Relieving fight or flight response with Post-Trauma Stabilizer

Using Pussy Paws for sensitivity to touch

Using Holly to soothe the aggravation of emotions

Reinforcing and stabilizing positive changes to aid in maintaining equilibrium

Using Iris to foster and support budding artistic and creative sense

Supporting confidence and strength in the face of challenges

ML's artwork done over an approximate six-month period of time

About Christine Giguere

Editors’ notes: This is a case report presented by Christine Giguere as part of her submissions to the FES Certification Program.

This is a remarkable case with a boy who suffered from many physical and emotional problems and went through some major healing crises. From Christine’s knowledge of homeopathic and anthroposophical medicine, she was able to stay with his process during fevers and outbreaks of illness, realizing that he was in a detox process with his emotions.

The artwork alone that is presented in this case shows such an impressive metamorphosis. The Post-Trauma Stabilizer formula was a key foundational remedy that helped ML restabilize the physical and etheric bodies and move forward from various intestinal ailments, and likely trauma from his mother’s car accident that occurred while he was in utero. Also impressive is the use of Pussy Paws to help him come into the tactile, physical world of touch. An interesting healing crisis during the use of Pussy Paws – he becomes quite sensitive and resistant to clothing, but then moves through that. The Iris is really wonderfully impressive in this case – actually showing up as a soul archetype in two of his drawings featuring rainbows. The Rainbow/ Iris is the bridge for how this sensitive and sickly young boy integrates body and soul and finds a way forward for expressing who he really is. From that point in the case, there is an impressive leap – a love of art, the parents putting him in an Art School and one of his drawings (the fish) being singled out for a school postcard.

This case also shows a good example of a healing crisis and yet a clear move forward in the whole of the case. So, for instance, several times in the case progression he gets sick, runs a fever, sore throat, but then bounces back and is stronger. It’s often difficult to explain how these kinds of healing episodes are actually positive – especially because in conventional allopathic culture, one would immediately medicate away such symptoms, rather than allowing the child’s body to become stronger and build the immune system.

ML – honoring sensitivity and building strength and creativity

ML was an 8-year old child (male) with delicate features, brown hair about shoulder-length and blue-green eyes. He was shy; he didn’t talk directly to me but answered my questions through his mom. I met his mother through my homeopathy practice about 6 years previous and I met ML for the first time about 5 years ago for homeopathy. He was a fairly healthy 3-year old child at that time yet with many fears and quite sensitive to his environment.

The mother wanted to address ML’s emotions that had become more volatile lately. In the last 3 years, he’d been often sick with a sore throat and he had developed ulcerative colitis about 2 ½ years ago. ML had a difficult relationship with his older brother and he had started to stand up for himself, but it raised up a lot of anger at the same time. As well, he had learning difficulties and his teacher had asked that he be assessed.

The major issues with ML centered on frustration, anger, anxiety, and a difficulty to express his emotions in the environment he was in, both at home from being bullied by his older brother, and at school where he’d experienced learning difficulties. I could say that anger had been somaticized in his throat and intestines, bringing on repetitive inflammations in both areas. He had seen a chiropractor who does NET-therapy, to help clear the repetitive sore throats. It had helped but it also brought up more emotional issues. The chiropractic work brought the somaticized emotions back to the surface.

During the first appointment, I asked ML to make a drawing of a house-tree-person (type of drawing used by Waldorf school remedial therapists). He drew everything as if seeing it from above, from a bird’s eye. From this, I understood that he looked at things from outside himself, from above. This perspective could mean that there was a difficulty in the incarnation process, a difficulty to come into his physical-etheric-astral body-complex. The difficulty seemed to be related to his relationship to his brother, as well as to the learning in school. His mother said that his teachers had all been rather cold and that he did not thrive in an environment without warmth, which referred again to a relationship question. From his mother’s perspective, ML was holding onto “not talking.” There was a blockage at the throat and in the capacity to have a broader range of emotional expressions.

At the last appointment, ML’s whole demeanor had completely changed. He was more readily responsive to my inquiries. He’s developed a love for drawing, painting, and arts that he didn’t have before. Over the sessions, his mother started noticing that painting was helping him to stay calmer emotionally, especially after school days. The same morning of the last appointment, they went to visit an Art school where he had been accepted.

The relationship to his older brother has improved. ML can still get angry with him but he will get out of his anger state much more easily. He got angry twice only over a period of 2-3 months.

