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Hippocampus kuda, a proving of sea
horse
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| Beneath the ocean, deep and wide, One lonely, drifting sea horse cried, "In all the cold and salty sea I'm all alone-there's only me." Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers |
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The sea horse is called Hippocampus, a Greek word meaning "horse monster." It belongs to the family Syngnathidea, which also includes the pipe fish and the sea dragon (Phycodurus eques). Although for years its exact classification was in doubt, it is definitely a fish---meaning, a vertebrate. This is an evolutionary leap from the phylum mollusca, which includes Sepia officinalis, Calcarea carbonica, and Murex Purpera. There are over 32 species of the sea horse. Hippocampus kuda is found along the eastern coast of India and in the waters surrounding all of Indonesia up into the Sea of Japan. It is a favorite of aquarium owners and exotic-fish enthusiasts. At first sight, the sea horse seems ill adapted to its underwater environment. Lacking the torpedo shape of most fish, it floats vertically in the water, being propelled almost imperceptibly by two pectoral fins on either side of its head and one small dorsal fin. The sea horse’s vertical posture is an exception within the animal kingdom. The head is at a right angle to the body, and the major organs (the gills, heart and liver) lie just behind the head. The rather long, toothless, tubular snout gives it its characteristic horse appearance. Unlike the typical fish, the sea horse is covered with a bony armor rather than scales. While lacking powerful fins, it is endowed with a long prehensile tail which, monkey-like, it wraps around just about anything. This makes for a rather passive, secretive existence; the sea horse hides from predators within the sea grasses and coral, and waits for its prey--usually rotifers and brine shrimp--which it sucks up with a clicking noise. The sea horse is an amusing amalgam of incommensurable parts—a horse’s head, dragon’s scales, the free-roving eyes and changeable colors of a chameleon, tail of a monkey, a kangaroo’s pouch, the armor of an insect, and the wings of a hummingbird—yet the fact remains that it is simply a fish. Sea horses are not social creatures, as they do not swim in vast schools like many of the fish of the sea. The male sea horse leads a solitary existence. He lays claim to a small patch of sea-bed grass, attaching himself with his tail, and stays there, day in and day out. However, unlike other sea creatures, sea horses do form attachments with their mates. The only social interlude in an otherwise solitary day is when the male's partner arrives for her morning visit, which happens like clockwork. She hooks her tail around an adjacent blade of grass and gently sways by his side. They seem to be the most devoted of partners. When a male and a female meet sexually, they engage in a ballet-like dance of courtship that can last for hours. Then a very strange thing happens: the female inserts her eggs into an enclosed pouch on the male’s abdomen, and the male, usually anchored to one spot for the entire duration, fertilizes and incubates the brood. During this period, the female takes care of the pregnant male, visiting him daily during what appears to be intimate moments as the pair tenderly nuzzle each other. The sea horse, like the octopus and cuttlefish, has the ability to change color and texture in order to camouflage its whereabouts, but during courtship and while the male is carrying, the mates always “brighten” when they meet. After sometimes as long as six weeks, the male goes into what is clearly labor. Hundreds of baby sea horses are thrust out into the water, but very few survive to adulthood. A pregnant male is indeed an oddity--as if an absolute law of nature had been reversed, as if a great taboo had been transgressed. Nevertheless, this peculiarity of the sea horse has contributed to many myths and legends, and myths and legends eventually inspire deeds. The Chinese in particular have valued the sea horse medicinally for thousands of years as a cure for almost everything, from asthma and heart disease to that seeming bane of male existence, impotence. One reason sea horse is used as an aphrodisiac is that the Chinese believe these creatures form pairs for life, and therefore feel sexually fulfilled. Apparently, they use as many as 20 million sea horses a year. Seahorse trade is legal and unregulated, and if this practice continues at this rate, we could push this amazing creature into extinction. To this end, conservation projects that have been set up in recent years, establish sanctuaries and fish farms in order to ensure the continued existence of these mysterious and fragile creatures of the sea. | ||
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THE PROVING "The best
opportunity for exercising our sense of observation and to perfect it, is by
