy, advocates using only one remedy at a time according to its proving. However, many homeopaths now use combination remedies (known as Complex homeopathy). Classical homeopaths disapprove of this practice arguing that combined remedies have never been subject to provings so their effects are unknown.

7. Potentisation, Which is the belief that diluting and succussing remedies gives them their power.

8. Susceptibility, The principle that each person is different and responds best to different potencies of remedies.

Choosing the remedy

For homeopathy to work, you need to use the right remedy. The remedy is selected according to a Repertory (a huge guidebook on the profiles for different remedies) compiled from provings. Many homeopaths use large repertory books but some also now rely on computerised repertories.

Homeopathic potencies are described by means of numbers and letters, such as 30c.

The Roman numerals X (10), L (50), C (100), and M (1,000) refer to the number of parts of water or alcohol that one part of the original substance, or Mother tincture, Is diluted in. The numbers refer to how many times each drop has been taken from one volume and added to another.

The Roman numeral C indicates the Centesimal Scale, evolved by Hahnemann and using 1 in 100 dilutions, while the Roman numeral X represents

The Decimal Scale, evolved by Constantine Hering and using 1 in 10 dilutions.

Potencies range from low potencies of 1x, 3x, 3c, 6x, 30x, and 30c and so on, through mid potencies of 200c, to high potencies such as 1m, 10m, and 50m (a 1/50,000 dilution). Remember, the more diluted the mixture, the higher the potency.

These low and high potencies are often misunderstood to mean weaker or stronger remedies but potency relates to the action of the remedy rather than its strength.

If the symptoms abate and the person’s general condition improves, then the selected remedy has been correct. If no improvement is noted, then an alternative remedy may be chosen.

Selecting the potency

The potency of the remedy depends on the number of times it has been diluted and succussed.

Factors that determine the choice of potency include the person’s pattern of symptoms; their susceptibility to the remedy as determined by the homeopath; the nature and severity of their disease; and their age, constitution, temperament, and vitality. The potency may be increased over time.

Lower potencies are generally taken every few hours for a few days while higher ones are taken much less frequently, often just once in a week.

Determining constitutional types

Dr James Tyler Kent was responsible for developing remedies for what he called Constitutional types Of patients. This idea was further developed by his student Margaret Tyler and in modern times by the well-known Greek homeopath George Vithoulkas.

According to this concept many different constitutional types exist, characterised by different physical, mental, and emotional traits. Each type is associated with a particular remedy, and named after it, but other remedies may also be prescribed for different types too.

First the raw, natural material for the remedy is obtained from plant, mineral, human, or animal sources (nowadays, other more esoteric sources may also be used such as sunlight and holy water). The material is then chopped or ground and left to soak in a mixture, usually of 90 per cent alcohol and 10 per cent distilled water, for 2 to 4 weeks. Every now and then, the mixture is shaken to encourage the materials to dissolve in the liquid. When ready, this liquid is strained and bottled and is now known as the Mother tincture. A single drop of this tincture is taken and added to 99 drops of alcohol or water and then shaken or knocked rapidly against the hand or other hard but elastic surface (this process is called Suc-cussion). For each step of the dilution process, Hahnemann recommended that the liquid be succussed ten times. Succussion is a laborious process, so one of his followers, General Korsakov, invented a machine to carry out this process and modern versions of this machine are used today.

A dilution of 1 part per 100 is known as a 1C potency. If one drop of this solution is taken and

Added to 99 parts water or alcohol, this becomes a 2Cpotency. It is now 1 part in 10,000. If this process is done six times you get a solution with a 6C potency, Which is commonly sold in shops. This means the medicine has been diluted a million, million times, the equivalent to a drop of water in 20 swimming pools. If the medicine is diluted to a 15C potency, This is the equivalent of a million, million, million, million, million times dilution, less than one drop in all the world’s oceans. When you get to 30C potencies (Hahnemann’s preferred level of dilution), you’re talking about astronomical levels of dilution. Yet the weaker the dilution, the stronger the medicine is considered to be, as long as it is succussed between each successive dilution.

The diluted liquid is then bottled; or applied to sugar – or lactose-based tablets; Pillules (tiny, rounded pills); sucrose granules, which are then dried and packaged; or it can be added to ointments and creams.

Some examples of common homeopathic constitutional types are:

The Pulsatilla Type Is typically caring and kind and has a strong desire to be liked and accepted. They can be tearful and temperamental. This type is easily run down and may suffer frequent colds and flu.

The Nux Vomica Type Is typically highly competitive, hard working, strongly driven, and ambitious. Such people often suffer from overwork, stress, irritability, and impatience.

The Silica Type Is usually diligent and conscientious but lacking in confidence and often rather frail and prone to colds.

The Graphites Type Is prone to indecision and may be rather bulky physically and generally lazy, both mentally and physically. This type also has a tendency to suffer from skin problems.

The Lycopodium Type Is often outwardly successful but hides deep insecurity within. This type often suffers from digestive complaints.

Exploring miasms

Hahnemann was also concerned with the problem of curing chronic diseases and after 30 years of practise he identified three Miasms That he believed were the basis for all disease in later life.

The word miasm comes from a Greek word meaning ‘infection’ or ‘stain’. Hahnemann used the word to refer to an inherited condition, a trace of a former illness, or a toxicity, passed on subtly from generation to generation and predisposing an individual to certain types of disease. The three miasms that he identified were:

The psoric Is the most fundamental miasm and is associated with ‘the itch’ and scabies. The psoric miasm is said to underlie any skin condition, especially itchy ones.

The sycotic Is linked to the venereal disease gonorrhoea, and inflammatory conditions.

The syphilitic Is linked to the venereal disease syphilis and degenerative conditions.

Some homeopaths believe that the miasms may be combined; for example, a combination of the psoric and the sycotic is known as the Tubercular miasm, Linked to tuberculosis, while others believe that this is a separate miasm in its own right.

Developing nosodes

Hahnemann developed Nosode Remedies (from the Greek word Nosos,mean-ing disease) from diseased matter in sick humans (such as discharges of pus or mucus) in order to treat these miasms. This sounds disgusting but the multiple dilutions meant these toxic substances were rendered harmless. So, for example, psoric miasms were treated with the remedy Psorinum, Derived directly from infected scabies cells.

Nosodes (remedies made from diseased matter) are used by some homeopaths for homeopathic immunisation against childhood diseases, or for treating animals, but this practise is very controversial and there’s no evidence that it works. For example, at certain boarding kennels nosodes have been given to healthy dogs during a distemper outbreak in an attempt to protect them against the disease but there is no way of

Knowing if this was effective or not. More controversially, some parents have chosen to give their children homeopathic nosodes in place of actual immunisations. This practice has been severely criticised in medical circles because no evidence exists to show that the nosodes can protect against childhood diseases. Many homeopaths also disagree with this practice.

