What Does It Take to Be a Homeopath?

Homeopathy is based on a spiritual, non-physical premise and requires that the homeopath see the patterns of the physical expression to understand the dis-ease. It is not based on a diagnosis but on a collective understanding of the person's symptoms and deviations from health. This makes the homeopathic "diagnosis" somewhat less diagnostic and more of a synthesis in the understanding of the person. Luckily we have the person's vital force showing us constantly their individual expression of health and disease. It is our job as the homeopath to be clear enough to see it and understand it.

 

So what does it take to be a homeopath? I'm not referring to the homeopath who dabbles in homeopathy. I'm referring to the professional homeopath who sees many clients and considers him/herself a member of the unique community of homeopaths. Who has homeopathy as his/her profession. Who takes their role of being a homeopath seriously and intends to earn their living providing homeopathic care to others.

 

The first and most important quality is a love of people. There are many people who have a great desire to help others. They are benevolent in their nature and truly want to help. But if you do not LOVE people then homeopathy is not the profession for you. Homeopathy is a people business. It involves being with people and all of their splendor; the beauty as well as the ugliness of life. In this sense, it is meeting people in all of their rawness. This is where the suffering resides and is where they come to the homeopath. If you have an aversion to the horrors of life then homeopathy will not be your calling. You will hear many stories that your most vivid imagination could never create. If you can not meet the person there then you should look for another profession and not homeopathy.

 

Empathy is the second quality that is important in being a homeopath. Empathy is the quality of experiencing as one's own feeling the feeling of another. It is the ability to truly feel what another is experiencing. Do not confuse this with compassion. Compassion is always spoken of as such a benevolent quality. It is good to be compassionate. But for the homeopath, it will distract from experiencing your clients suffering when you have pity or sympathy for them. Everyone suffers. There is no avoiding it. The client visiting your office hoping to have a professional homeopath help them heal does not want a homeopath who joins them in tears and their suffering. They need a homeopath who can remain clear and not miss a thing while emotions come up. If you are one of the people who join others in sympathy and want to be a homeopath, then each time emotions rise it is your opportunity to heal yourself. It is our own unhealed wounds that create this emotional response. We must remain calm, clear and present to be a homeopath.

 

The same unhealed emotion is a fault of our own prejudices. We are all prejudiced. But we must work to resolve any prejudice that keeps us from seeing truth. When we find that some truths we like and others we don't, then this is our prejudice. Having a good understanding of people in general and a spiritual framework for your life will help most in removing our prejudices. Understanding natural law and the way the world works will benefit greatly in becoming unprejudiced. It will be easier to understand health and see the dis-ease. Only then could we ever know what is asking to be healed in another.

 

As you can tell by now none of the above qualities require intelligence or the use of our left brain. This logical, rational more linear thinking side of our brain is used predominantly in the allopathic medical model. If the test is positive then a diagnosis can be made and the approved protocol of treatment must be given. It is all so very easy really. In homeopathy it is easy to slip into this very same mode of thinking. If the rubrics chosen point to a single remedy that covers them all then this is the remedy to give. This logical thinking will rarely produce effective results. Sometimes the right remedy may be given but often it requires the left brain to really be creative to "see" the case and prescribe accordingly. The right brain synthesizes. It brings distant parts together to form a whole picture. This is very important in being a homeopath. When a person tells their story, it takes a lot to see the thread of disease that runs through it. Having a good command of our right brain function will help. It is more holistic.

 

And the last, most important quality of a homeopath is integrity. Integrity is soundness, a completeness in our being. We will only be able to help another heal to the level of our own healing. If the person is healthier than we are we will not be able to help. So have integrity and practice what you preach. Do your own healing: "physician heal thyself." Integrity indicates incorruptibility in adhering to the principles of homeopathy. It also indicates adherence to a moral code and values; "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". Homeopaths must be faithful to the highest standards of our philosophy and our profession. This is no easy task in a world that is increasingly driven by greed and desire. Be fair with what you charge. Give more than you have charged for and you will create a solid business. Hold fast to the principles of homeopathy as described by Dr Samuel Hahnemann in the Organon. He understood well what qualities are necessary for the homeopath.

 

One can now see that being a homeopath is a deeper endeavor than one may think. These are the fundamental qualities that one must possess to be a great homeopath. It is easy to study medicine and become a doctor by comparison. Developing these qualities requires showing up in our own life and always striving to do better. To become clearer. To lessen our prejudices. To live and function with integrity. To maintain good relations with others. Bottom line it requires us to always do our best. If this challenge is not too much for any of you then homeopathy may be the perfect profession. Good luck.