proving medicines ourselves." Homeopathic provings are a great deal of work. Even before the months, and often years of work that are required to gather, extract and compile the information, there is the very daunting task of convincing between 10 and 20 people to take an unknown substance in the name of research, and then to find an equal number of homeopaths who have the time and inclination to supervise them. It’s a wonder that any of us conduct provings at all. But a proving is in fact a wondrous thing--it is a wonderful confirmation of the basic principles of homeopathy. At the extraction meetings, it’s thrilling to see the similarities among the individual reactions of the provers, and it’s even more exciting to see these similarities clearly confirmed in their notebooks, all the while realizing that, one day, this new remedy is going to cure people. This is why many of us in our profession continue to take on the work of conducting provings, and why many brave volunteers continue to take these unknown substances while busy homeopaths take the time to supervise them. In doing so, everyone involved contributes to the well-being of mankind. Hahnemann would be pleased. Our proving first began in the summer of 2001, when we decided to conduct a bi-coastal proving. Many possible substances were considered, but in the early winter of 2002, Sonam Kushner suggested sea horse, partly because a NOVA special on sea horses had reminded her of her own fascination with sea horses as a child in India. As master provers, we were all interested in sea horse as a remedy for many reasons: sea horses intrigue people worldwide with their strangeness and beauty (which seems to give the remedy a universal quality); sea horses are used medicinally by the Chinese (which makes this a good choice from a Hahnemanian point of view); and most significant, the sea horse is a very unusual species in that the male fertilizes the eggs in his own pouch, gestates and then gives birth to live sea horses. What could be more fascinating than that! One classified black, male, sea horse, from the Indian Ocean, was sent to Michael Quinn at Hahnemann Pharmacy to be potentized. As an ongoing promoter of homeopathic provings, Michael generously made 20 vials of 30c potency for us. We followed the instructions laid out in Jeremy Sherr’s The Dynamics and Methodology of Homoeopathic Provings and printed separate pages of instructions for provers and supervisors, to be handed out at our first meeting on May 18, 2002 in New York, June 1 inCalifornia. We assigned one supervisor for every prover, and the partners were asked to communicate daily. The remedy was distributed on May 28; prior to this, we conducted initial intake interviews, and the provers made a week of journal entries, to help us establish previous states. Most provers in New York took the remedy on June 1 (day 00).* Each prover was asked to call their supervisor after each dose of the remedy--and they were told not to take even a second dose if they felt any symptoms at all. Most provers took only one or two doses, although three provers took all of the 6 possible doses (one of them was an insensitive, who reported only one symptom throughout the entire proving). As usual, the master provers were concerned that there would be either no significant symptoms or too many symptoms, meaning that some people would get quite sick. The truth is that with most provings, the results lie somewhere in between. We had two females in NY who did experience terrible headaches, nausea and depression, but these uncomfortable feelings dissipated after about a month. On the other hand, we had two males who experienced some sort of emotional healing, or least felt that they had discovered a new way of seeing themselves in the world. When hearing information of this sort, it is important to remember that, as Hahnemann said, regardless of the symptoms that are produced during a proving, everyone involved is in a higher state of health or awareness after the experience. Not only have we helped to expand our materia medica, but both provers and supervisors end up in a healthier state as a result. The kind of introspection that provers indulge in during a proving is a mind-expanding treat. That is why prospective provers, rather than feel as if they are about to become guinea pigs, can consider themselves more like Alice in Wonderland, and be confident that whether or not they suffer with temporary symptoms, the experience will enlighten them. A proving is a journey--an honorable journey for all involved. It should be embarked on with care and caution, but without fear. We hope to encourage many more Hahnemanian provings. MAJOR THEMES The results of the sea horse proving were very interesting; there were many intense symptoms, along with many strong signature feelings or sensations. At the extraction meetings in New York and California, after the results were described by the provers, and the substance was revealed, almost all the provers said that they would take