Hahnemann believed that the nosodes could help to clear patterns of inherited illness and toxicity. However, he also sensibly advocated good hygiene, healthy diet, fresh air, and exercise as important for health, too!

Homeopathy today

Homeopathy is not yet fully regulated in the UK, although moves are well underway to create a single register under the auspices of the Council for Organisations Registering Homeopaths (CORH) as a step towards this.

Most homeopaths are registered with one of the two main professional bodies (see the later section, ‘Finding a Good Homeopath’) and a New Registering and Regulatory Body (NRRB) is also being established.

New rules established in 2006 for the labelling of homeopathic products mean that therapeutic indications, such as ‘for colds’ or ‘for chilblains’, can now be displayed on over-the-counter homeopathic remedies as a useful guide for buyers.

In Europe and in India, homeopathy has continued to flourish, with several million consultations taking place each year. In the US homeopathy suffered a decline as orthodox medicine and modern pharmaceuticals became more prominent. Homeopathy is now becoming popular again, with remedies sold in many pharmacies and drug stores. However, practising laws vary from state to state and in many places you have to be a medical doctor to practise homeopathy.

Exploring Different Types of Homeopathy

Several different homeopathic approaches are in use today, including, among others, classical, complex, and clinical.

Classical homeopathy: Classical homeopathy Is based on the original work of Hahnemann. Followers of this approach prefer to use just one remedy at a time at a single potency. They believe that the real art is to identify the single, best remedy and potency for the person and then to carefully observe its effects, making adjustments as necessary. The advantage of this approach is that it is easier to determine the effects of any specific remedy.

I Complex homeopathy: Complex homeopathy Involves combinations of more than one remedy, sometimes at different potencies, and may also involve some herbal medicine. This form of homeopathy developed out of the work of 20th-century practitioners such as Swiss naturopath Alfred Vogel and German medical homeopath Dr Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg, who called his system homotoxicology, referring to the importance of toxins underlying disease. He believed that the body could select the most appropriate remedy and potency from complex formulae to deactivate and remove toxins.

I Clinical homeopathy: This approach, advocated by the medical doctor Douglas Borland, focuses on specific remedies for individual diseases and is usually referred to as Therapeutic homeopathy/prescribing.

Dr Schussler’s Tissue Salts: Dr Wilhelm Schussler, (sometimes also spelt Schuessler) a homeopathic physician, was an early follower of Hahnemann who initially used the full range of homeopathic remedies but later became convinced that most disease was linked to imbalance of minerals within the body’s cells. In 1872, he developed homeopathic remedies for 12 of the most common, essential mineral tissue salts found in the body using a dilution ratio of just 1:9 rather than the usual 1:99. This ratio means that the remedies do contain minute amounts of the actual mineral substance and so are part homeopathic and part micro-nutrient. Rather than treating like with like, these remedies are designed to enable the cell to rectify its imbalance. Schussler Tissue Salts are now widely available in health food shops and are also available in combination formulae.

Animal homeopathy: Increasing numbers of vets are now using homeopathic prescribing in the treatment of animals. The remedies, potencies, and so on are selected in the same way as for humans, with consideration given to the animal’s temperament and behaviour as well as their symptoms. Typical treatments are for infertility in cattle, infectious diseases in pigs, salmonella in chickens, and Cushing’s disease in horses and dogs, although the efficacy of these treatments still remains largely unproven.

Understanding How It Works

Hahnemann believed that the process of dilution and Succussion (vigorous shaking) somehow left an imprint of the substance that could trigger healing in the body.

The placebo effect is an improvement in health that is not due to actual treatment. For example, people who get better while on a doctor’s waiting list, without actually being seen or treated, are said to have been cured by the placebo of being on the waiting list rather than any medicine. Similarly, critics suggest that homeopathy works because psychologically people feel better after taking a pill even though the pill contains no measurable active substances.

Several studies that compare the effects of giving homeopathic remedies to giving identical

Pills or tablets that have not been homeopathi-cally treated have yielded similar results, leading at least one researcher to conclude that ‘homeopathy is little better than placebo’. However, a quite recent large-scale analysis of many trials combined suggested that the overall effect of homeopathy Was Greater than placebo. Both types of studies have been criticised and so the controversy currently still rages and further investigation is needed.

Modern-day homeopaths believe that this process somehow creates a vibra-tional or electrochemical pattern that is somehow then conveyed through water in the body direct to the cells.

Huge excitement was generated in 1988, when French researcher Jacques Benveniste published his work in the renowned journal, Nature, Suggesting that water could hold a memory of the substances with which it came in contact. His work on tiny cells suggested that a substance could still produce noticeable effects on the live cells even when hugely diluted.

However, Benveniste’s work was later discredited on the grounds that errors had occurred in data collection and analysis of results and his results could not be repeated elsewhere. Subsequently some laboratories do claim to have repeated his results but this has not yet been proven. Benveniste maintained to his death that his work could become a landmark finding of the 21st century and many of his supporters continue his work today.

Dr Masaru Emoto from Japan, who has developed a photographic technique for imaging water crystals, also claims that water may be able to carry a memory, but again his work remains controversial and unproven. Sceptics remain entirely unconvinced that water can have such a memory or that homeopathy can have any effect whatsoever other than placebo.

All this controversy means that many medics and scientists still reject homeopathy outright, while those who do accept it admit that they have no idea how it really works.

Discovering Whom and What Homeopathy Is Good For

Homeopaths claim that their remedies can bring about some sort of improvement for most ailments. Most homeopaths treat everyone from babies to the elderly and are used to dealing with both acute (recent, more severe) conditions and chronic (more long-lasting and often less severe) ones.

A typical cross-section of ailments treated by homeopaths includes hay fever, colds and flu, infant problems such as teething and colic, skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis, respiratory conditions such as asthma and coughs, digestive problems, joint problems such as rheumatism and arthritis, anxiety and depression, fevers, headaches, and chronic fatigue.

What’s the evidence that it Works?

Several large-scale studies, where data is pooled from different research trials, have concluded that homeopathy isn’t effective. These include studies at the Peninsular Medical School in Exeter by Professor Ezard Ernst and his colleagues, such as one that looked at studies of osteoarthritis being treated by homeopathy, and concluded that overall it was ineffective.

Some individual trials have shown positive results for homeopathy. These include three trials at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital by Dr David Reilly, which suggested that homeopathy could ease hay fever, and a study by Professor George Lewith and his colleagues at Southampton University, which showed that homeopathy could reduce allergic reactions to the house dust mite in asthma sufferers. Other trials have suggested homeopathy may help treat glue ear, infant diarrhoea, vertigo, premenstrual syndrome, asthma, and chronic fatigue – to name but a few conditions – as well as boost immune function in people that are HIV-positive. Some animal studies have also been encouraging.

