In order to utilize homeopathy to its fullest potential, it is necessary to see the individual and his or her disease as a whole – an energetic totality, rather than prescribing on individual, unconnected symptoms.  MICH has developed an advanced and proven holistic, completely integrated, therapeutic methodology that fulfills this requirement.

For many years, our group of  practitioners and teachers got together every month to look at our cases. We were exploring holistic practice, which for us meant seeing the individual and his or her disease as a totality. This exploration was our effort to faithfully follow Hahnemann’s directive to find and address the “Totality of Symptoms” in every case, rather than prescribing on individual symptoms that are not connected. Our goal for each case was to find the core that connects the collection of symptoms as a complete whole. It was hard work. It is so much easier to gather symptoms and repertorize… but the results from prescribing this way are spotty at best.

In learning to perceive our cases as “totalities,” we found that neither analysis nor synthesis were of any help. It required a way of seeing that was beyond a mechanical gathering of information and problem solving methods. Each case required insight, and the process of coming to this insight was unique for every case. Of course! What else could it be? The “essence” of each individual is unique, each individual requires a unique approach, and each individual disease has a unique pathway in his return to health. It logically follows that the holistic diagnostic process and the perception required is also unique to every case. That means there are no protocols if we follow Hahnemann’s instructions!

When we looked at follow-ups, it became clear how this quality of perception is central to successful homeopathic prescribing. The best results came from those cases where the totality, the connection which brought all the key symptoms together in a theme, was clear to everyone. In other words, the more complete and unanimous the understanding, the better the results.

But, how do you get 15 homeopaths to agree on how to address a case? Hahnemann’s emphasis on the unprejudiced mind helped us see how we must all be in a state of open inquiry both in the case taking and the case discussion. We discovered that it is not always easy to be open and detached. What gets in the way? We do! When we considered that our sense of self is based on our ideas and opinions, at some point, a different or what seems to be a conflicting idea can feel threatening. These discussions required a lot of self awareness, in order for us to be sufficiently detached from the outcome, detached from our opinions and ideas, and completely open to the natural unfolding of both the case and the discussion for insight to occur. We developed nonjudgmental, encouraging ways and means of helping each other and ourselves to be more self aware and to get out of the way of the process.

We now realized that the natural unfolding of the case can be seriously hampered by the homeopath. We began to see how often we got in the way. We also got a clearer view of what was most difficult in case taking. Hahnemann refers to each individual case of disease as a uniquely individual expression. If you ponder that for a moment it becomes obvious that if something is unique, then by definition, it is something that no one else has ever experienced. In order to find the simillimum, the homeopath must be able to perceive something in someone else that the homeopath has never heard, considered, or experienced before. The homeopath is listening for something outside the realm of what is known to him or her.

What we found was that to hear something unique required: (1) becoming aware when we did not understand something, (2) staying in the discomfort of not comprehending without reacting to it, and (3) bringing awareness to the ways we would avoid, repress or escape from that discomfort.

We shared together that we all experienced the state of non-comprehension as uncomfortable and even threatening! Our brain and nervous system are programmed to do anything to avoid being in that state. The automatic, immediate reaction is to avoid being in the unknown.