part in another proving. During both meetings many common symptoms or themes were discussed that were later confirmed by the provers’ notebooks. We were very fortunate, because there were some strong provers whose symptoms served as a template for the entire proving. Prover #1 was such a prover, and her descriptions of feelings of isolation were mirrored by many of the other provers. This strong theme seemed to be part of a larger picture that included an aggravation in and aversion to company, a desire for solitude, sadness, gloom, and a feeling of being disconnected from the world. It’s difficult to know if the feeling of being isolated causes the sadness and other feelings, and/or if an over-sensitivity in public drives one to isolation, but isolation does seem to be the prominent emotional symptom of the proving. In fact, in the wild, the male seahorse leads a solitary existence, perhaps giving rise to this strong theme of isolation, coupled with a need or desire for solitude, and therefore, an aversion to company. Prover #1 describes a muffled, underwater feeling immediately after taking the first dose of the remedy (which may be a signature symptom), but she clearly associates this sensation with the feeling of being isolated, sad and dissociated. “Feels like a blanket has covered the day. Muffled sensation, sound, light--everything far away. I felt cut off, inward, trapped, disassociated. I felt like I was under water. It was distressing, I was inward focused. The disassociated feeling reminds me of my late teens--It would paralyse me. One hour later, I went outside and everything went away. The headache, the muffled feeling subsided quickly.” #1, day 00. What that “underwater” feeling represents is a “cut-offness.” A friend kept asking me yesterday if I was OK. I guess I was acting disconnected. #1, day 03. Repeat of the “underwater blanket” sensation like on Day 00. The sound in my ears gets muffled. It’s like the feeling in your ears and head when you go under water, muffled and isolating. The sounds from the outside are muffled, and the sound in your head is amplified. It’s a feeling that lasted for five minutes. #1, day 09. Other provers said: It’s a feeling of isolation--I want to talk to somebody. I feel like a big wall has come down in front of me, I have to be outside. #17, day 00. Still don’t want to see people.
Don’t want to make phone calls.
Someone is talking to me and I feel like I am not here. Am absent even though I can understand and follow what she is saying.#17, day 02. I feel un-grounded, like I am going to float away or lose my mind. I still don’t want to see people. I hide from them. #17, day 02. Worried that I am losing my mind, but not scared. #17, day 03. Read in a book, The Power of Now--“the inability to feel this connectedness gives rise to the illusion of separation, from yourself and from the world around you. You then perceive yourself, consciously or unconsciously, as an isolated fragment.” I have read these words before but they held so much meaning for me today, “isolated fragment.” I don’t feel like re-reading my notes, but it seems like I have been bouncing back and forth between feeling really high and really low, but the underlying theme is the search for connectedness. #13, day 08. There was an interesting aspect to this sense of isolation; the provers who had no previous experience with this feeling had a negative reaction, connecting this sensation to sadness and depression. However, three of the provers who experienced a kind of curative reaction to this remedy (provers #2, #8, #18), seemed to have plenty of experience with isolation beforehand, yet it was more of a self imposed isolation as a result of a kind of over-sensitivity when socializing with people. According to the supervisor of prover #8, she was feeling overwhelmed and irritable before she embarked on the proving, and during the intake interview, she reported a “feeling of isolation--no friends or colleagues for interaction.” Yet, on the first day after the remedy, her supervisor reported, “She’s giggling a lot. Is in great spirits.” The prover said: I’m feeling energized and in a good mood. #8, day 01. Not tired at all, could have worked all night. #8, day 01. Woke up at 7a.m., felt awake immediately and not tired. I feel like I’m under the influence of a stimulant. #8, day 02. And then, by day 19, she may have been slipping back into her original state. Perhaps this prover should have tried the remedy again, since she experienced so much improvement, but that is a responsibility that master provers cannot assume. I feel a bit
down and discouraged today. I don’t seem to be able to accomplish anything,