Some large-scale trials have also yielded encouraging results. For example, a huge study at the Bristol Homeopathic Hospital reported that more than 70 per cent of 6,500 patients surveyed said that they noted improvements from their homeopathic treatment.

However, many studies have been criticised for design flaws and many have yielded negative or conflicting results so more good research is needed.

My son Michael was a very healthy baby, born at home. I had a fantastic pregnancy and an easy labour using only the homeopathic remedy Arnicato Ease discomfort during the labour and no other drugs or remedies of any kind. I recovered quickly and baby Michael thrived until one day, aged about 7 months, he suddenly developed a bright red patch on the side of his cheek and became irritable and upset. He already had a few teeth and teething had been uneventful, so I wasn’t too worried and thought this was probably just a slightly more difficult one. However, as the day wore on he became increasingly clingy and listless, wanting to be carried all the time, and I began to get concerned. I called a homeopathic colleague, who

Kindly came round to see him. She prescribed the childhood combination remedy ABC (Aconite, Belladonna, and Chamomilla) for Michael and the transformation was remarkable. Having been clingy and discomforted for nearly 10 hours, within 30 minutes of taking the remedy he was smiling happily and crawling about vigorously as usual with no sign of discomfort or of the redness on his cheek. He slept well that night and the next morning a beautiful new tooth started to peek through his gums but he didn’t even seem to notice it. I used this combination remedy often thereafter when he had difficulty teething and found it to be a really useful childhood ABC!

For more on homeopathy research, look at the research pages on the Society of Homeopath’s site (Www. homeopathy-soh. org), the British Homeopathic Association (Www. trusthomeopathy. org/case/res_toc. html) or the NHS Complementary and Alternative Medicine Specialist Library (www. Library. nhs. uk/cam).

When not to use homeopathy

Homeopathy is held to be entirely safe and non-toxic because of the level of dilution of the remedies; therefore it is not considered to have any contraindications and can be used by anyone. However, using inappropriate remedies may trigger mild symptoms as the remedy ‘proves’ itself, that is, it may bring on symptoms in an otherwise healthy person. Stopping the remedy should bring quick relief.

What to Expect in a Typical Consultation

Your first consultation with a homeopath is likely to be quite lengthy. The homeopath usually starts by asking you questions about your health and your life.

Questioning

The questions asked by homeopaths are sometimes surprising, as they seem so wide-ranging. They’re likely to cover not only your symptoms but also your general mood, diet, lifestyle, preferences, fears, and so on. The homeopath will also be interested in how you react to different types of weather or other environmental changes, how you feel at different times of the day, and more.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is based not only on your current symptoms but also your physical, mental, emotional, and even spiritual state. Your answers to questions will be used to build up a picture of your constitutional type, and of the best remedy and potency for you.

Written repertories will be consulted to check the appropriate remedy and may lead to further questioning to whittle down different alternatives. Increasingly, homeopaths are also using computer programs that enable them to rapidly check through the more than 2,000 remedies now available. The homeopath may also examine you or take account of other signs by doing the following:

I Listening to the tone of your voice

I Examining your skin tone and complexion

I Checking for any specific odours

Observing your facial expressions and posture

The homeopath also aims to identify or rule out any serious underlying disease that may require medical referral.

Treatment

The homeopath should explain your proposed treatment plan and give you precise instructions on how to take the remedy. Follow these instructions carefully. Sometimes the remedy is labelled, but some homeopaths prefer to give the remedy ‘blind’ and only tell you what it was after you’ve taken it.

The chosen remedy, or combination of remedies, is usually made up on the spot and then given to you, or else sent on to you shortly afterwards.

Remedies are often given as pills or tablets made from a lactose base. If you are intolerant to lactose (found in dairy products), inform your homeopath, who can then give you non-lactose remedies (usually made from fruit sugar) as an alternative. Sometimes powders, creams, or liquids may be given.

Taking homeopathic remedies

Never handle homeopathic remedies. Tip them direct from the cap of the dispenser into your mouth or transfer them via a spoon. Once in the mouth, allow the remedy to dissolve gradually.

Homeopathic remedies are considered so subtle and sensitive, you’re generally advised to take them 20 minutes before, or at least an hour or so after, food, rather than with food. Also avoid taking them anywhere near consumption of coffee, tea, peppermint (including in toothpaste and mouthwashes – most homeopaths recommend that you use herbal, non-mint toothpaste while taking homeopathic remedies), or cigarettes. Other strong smells or substances are also thought to interfere with the remedies, including menthol, camphor, eucalyptus (these are often found in cold remedies), and aromatherapy oils. Don’t use these substances at the same time as homeopathy and don’t store them near homeopathic tablets.

Store homeopathic tablets in a cool, dark place away from any other substances with strong odours.

If you’re flying, try to avoid putting your remedy through the x-ray scanners. Many airports will allow homeopathy to be hand-checked but you Must Also carry a prescription from your homeopath or a receipt from your homeopathic supplier as verification. With current tighter restrictions on hand luggage, homeopathic medicines may not always be permitted – check with your airline before flying. You may have to check them in your main baggage.

Remember to always tell your homeopath if you’re taking any other medicines, supplements, or remedies, and about any recent dental treatment, in case these may interfere with the chosen remedy.

Your homeopath may also give you some general lifestyle and dietary advice.

Knowing what to expect once you start treatment

After taking your remedy, you may start to notice some changes. Sometimes people feel almost immediate improvement and just continue to feel better as treatment goes on. Other times, symptoms may appear to get slightly worse before they get better. This is regarded by homeopaths as a Healing crisis, Which normally passes quickly.

If you have any severe increase in symptoms or any other outcome that you’re worried about, consult your homeopath as soon as possible. If symptoms are just mild, you may want to make a note of them to discuss with your homeopath at your next appointment.

Knowing how long to continue taking the remedy

Your homeopath will give you precise instructions for taking your remedy and you need to follow these carefully. In general, remedies are only taken for a short time and dosage is decreased or stopped as symptoms improve.

Duration and frequency

Your first consultation with a homeopath usually lasts between one and two hours. Subsequent visits are shorter, usually 30 minutes or so. You’ll probably be asked to have one or two of these shorter follow-up visits to check that the remedy is working and to make any necessary adjustments to the remedy being taken.

Knowing Whether Your Homeopathy Treatment Is Working

You may experience immediate benefits from a homeopathic remedy or you may experience a mild flare-up of symptoms and feel more tired than usual. These effects should pass in a day or so and improvements should be noticeable. Be patient and allow the remedy to work its course.