His physical condition has also improved. He had a flare-up of ulcerative colitis in the first month of therapy but not since. He got sick with sore throat in the last month but it lasted only 1-2 days, which was unseen for a long time (years).

He is still quite sensitive to unexpected events and will tend to withdraw. He still tends to worry, especially about his family (parents, younger brother).

As an extra effect of the flower essence therapy, ML’s mother said that the father was more engaged and patient with the children, and more supportive of her. The relationship between ML and his father has become more fulfilling. This family dynamic shift happened from the beginning and improved all along. His mother confirmed that ML has returned to his calmer, happier self that he once was.

Following is a more detailed description of the selection of flower essences for ML.

Relieving fight or flight response with Post-Trauma Stabilizer

The first flower essence I used was Post-Trauma Stabilizer (PTS) Flourish formula for his fight or flight response, his being disconnected and seeing things from above, and the lasting traumatic effect or prolonged shock experience he had been suffering for two years. I thought it would be best to bring some calming to the emotions first by using the PTS formula.

He did well the first week of taking PTS formula. He was mellower and seemed happier about everything. Then he got sick by the end of the first week with a sore throat and a cough and he became very unpleasant. Homeopathic remedies were used to help him go through this acute sickness. ML’s mother noticed that he was doing better if he was taking the flower essences only 1x/day. Twice/day would make the cough hang on longer. Along with being sick he had a flare-up of blood and mucus in his stools.

According to his mother, his emotions have changed somewhat, anger being the main emotion expressed even when he is sad or disappointed. He is recovering from it more quickly now, not holding a grudge as he tended to do before. The anxiety level has reduced and is observed by the fact that he can sit and be. It’s taking him less time to fall asleep and he now wants to be alone to fall asleep. He’s still experiencing school as being hard and frustrating.

One completely new symptom had come up: ML had a hard time to keep his clothes on, wanting to wear shorts and no jacket to go outside (in February in Calgary), and when at home, he wore only his underwear. He said that his pants don’t feel good.

A different relationship between his soul and his body had been established and it brought up a new obstacle which was related to his sense of touch. It seemed that his skin was overwhelmed or too sensitive. The new relationship between his soul and his body didn’t feel comfortable, expressed in not wanting to be "bound" or "wrapped" in clothes. There was a need to facilitate this process so he could feel that he could be comfortable in his body, or that it was safe to come into his body.

In my knowledge of homeopathy and flower essences, I estimated that the changes in emotional symptoms (i.e. feeling calmer) could come from Hepar-sulph which would have brought a release of pressure at the emotional level. But the sore throat was a past recurrent symptom and it came up because he was taking the PTS formula. Thus, Hepar-sulph became indicated acutely because the PTS formula was releasing emotions locked in the throat. I saw the new symptom of not wanting to wear clothes as indicative of the new relationship that had been established between his soul and his body, meaning it was an embodiment question.

Using Pussy Paws for sensitivity to touch

To help with his sense of touch, I chose the flower essence Pussy Paws . This flower helps with the fear of being touched. I’m not sure if ML had fear of being touched per say, but there was a definite discomfort with feeling touched by his clothes. This flower spoke to me more so for allowing his softer sensitive side to come to the surface. It’s also a flower essence for healthy embodiment.

I decided to continue with the PTS formula despite the aggravation it had produced. I think the choice was made more intuitively, but also from observing that there had been a release of emotions first, and the aggravation came after. I felt that it was going in the right direction because there was also a new relationship soul-body visible in his discomfort at wearing clothes. The embodiment process was taking place.

I asked the mother to introduce some artistic activity at home, like painting, clay or whatever ML would be interested in doing.

Using Holly to soothe the aggravation of emotions

ML took the flower essences for 10 days. He got sick with pink eye and a rash, then he developed a high fever (40 C) that lasted for two days (with fluctuations), and he threw up. Then he had a cough. He didn’t have any flare-up of ulcerative colitis with the sickness, which was new compared to what had been happening over the last two years. His mother said that the changes of symptoms for the illness had happened very quickly over those last few days, hourly even. She was quite impressed how things had moved.

ML’s emotions became more acute before he got sick. He wanted to fight and he would initiate physical confrontations with his older brother, enough for the other to retaliate and hit him back. If the older brother was not there, then he would tease his younger brother to have a reaction and then start hitting him. When pulled aside by his mother, ML would say that he did nothing wrong to deserve being hit by his older brother, or that he did nothing wrong with the younger one, and that nobody believed him or liked him in the family. He was been milder since that time but the fever had stopped for only 1-2 days.