which makes me even more depressed. Prover #2 had plenty of experience with isolation before the proving. He had arranged his life around his desire for solitude. He’d lived alone for most of his life and had chosen to conduct his business out of his home, where he felt most comfortable and creative. Isolation was not a problem for him—he even yearned for someone to love; and although he liked a limited amount of socializing, he easily found himself overwhelmed by contact with other people. After the remedy, he experienced a profound change, suggestive of a curative response. He experienced almost no unpleasant symptoms during the proving. Eight months later, under advisement, he has repeated the remedy twice at the same 30c potency, when needed, and his feeling of well-being continues. These are some of the comments that he made in his notebook soon after taking the remedy: Feeling as if intoxicated- almost as if I’d had two cocktails. #2, 00. Last night, after taking the rx, I had a sense of mild euphoria. #2, 01. I have a sensation of well being. #2 (during proving, and to date). He decided to
shave his head bald on day three and wrote later that day, Generally, I
feel that the rx is helping me, as if it were prescribed for me. The “haircut”
and my dreams make me realize issues of independence. All my life, I’ve wanted
to win the approval of others, and I’m quite good at it. The rx is giving me
the freedom to go to that place where I don’t really care what others think of
me. “Independence” is a word that
has come to the fore--and in my mind’s eye, I see myself as bald and
re-invented. I have been, for a number of months, going through a mourning for
the fact that I’m not good looking, that I’m fat, that I have no training for
anything except publicity, etc. Now I am entertaining the fantasy of embarking
on something new--singing? comedy? entrepreneurship of some kind? Recognition of his transformation was expressed after a profound dream on day seven: (note: the entire dream is recorded below, marked #2, day 07) I was being given a new vision by God…I came away with the feeling that God has given me a new way of seeing the world. #2, day 7. Interestingly, this prover continued to enjoy his solitude after the proving, but he was now better able to balance his desire to be alone with a new feeling of relaxation and comfort in company. Prover #2 may be helping us to distinguish the feelings of isolation in Hippocampus, and therfore, to understand the remedy. What cannot be ignored is that he experienced a great amelioration of his pre-existing emotional symptoms, and therefore, we should look at his previous state to better understand the remedy. This prover had described as part of his previous state an over-sensitivity in company. There was a limit to how long he could bear to be in the company of others, instead of an unhappiness when alone. This prover never described his solitude in negative terms— in fact he felt creatively stimulated when he was alone. This contrasts with the way that isolation feels to most patients—gray and bleak, lonely and depressing. For some people, like prover #2, solitude is not necessarily a negative experience. We came to the conclusion that although Hippocampus does feel isolated, perhaps this is a desired isolation, not unlike the natural solitude of the sea horse itself. (It is possible that being alone is conducive to the spiritual insights and mystical realizations that are mentioned in this proving.) This may indeed be the distinguishing feature of this remedy: a kind of pro-active aloneness, a positive, colorful relationship with solitude. Of course, further clinical information is necessary to confirm this and all other preliminary ideas on Hippocampus. Another possible theme of this remedy is the extremes of alternating states that some of the provers describe. Many provers would swing from sadness, depression, and a sensation of being alone (along with a desire to be alone), to a kind of mild euphoria, a calmness, and a desire to be with people. Some provers felt only one sensation or the other, but numerous provers experienced these alternating moods. This led us to believe that Hippocampus may be a useful remedy for mood swings or maybe even bi-polar disorder, though this also remains to be seen clinically. For many provers, this swing from depression and aloneness to the opposite state of happiness and a desire for company was often triggered simply by going out into the open air, which ameliorated many. The day started good, but then started to feel same aversion to contact with people, though not depressed. “I would have crawled into my little hole, but an old friend came and we went out. #1, day 05. Feels disconnected again. This napping is unusual. Usually only nap when really down. It’s funny, this up and down thing. #1, day 06. Either driven to be very isolated, or need to be out with a lot of people. It’s the two extremes. #1, day 09. Feels as if in an equilibrium. My mood is very even. I feel very relaxed, almost indolent. I don’t feel like doing much, enjoying it, no guilt. Not feeling flustered by anything at all. #5, day 04. Mild euphoria. A
feeling of all’s right with the world....long may it last! Feeling depressed. “I don’t want to be bothered where people are concerned. It’s a chore to talk to people. I just want to be on my own. #5, day 15. Irritability,