If you experience a significant deterioration in your symptoms, or a marked fever, contact your homeopath for advice.

Ask your homeopath what improvements you can realistically expect over what sort of timescale. For best results, carefully follow the directions for taking the remedy and the diet and lifestyle advice given by your homeopath.

If you have no improvement after a course of treatment, then it may be that the right remedy has not been selected for your ailment or that homeopathy may not be effective for your condition. Discuss this situation with your practitioner.

Here are some common questions that I’m often asked about homeopathy:

IU Are homeopathic remedies safe? Yes, because they’re so diluted, homeopathic remedies do not normally have any toxicity or side effects, so pregnant women and babies can take them. Reported side effects are extremely rare.

IU Can I treat myself with homeopathic remedies? Yes, many people keep homeopathic remedies in their first aid cupboard at home and use them for common minor ailments such as bruises, cuts, colds and flu. Many health centres and colleges also run courses on self-use homeopathy where you can learn more (see, for example, Www. revital. com).

If you have any serious complaint or medical concern, always seek the advice of a qualified health professional.

IU How often do I take the remedies? How often you take the remedies depends on your general health and the type of health problem that you’re trying to rectify. For acute conditions, such as a new bruise being treated with the remedy Arnica, the remedy may be taken every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, every hour, or every two hours, according to the severity of the symptoms or the recommendation from your practitioner. For chronic conditions, the remedy is usually taken three to six times a day. Once the remedy starts to work you normally tail off its use and it is only re-used if symptoms recur. You usually take nosodes only once (refer to the earlier section ‘Developing nosodes’).

Most homeopaths strongly caution against self-prescribing of nosodes because they consider them to have very potent effects on the body.

IU Does it matter if I drink coffee while taking homeopathic remedies?

The potency of homeopathic remedies may be affected by strong tastes and odours. Try to cut out, or reduce intake of items such as coffee, tea, and mint while on homeopathic remedies and at least to take them one hour before or after the remedy. Good alternatives are herbal teas, dandelion coffee, juices, smoothies, and good old-fashioned water!

IU Do the remedies taste bad? No, most have a mildly sweet taste.

I Can I take other medication at the same time? Yes, homeopathic remedies can be taken at the same time as most medicines but do inform your homeopath of what you are currently taking.

Finding a Good Homeopath

Most qualified homeopaths in the UK are members of one of the following:

IU Society of Homeopaths (Tel: 0845 450 6611; Www. homeopathy-soh. org): This is the largest organisation registering professional homeopaths in the UK. All its members have undergone a three-year full-time, or four-year part-time, training approved by the Society. Not all members are also medically qualified. The Society regulates standards of training and practice and has a complaints procedure for the public. It also operates a directory of registered practitioners. Members have the letters RSHom or FSHom after their names.

British Homeopathic Association and the Faculty of Homeopathy (Tel:

0870 444 3950; Www. trusthomeopathy. org/trust/tru_sea. html): This organisation has more than 1,300 members worldwide. All are medically qualified or from disciplines allied to medicine (such as nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, podiatrists, and vets). Full members have the letters FFHom (Fellow of the Faculty of Homeopathy) or MFHom (Member of the Faculty) after their names. Those with a basic level of training are designated as LFHom (Med). The Association operates a Code of Ethics and complaints procedure and a member directory.

In the UK you can see a homeopath on the NHS. Five homeopathic hospitals – in Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, and Tunbridge Wells – were incorporated into the NHS when it was set up. Your GP can refer you to one of these hospitals. Many health insurance companies also cover homeopathic treatment.

In the US, laws about the practice of homeopathy vary from state to state. Take a look at the National Center for Homeopathy (Tel: 00 1703 548 7790; Www. homeopathic. org).

You can find homeopathic associations in other countries (for example, India, Australia, and New Zealand) at Www. homeopathyhome. com

Other ways of finding a homeopath are to:

Ask friends, family, and colleagues for personal recommendations.

Consider visiting the teaching clinics at homeopathy colleges. All students practise under close supervision from experienced practitioners and fees are low compared to private practice.

To find a homeopathic vet, contact the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS) (Tel: 01367 718115; Www. bahvs. com) for a list of vets trained in homeopathy. A few have gained the Faculty of Homeopathy’s veterinary qualifications VetMFHom or VetFFHom.

Questions to ask your homeopath

You may want to ask your homeopath about the following:

Qualifications: Most practitioners are happy to give details of their training and qualifications.

Insurance: Members of professional associations must have appropriate indemnity insurance.

Experience: Ask your practitioner about their experience in treating your particular ailment and their usual degree of success.

Treatment: Ask about the likely frequency of consultations that you may need and the costs involved.

Counting the cost of homeopathy

Initial homeopathy consultations usually cost around Ј40 to Ј100, while follow-up sessions are in the region of Ј20 to Ј45. NHS homeopathic hospital treatment, by referral from your GP, is free.

Some homeopaths offer concessions for infants, retired persons, or those on benefits. Ask your homeopath for details.

Gaining satisfaction

If you’re dissatisfied with your treatment, first talk things over with your practitioner. If you think that the practitioner has been negligent or unethical in any way, then contact their professional body and go through the formal complaints procedure.

In This Chapter

^ Making particle numbers manageable with Avogadro’s number ^ Converting between masses, mole counts, and volumes ^ Dissecting compounds with percent composition

^ Moving from percent composition to empirical and molecular formulas

Chemists routinely deal with hunks of material containing trillions of trillions of atoms, but ridiculously large numbers can induce migraines. For this reason, chemists count particles (like atoms and molecules) in multiples of a quantity called the Mole. Initially, counting particles in moles can be counterintuitive, similar to the weirdness of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie Rainman, When he informs Tom Cruise’s character that he has spilled 0.41 fraction of a box of 200 toothpicks onto the floor. Instead of referring to 82 individual toothpick particles, he refers to a fraction of a larger unit, the 200-toothpick box. A mole is a very big box of toothpicks — 6.022 X 1023 toothpicks, to be precise. In this chapter, we explain what you need to know about moles.

Counting Your Particles: The Mole

If 6.022 X 1023 strikes you as an unfathomably large number, then you’re thinking about it correctly. It’s larger, in fact, than the number of stars in the sky or the number of fish in the sea, and is many, many times more than the number of people who have ever been born throughout all of human history. When you think about the number of particles in something as simple as, say, a cup of water, all your previous conceptions of "big numbers" are blown out of the water, as it were.

The number 6.022 X 1023, known as Avogadro’s number, Is named after the 19th century Italian scientist Amedeo Avogadro. Posthumously, Avogadro really pulled one off in giving his name to this number, because he never actually thought of it. The real brain behind Avogadro’s number was that of a French scientist named Jean Baptiste Perrin. Nearly 100 years after Avogadro had his final pasta, Perrin named the number after him as an homage. Ironically, this humble act of tribute has misdirected the resentment of countless hordes of high school chemistry students to Avogadro instead of Perrin.

Avogadro’s number is the conversion factor used to move between particle counts and numbers of moles:

_1mol_

6.022 X 1023 particles

Like all conversion factors, you can invert it to move in the other direction, from moles to particles. (Flip to Chapter 2 for an introduction to conversion factors.)

How many water molecules are in one tablespoon of water, if the tablespoon holds 0.82 moles?

4.9 X 1023 molecules. To convert from moles to particles, you need a conversion factor with moles in the denominator and particles in the numerator.

0.82 mol X 6.022 X 1023molecules = 49 X I023molecules 1 1mol

The units of moles in the numerator of the first term and the denominator of the second term cancel, so you’re left with the final answer of 4.9 X 1023 molecules.

If the average galaxy has approximately 150 billion stars, and if astronomers estimate that the universe has at least 125 billion galaxies, how many moles of stars are in the universe?

Solve It

2. On Earth, there are roughly 200 million

Insects for every single human being. If the current world population is nearly 7 billion, how many moles of bugs are on the planet?

Solve It

3. How many atoms of carbon-14 are in the average human body given the following four facts:

1. Carbon makes up 23% of the human body by weight.

2. The average human body has a mass of 150 kg.

3. There are approximately 83 moles in every kg of carbon.

4. One in every trillion atoms of carbon is carbon-14.

Solve It

Assigning Mass and Volume to Moles

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In This Chapter

^ Identifying healthy and unhealthy negative emotions

Understanding the thinking, behaving, and attention components of emotions ^ Defining the emotional problems you want to solve

Rhis chapter aims to introduce you to some of the key differences between the unhealthy negative emotions you may experience and their healthy counterparts. The information we offer also helps you to discover ways to identify whether you’re experiencing a healthy or an unhealthy emotional response.

You may be wondering why we’re focusing on Negative Emotions in this chapter and neglecting positive feelings such as happiness. You may be asking: ‘What Is It with these two? They’re so bleak!’ The reason for dealing with the negative is that few people pitch up for therapy because they’re having problems with positive emotions. Not a lot of people come to us looking for a way to overcome their relentless feelings of contentment. The emotions that give people trouble typically include guilt, anger, depression, and shame.

Although feeling bad when bad things happen is natural, you don’t need to make things worse for yourself by giving yourself unhealthy negative emotions. Healthy negative emotions are generally less profoundly uncomfortable and less problematic than their unhealthy counterparts. For example, feeling intensely Sad (a healthy negative emotion) is less uncomfortable than feeling intensely Depressed (an unhealthy emotion). Likewise, feeling intense sadness can prompt you to do things to improve your situation, but depression’s more likely to lead to your inaction and resignation.

Fortunately, you can Think What to Feel, To a greater or lesser extent, which can reduce your emotional discomfort. By choosing to think in healthy and helpful ways, you’re more likely to experience healthy emotions.

Naming \lour Feelings

If someone asks you how you feel, you may have difficulty describing exactly which emotion you’re feeling. You may not be sure what name to give to your internal experience, or perhaps you’re feeling more than one emotion at the same time.

Don’t get caught up on words! When you start to make a distinction between healthy and unhealthy feelings, what you call them isn’t terribly important. The main point is to be able to analyse your thoughts and behaviours, and to take notice of where your attention is focused (CBT refers to this as Attention focus). These three areas are ultimately your most reliable guides as to which type of emotion you’re experiencing.

For the sake of clarity, therapists can often encourage people to use different words for unhealthy and healthy alternatives to common feelings. For example, you could use the word ‘anger’ to describe an unhealthy emotion and ‘annoyance’ to describe the healthy counterpart.

Some people find it simpler to choose a descriptive word for their emotion and to add the term ‘healthy’ or ‘unhealthy’ to that word. Whatever way you prefer to describe your emotions is okay – the important bit’s understanding the category each emotion falls into. Different people have different ways of describing things. Think about how you’d describe an oil painting compared with the way a friend or art critic may talk about it. Similarly, people describe emotional states in diverse ways. You, a friend, and a psychotherapist (someone highly skilled in discussing emotions) may all use very different words to describe the same type of feeling.

If you’re not used to talking about the way you feel, you may have a hard time finding the words to reflect your feelings.

The following is a reference list of common human emotions and their synonyms, which you can use to increase your vocabulary of Emotive (relating to emotions) terminology. This list is not broken down into healthy and unhealthy emotions.

Angry: Aggressive, annoyed, bad-tempered, complaining, confounded, cross, displeased, enraged, fractious, fuming, furious, hostile, ill-tempered, incensed, irritated, livid, miffed, peevish, prickly, resentful, testy, touchy, truculent.

Anxious: Agitated, apprehensive, bothered, concerned, edgy, fearful, fretful, frightened, jumpy, nervous, nervy, panicky, restless, tense, troubled, uneasy, vexed, worried.

Ashamed: Belittled, debased, defamed, degraded, discredited, disgraced, dishonoured, humiliated, mortified, scorned, smeared, sullied, tarnished, undignified, vilified.

Disappointed: Crestfallen, deflated, dejected, discouraged, disenchanted, disheartened, disillusioned, dismayed, gutted, let down, thwarted.

Embarrassed: Awkward, diminished, discomfited, humiliated, ill at ease, insecure, self-conscious, small, timid, uncomfortable, unconfident, unsure of oneself.

Envious: Green with envy, malevolent, malicious, Schadenfreude, sour, spiteful.

Guilty: Answerable, at fault, blameworthy, condemned, culpable, deplorable, indefensible, inexcusable, in the wrong, liable, reprehensible, unforgivable, unpardonable.

Hurt: Aggrieved, broken-hearted, cut to the quick, cut up, damaged, devastated, gutted, hard done by, harmed, horrified, injured, marred, offended, pained, wounded.

Jealous: Bitter and twisted, distrustful, doubtful, green-eyed, sceptical, suspicious, wary.

LOVE: (we threw this one in just to lighten the mood) admiring, adoring, affectionate, besotted, blissful, crazed, devoted, enamoured, esteemed, fond, head over heels, infatuated, keen, loved-up, love-struck, mad about, on cloud nine, smitten, struck by cupid’s arrow, worshipping.

Sad: Bereft, blue, depressed, distraught, distressed, down, downcast, downhearted, grief-stricken, heartsick, inconsolable, melancholic, mournful, shattered, sorrowful, tearful.