“pissy” feelings, alternating with underlying calm. I feel the rx has turned me upside down. I am no longer calm. I have been angry and depressed. The last two days I have been hiding in my cave, avoiding everyone. I feel exposed. #10, day 35. I don’t feel
like re-reading my notes, but it seems like I have been bouncing back and forth
between feeling really high and really low. Prover #8 wrote her general impressions at the end of her proving journal, expressing this sensation of alternating symptoms: There were a lot of alternating and opposite symptoms. Left side, then right, energy and then tiredness, sleeplessness and insomnia. My heartburn seems to have resolved 99%. I had many headaches (old symptom) but they were less and less painful and there was a shift from my usual left side to the right. #8, day 28. Prover #18, a male, also experienced many of the previously discussed feelings and mood swings, although once his mood swung up, he seemed to stay there and began to experience a new theme--a newfound feeling of independence. In fact, as a recent immigrant, he had been completely dependent on his girlfriend (a 4th year student at the NY Luminos School of Homeopathy, who supervised him because of the language barrier). His swing from dependence to independence was so strong, that five months after the proving, he left his girlfriend to live alone, even though her feelings about the relationship had not changed. He describes some of his transition this way: I am feeling lost, out of it, depressed. #18, days 00, 02. I feel excited, I want to do a lot, my thoughts are racing. #18, day 03. I’m very impatient and very excited about life. #18, day 04. I feel very different, strong, excited. I want to do a lot of stuff. I feel very sensitive and passionate. I have high self-esteem. #18, day 09. I feel very rebellious, independent, I want to be alone, I want to be free. #18, day 12. I feel very excited and strong. I don’t want to hear your opinions. (to the girlfriend). #18, day 16. I don’t want to be with you anymore, I want to be free. #18, day 22. I feel very different from normal. I feel strong, free and excited. (He wants to make love many times a day, yet he wants to be alone. In the beginning of the proving, he was unable to maintain an erection, which was very unusual for him and quite scary. By the middle and end of the proving, he felt more potent than ever before, desiring sex many times a day, which was also unusual for him.) #18, day 19. We believe that
prover #18 experienced a cure from this remedy, transitioning from a very
dependent person to feeling strong, free and independent. Needless to say, this
transition was very difficult for the supervisor/girlfriend/student who
required some sympathetic counseling and homeopathic treatment from her
teacher/master prover, Susan Sonz. Happily, the student has not only recovered
from this loss, she also has gained a great deal of insight about herself and
her previous role in that and other relationships. Both prover and supervisor
have gained new awareness of themselves and of the power of homeopathy, and
agree that they are both better for it, in spite of the new challenges in their
lives. Recently (seven months later), prover #18, now missing his girlfriend,
returned for some homeopathic assistance. He had this to say, and was given
another dose of Hippocampus as a result. Prover #2 also had some interesting things to say about independence: “Independence” is a word that has come to the fore… #2, day 5. I’m still thinking about the “new way of seeing” dream. I meditated on it--do I have it [the new way of seeing]? … No … Yes! … 100%? … No … What do I do to get it completely? … Wait--till around July 4… (I realized this is Independence Day!) #2, day 9. |
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Many of the themes that we saw in the sea horse proving are common to all sea remedies. Difficulties in communicating with others is a fundamental issue in this group of remedies. In this group, we see isolation, aversion to company, desire for solitude, mood swings, issues of independence, grief, sadness, and depression. For instance, Natrum muriaticum is the primary remedy for dwelling on past griefs; sea horse provers found themselves remembering and grieving for long deceased relatives. Calcarea carbonica has issues of dependence and independence, and some sea horse provers became excited with newfound feelings of freedom. One prover said, "Normally, I would have been mortified, instead I felt courageous, bold and liberated"(prover 8). Another sea remedy, Spongia tosta, shares with these remedies a desire for emotional support and security. In addition, Spongia has as a symptom the same sensation of suffocation that was expressed in the dreams of the sea horse provers. And, while most of the sea remedies are aggravated, or oversensitive in company, Sepia is especially ameliorated when alone, like many of the Hippocampus provers.
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