Thinking What to Feet

One benefit of understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy emotions is that you give yourself a better chance to check out what you’re thinking. If you recognise that you’re experiencing an unhealthy emotion, you’re then in a position to challenge any faulty thinking that may be leading to your unhealthy emotional response. Disputing and correcting thinking errors can help you to experience a healthy, negative emotion instead of an unhealthy feeling (see Chapter 2 for more on thinking errors and how to correct them).

A common axiom is ‘I think therefore I am’; a CBT version is ‘I think; therefore I feel.’

Feelings aren’t as one-dimensional as they may seem. How you feel is more than just the emotion itself, because feelings don’t just come out of thin air – they have a context. When you begin to make a distinction between your healthy and unhealthy emotions, look at the Interaction Between your thinking, your actions, your attention focus, your memory, your themes or triggers, and the way you feel. Take a look at Table 6.1 in the section that covers comparing healthy and unhealthy emotions further on in this chapter, which gives a clear breakdown of the characteristics of healthy and unhealthy emotions.

Understanding the Anatomy of Emotions

Figure 6-1 shows the complex processes involved in human emotion. Whenever you feel a certain emotion, a whole system is activated. This system includes the thoughts and images that enter your mind, the memories you access, the aspects of yourself or the surrounding world that you focus on, the bodily and mental sensations you experience, physical changes such as appetite, your behaviour, and the things you Feel like Doing.

As the diagram shows, these different dimensions interact in complex ways. For example, training your attention on possible threats is likely to increase the chance of anxious thoughts popping into your mind, and vice versa. Not sleeping well may increase the chances of you being inactive; continued inactivity can further disrupt your usual sleeping pattern. The advantage of understanding this system of emotion as presented in Figure 6.-1, is that it gives you plenty of opportunity to make changes. Changing even one aspect of the system can make changing other parts easier.

An example of change is becoming more active if you’ve been inactive, which may alleviate your feelings of depression and make it easier for you to challenge your depressive, pessimistic thinking. Being prescribed antidepressant medication, which works by effecting brain chemistry, can take the edge off your depression. Use of antidepressants can make it easier for you to train your attention Away From your negative thoughts and uncomfortable symptoms and Towards Possible solutions to some of your practical problems. (See Chapter 10 for more about overcoming depression.)

Comparing Healthy and Unhealthy Emotions

Deciphering between healthy and unhealthy versions of negative emotions can be challenging, especially when the process is new to you. Think of Table 6-1 as your emotional ready reckoner for the characteristics of both healthy and unhealthy emotions. Everything you may need to identify the emotion you’re experiencing is in this table. Plus, if you do identify that an emotion you’re experiencing is unhealthy, you can implement the thoughts, attention focuses, and behaviours of the healthy version to aid you in feeling better.

Table 6-1 (continued)

Is realistic about degree of disapproval from others

Responds to attempts from social group to return to normal

Is realistic about how long disapproval will last

Hurt (unhealthy) Other person treats Has rigid and extreme

One badly (self is attitudes undeserving)

Looks for evidence of Stops communicating with other other person not caring person/sulks or being indifferent

Overestimates unfairness of other’s behaviour

Punishes other person through silence or criticism, without stating what one feels hurt about

Thinks other person doesn’t care

Thinks of self as alone and uncared for

Dwells on past hurts

Thinks other person must make first move towards resolution

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Disappointment (healthy) Other person treats Has flexible and

One badly (self is preferential attitudes undeserving)

Focuses on evidence Communicates with other person about that other person does feelings care and isn’t indifferent

Is realistic about degree of unfairness of other’s behaviour

Tries to influence other person to act in fairer manner

Thinks other person acted badly but doesn’t think that they don’t care

Thinks partner finding Views partner’s Allows partner to express natural interest

Others attractive is normal conversation with other in opposite sex without imagining as normal infidelity

Envy (unhealthy) Another person Has rigid and extreme Focuses on how to get Criticises the person with desired

Possesses attitudes the desired possession possession

Something without regard for any

Desirable (self lacks consequences desired thing)

Table 6-1 (continued)

Emotion Theme Thoughts Attention Focus Behaviour/Action Tendencies

Remorse (healthy) Broken moral code Has flexible and Doesn’t look for Faces up to healthy pain that comes with

(by failing to do preferential attitudes evidence of others knowing that one has sinned something or by blaming oneself for

Committing a sin), the sin

Hurting or offending significant other

Considers actions in Doesn’t look for Asks for forgiveness

Context and with evidence of punishment

Understanding before or retribution

Making a judgement

About whether one

Has sinned

Themes Refer to situational aspects linked to emotion. Themes are the same for both healthy and unhealthy negative emotions. For example, when you feel Guilty (an unhealthy negative emotion), the theme for that emotion is that you’ve ‘sinned’ by either Doing Or Failing to do Something. Another way of saying that you’re guilty is that you’ve transgressed or failed to live up to your moral code. Remorse, The healthy alternative to guilt, results from the same theme as guilt. However, your thoughts, behaviours, and focus of attention, are different when you are remorseful and when you are guilty.

Themes can be useful in helping you to put your finger on the nature of the emotion you’re experiencing. However, themes are not enough to help you decide whether your emotion is a healthy or unhealthy one. Consider the following situation:

Imagine that you have an elderly aunt who needs your help to continue living independently. You usually visit your aunt at the weekend and do jobs that she’s too frail to do for herself, like changing light bulbs and cleaning windows. Last weekend you went skiing with friends instead of checking in on your aunt. Your aunt got impatient waiting for the light bulb in her hallway to be changed and tried to do it herself. Unfortunately, your aunt fell off the chair she was standing on and broke her hip.

Thematically, This situation is one in which you broke or failed to fulfil a personal moral code, resulting in hurting or offending someone else.

If you feel guilty (an unhealthy negative emotion), you are very likely to experience the following:

Type of thinking: Your thinking becomes rigid and demand-based. You conclude that you’ve definitely done a bad thing (sinned). You assume more personal responsibility than may actually be legitimate, discounting or not considering mitigating factors. You may believe that some form of punishment is deserved and/or imminent.

Focus of attention: You look for more evidence that you’ve sinned, or you look for evidence that others hold you responsible for the sin.

Behaviour (action tendency): You may desire to escape from guilty feelings in self-defeating ways – for example, begging for forgiveness, promising that you’ll never commit a sin again, punishing yourself, physically or through deprivation, or by attempting to disclaim any legitimate responsibility for the wrongdoing.

By contrast, you can think about the situation differently and feel remorse (a healthy negative emotion). Although the same theme (a broken or failed moral code, causing hurt or offence to a significant other) still applies, you experience the following:

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Type of thinking: Your thinking is more flexible and preference-based. You look at actions in context and with understanding before making a judgement about whether you sinned. You consider mitigating factors of the situation and do not believe that punishment is deserved and/or imminent.

Focus of attention: You don’t look for further evidence that you sinned. Neither do you look for evidence that others hold you responsible for the sin.

Behaviour (action tendency): You face up to the healthy pain that comes with knowing that you’ve sinned. You may ask for, but not beg for, forgiveness. You understand the reasons for your wrongdoing and act on that understanding. You may atone for the sin by taking a penalty and/or making appropriate amends. You avoid defensiveness and excuse-making.

The theme involving both guilt and remorse is the same, but your thinking, action tendencies, and focus of attention are very different.

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Action tendency Refers to an urge to behave in a certain way that you may or may not actually act upon. Different emotions produce an urge within you to do certain things. In some cases, you may actually do or say something, and in others you may just be aware that you Want To do or say something. Maybe Wanting To run out of a room and hide when feeling ashamed, or feeling unhealthily angry and Wanting To punch someone’s lights out, without actually doing so.

Spot the difference in thinking

As the example in the preceding section illustrates unhealthy emotions can spring from rigid, Demand-based thinking. Thoughts or beliefs like ‘other people must behave respectfully towards me at all times’ and ‘I should always get what I want without hassle’ can lead to unhealthy anger when other people and the world don’t meet these demands.

Healthy emotions spring from flexible, Preference-based thinking. So, thoughts and beliefs like ‘I prefer others to treat me respectfully, but they’re not bound to do so’ and ‘I prefer to get what I want without hassle, but no reason exists that this should always be the case’ can lead to healthy annoyance when other people and the world don’t meet your preferences.

Rigid thinking is a reliable indicator that you’re having an unhealthy feeling. When you think rigidly, you’re more likely to underestimate your ability to cope with and overcome the negative event in question. The more adept you become at identifying your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes as either rigid and demanding or flexible and preferential, the easier you can work out whether your feelings are healthy or unhealthy.

When you feel Guilty, You think in an unhealthy, rigid, demand-based manner and may say things like the following:

‘I absolutely shouldn’t have left my aunt alone.’

‘Leaving my aunt alone was a bad thing and means I’m a bad person.’

‘I can’t bear the pain of knowing that I’ve done this bad thing of leaving my aunt alone.’

You may then continue to think in the following guilt-enhancing ways:

You fail to acknowledge that your aunt ultimately chose to try to change the light bulb herself. You fail to acknowledge that other members of your family can also check in on your aunt.

You ignore the fact that you had no way of knowing that the light bulb needed changing, and that you had not foreseen your aunt taking such a risk.

You expect that your aunt will blame your entirely. You think about the punishment that you believe you deserve.

By contrast, if you feel Remorseful, You think in a healthy, flexible, preference-based manner and may say things such as:

‘I wish I hadn’t left my aunt alone, but regrettably I did.’

‘Leaving my aunt alone may mean that I’ve done a bad thing but not that I’m a bad person.’

‘I can bear the pain of knowing that I’ve done this bad thing of leaving my aunt alone.’

You can then continue to think in helpful ways:

You can acknowledge your part in the accident occurring, but you can also consider that other members of the family failed to check in on your aunt.

You can acknowledge that you didn’t foresee your aunt taking the risk of changing a light bulb. Nor did you know that the bulb would burn out.

You can expect that your aunt may be upset with you, but you believe that you don’t deserve a severe punishment.

Taking legitimate responsibility for what happens in a situation enables you to think about the event in a holistic way. You don’t need to prolong uncomfortable feelings of remorse beyond what is reasonable and appropriate to the situation. Your ability to solve problems isn’t impeded by feelings of guilt.

Spot the difference in behaving, and Ways you Want to behave

Another way of figuring out whether your emotion is in the healthy or unhealthy camp, is to have a look at your actual behaviour or the way in which you feel inclined to behave.

Healthy negative emotions are accompanied by largely constructive behaviours, whereas unhealthy feelings usually go hand-in-hand with self-defeating behaviours. Problem-solving is still possible when you’re healthily sad, annoyed, remorseful, or regretful, but you have much greater difficulty planning clear ways to surmount your problems when you’re unhealthily depressed, enraged, guilty, or ashamed.

For example, if you respond to your aunt’s falling over with Guilt-based action tendencies, You may do one or more of the following:

Go out and get quite drunk, trying to block out your guilty feelings.

Visit your aunt in hospital and plead for her forgiveness.

Promise that you’ll never again let down your aunt, or anyone else dear to you, for as long as you live.

Decide that you won’t go on any other trips while your aunt is alive.

The preceding behaviours are problematic because they’re extreme and unrealistic. These actions focus on self-punishment rather than look at the reality of the situation and how you can, in this example, best meet your aunt’s needs.

On the other hand, if you’re feeling healthy remorse your Action tendencies, You may include some of the following:

Endure the discomfort of knowing that your aunt has been hurt (rather than getting drunk to avoid it).

Visit your aunt in hospital regularly and apologise for having left her alone.

Understand that your aunt needs continuous support but that you have the right to go away with friends.

Plan to stay with your aunt for a week or so after she’s discharged from hospital.

Resolve to plan your trips away more carefully and to arrange for nursing staff to be with your aunt when you’re unavailable.

The preceding behaviours are geared towards making sure that your aunt doesn’t hurt herself again during your absence. By taking an appropriate amount of responsibility for the accident, you can still look for ways to provide comfort for your aunt rather than concentrate on punishing yourself.

Spot the difference in what you focus on

In addition to differences in types of thinking and behaving, you can distinguish healthy from unhealthy emotions by checking out the focus of your attention. If you’re having an unhealthy emotion, your mind is likely to focus on catastrophic possibilities in the future based on the primary event.

If you’re responding to the injured auntie situation from a place of Guilt, You may focus your attention on the following:

Blaming yourself for abandoning your aunt and for the accident happening.

Feeling the pain of your guilt whilst neglecting to consider potential solutions to the problem of your aunt needing continuous care.

Looking for evidence that your aunt blames you entirely for the accident.

Looking for blame from other people, such as hospital staff and family members.

You continue to give yourself an unduly rough ride, thereby prolonging your distressing, guilt feelings by focusing on the bleakest possible aspects of your aunt’s accident.

If you respond to the situation from a place of remorse, you are likely to focus your attention on the following:

Accepting that leaving your aunt alone may have been a bad decision but that you had no intention of putting her at risk.

Feeling the pain of remorse over the accident but also trying to find ways to improve the situation.

Not seeking out evidence of blame from your aunt.

Acknowledging evidence that hospital staff or family members do not blame you for the accident.

Thus, your attention focus when you respond from a place of remorse enables you to take some responsibility for your aunt’s broken hip, but you don’t dwell on the potential for blame and punishment.

Spatting Similarities in \lour Physical Sensations

Butterflies in your stomach, blood racing through your veins, light-headed-ness, sweaty palms, heart pounding. Sound familiar? We expect so. If someone described these physical symptoms to you, you may try to guess what emotion they were experiencing. However, it would be difficult to confidently determine the specific emotion, because these sensations can accompany several different positive and negative emotional states. For example, you may get butterflies in your stomach when you’re excited, angry, anxious, or in love, as illustrated in Figure 6-2.

The sensations that you feel in your body also tend to overlap in both healthy and unhealthy negative emotions. For example, you may get butterflies in your stomach when you’re unhealthily anxious And When you’re healthily concerned. Therefore, using your physical symptoms as a guide to judging the healthiness of your negative feelings isn’t very reliable.

The main way in which your physical responses are likely to vary between the healthy and unhealthy categories is in their intensity. You probably find that

Sensations are more intense, uncomfortable, and debilitating when you’re having unhealthy emotions, such as anxiety and anger. You may also notice that uncomfortable physical sensations last longer when you are experiencing unhealthy negative emotions.

Incidentally, we believe that if you’re experiencing butterflies, sweaty palms, racing blood, light-headedness, and a pounding heart all at once, then you really Are In love!

Identifying Feelings about Feelings

Getting two emotions for the price of one is not such a great deal when two unhealthy negatives emotions are on offer.

CBT professionals call feelings about feelings Meta-emotions. The prefix Meta Comes from Greek and means ‘beside’ or ‘after’.

Sometimes, you can give yourself a second helping of unhealthy emotion by holding rigid demands about which emotions you believe are acceptable for you to experience in the first place.

A common example of feelings about feelings is found in depression. Many people have guilty feelings about their depression. This guilt often comes from the demands people make of themselves, for example that they mustn’t let other people down or put undue strain on loved ones. Here are some typical guilt-producing thoughts that are common in depressed people:

‘I should be contributing more to the running of the home.’

‘I must be able to demonstrate love and care to my children.’

‘My partner and children are worried about me, and I’m making them suffer.’

‘I shouldn’t be neglecting my friends in this way.’

Recognising your meta-emotions is important, because meta-emotions can prevent you from dealing with your primary emotional problems. For example, you may be feeling guilty about having depression. If you can stop feeling guilty, you’ll almost certainly find that you can work on overcoming your depression more effectively.

If you find that the concept of feeling guilty about being depressed really does strikes a chord with you, go to Chapter 10, where we discuss it in more detail.

Handy emotional health checklist

The following is an abbreviated list of the ways that can help you to find out the nature of a feeling and give it a name. The list can also help you assess whether an emotion is of the healthy or unhealthy negative variety.

Have you identified a word to describe how you feel inside?

Can you identify the theme of your emotion?

How does your emotion lead you to behave? Are your actions or urges to act helpful or unhelpful?

Are you thinking in a flexible way, or are you thinking in a rigid and demanding way?

What are you paying attention to? Are you looking at the event from all angles?

Is another emotion getting in the way of you being able to identify your first emotion? For example, are you feeling guilty or ashamed about your anger, depression, or other emotion?

Defining \lour Emotional Problems

The aim of CBT is to help you overcome your emotional problems and move you towards your goals. As with all kinds of problem-solving, Defining Your emotional problems is the first step in solving those problems.

Making a statement

Writing down a problem statement has three main components – the emotion, the theme or event (what you feel your emotion about), and what you do in response to that emotion. You can effectively describe an emotional problem by filling in the blanks of the following statement:

Feeling_(emotion) about_

(theme or event), leading me

To_(response).

For example:

Feeling Anxious About My face turning red in social situations, leading me to Avoid going out to bars and clubs and to splash my face with water if I feel hot.

Feeling Depressed About The end of my relationship with my girlfriend, Leading me to Spend too much time in bed, avoid seeing people, and take less care of myself.

When positives are negatives

Although this chapter deals with unhealthy negative emotions because these are the most common factors in emotional disturbance, you can’t forget that negative positive emotions do also exist.

An example of a negative positive emotion is holding a Rigid demand, Such as ‘I must get approval from my boss’ and then feeling a surge of delight when thedemand ismet. You may feel good about the approval and your confidence may soar for a time, but you’re still vulnerable to unhealthy negative feelings if you later fail to get your boss’s approval. If you hold a Flexible preference For your boss’s approval, you can feel healthily pleased if you get approval and healthily disappointed if you don’t.

Another example of unhealthy positive emotions is the feeling of euphoria associated with Hypo-manic (excessively happy or ‘high’) states. People who suffer from bipolar affective disorder (formerly known as manic depression) can experience alternating periods of extreme low-mood and extreme high-mood. During high periods, people with bipolar affective disorder are often prone to making rash decisions and behaving in erratic, sometimes risky ways. People with bipolar affective disorder may seem to be very happy when in fact they’re hypo-manic and suffering from a genuine psychiatric

Condition. Bipolar affective disorder can be treated effectively with medication and CBT. Many of the tips for overcoming Unipolar (or general depression)thatyou can find in Chapter 10 are also be very helpful for people with bipolar disorder. Appendix A lists organisations that you may find helpful.

If you think that you, or someone close to you, may have bipolar affective disorder, we strongly recommend seeing a psychiatrist to get a comprehensive assessment. Prescribed medication is an important part of managing the distressing symptoms of this disorder. Psychiatrists generally have more specialised knowledge about the disorder and appropriate medicationsthan general physicians.

One key CBT strategy for helping people to manage bipolar depression involves making an activity schedule (see Chapter 10). Write down a plan of your daily activities and stickto doing them regardless of your mood. The crucial point is to establish a Consistent\eve\ Of activity in your daily life. Sticking to a daily schedule of activities can help you avoid being under-stimulated during lows (thereby combating a downward spiral into depression) and helpyou avoid becoming over-stimulated during highs (thereby preventing an upward spiral into hypomania).

Rating your emotional problem

Human nature leads you to focus on how bad you feel, rather than how much better you feel. As you reduce the intensity of any emotional disturbance, you can find motivation in being able to see a difference. After you describe a problematic emotion, rate it on a scale of 0-10, based on how much distress the emotion causes you and how much it interferes with your life.

As you work on resolving your emotional problem by making changes to your thinking and behaviour, continue to rate the distress and interference it is causing you. Your ratings are likely to go down over time as you make efforts to overcome your unhealthy negative emotions. Review your ratings regularly, once a week or so. Doing this review helps remind you of your progress and replenishes your motivation to keep up the good work!

Share your ratings with your CBT therapist if you have one. Your therapist can haul out your rating records and show you the progress you’ve made if your motivation begins to flag.