He still didn’t like the feel of his clothes but he had been wearing them. He still wanted his parents with him when he went to bed but for only 10 minutes and then he could fall asleep very fast.

The appointment didn’t last long due to ML just recovering from his sickness. He was not talkative but in a quiet mood. He didn’t look exhausted. He made two drawings and the perspective was from the ground, not from a bird’s eye view. The first one with a rainbow and a sun, the second with a rainbow and the moon. I think that the drawings were an intuitive response to the flower essences, with the reproducing of the sun-rising or day situation and the sun-setting or night one.

Before he got sick and during the time he was fighting with his brothers, ML made two gouache paintings at home. The first one was showing a red box with a dot in the middle and the second one a red man in a gesture of kicking and screaming.

The PTS formula had again brought on an aggravation of his emotions, becoming red man or feeling himself in a red box. It's also brought up another flare-up of acute illness with a high fever that time rather than a sore throat. In homeopathy and especially in anthroposophical medicine, to develop a fever is seen as a positive and normal process happening during childhood. That’s a way for the spirit to fashion the bodily sheaths according to the child’s higher purpose. The fact that he didn’t experience any flare-up of ulcerative colitis during this bout of acute illness was showing that the healing process was going in the right direction.

I think that Pussy Paws helped him to become more tolerant of his clothing.

His drawings were showing that he could look at things from the ground perspective and I thought this was helping him voice his deep inner feelings. It had given him a clarity in his emotional life.

I decided to stop giving the PTS formula because it had brought him to meet his inner question of misplaced or misdirected fire quality. Just before he developed a fever, he voiced his feeling of not being liked in the family. I chose Holly to deal with this question, which was also revealed by his wanting to fight with his brothers.

I decided to stop giving the PTS formula because it had brought him to meet his inner question of misplaced or misdirected fire quality. Just before he developed a fever, he voiced his feeling of not being liked in the family. I chose Holly to deal with this question, which was also revealed by his wanting to fight with his brothers.

I thought that Pussy Paws should still be used because he still had issues with clothing although less. I felt inwardly that the gentleness and softness of Pussy Paws would be beneficial to soften the healing process.

I asked the mother to continue doing artistic activities with her son at home.

I also asked to have a sample of his handwriting in the next month to see the effect of fever on his fine motor development.

Reinforcing and stabilizing positive changes to aid in maintaining equilibrium

ML had not been sick. He had not complained about his clothes at all. His sleep was very good and he was still dreaming with colors. He told me that his favorite color was violet.

His mother said that the changes were quite significant in his behavior and his health.

He had been playing with both his brothers better. He had become more assertive when dealing with his older brother and he appeared more confident and not as frightened. His mother wrote that he used to get extremely upset whenever he felt wronged or something didn't go his way. He had been going to the school park with his older brother without any parent. In the past, he would have liked a parent to be there. School had been going well and he hadn’t complained about it.

During the consultation, ML was in a quiet mood but he engaged nicely with playing with the pebble stones on the floor. He was more within himself and not listening or interested in his mother and I talking. He said that he really liked the amethyst.

There had been a significant mellowing down of his frustration and anger. The number of outbursts had dropped significantly. His mother indicated improvement of self-image, positive lifestyle changes, and generally feeling more positive and resilient.
The emotional outbursts were happening much less often and when they did happen, they did for a "logical" reason. With the anger and frustration lifting off, his mother was seeing other "symptoms" he used to have becoming more present, like the fear that someone in his family be hurt or lost. His caring and helping side had also come back.

I thought that Holly worked very well to re-establish more balanced interactions with his brothers and with school.

I also thought that Pussy Paws helped with his sensitivity to clothes, which had disappeared.

I opted for continuing with the same flower essences because I wanted to stabilize the changes observed in a stronger way. I felt that his moods had gone through fluctuations over the last few months and I thought it wiser to continue with the same mix.

As therapeutic strategy, I asked the mother to read fairy tales, particularly “Hansel and Gretel” because I had told ML the beginning of that story during the session when he was playing with pebble stones. It’s also a story of finding one’s way home despite setbacks. I also asked to do more paintings if possible.

Using Iris to foster and support budding artistic and creative sense

Over the last month, ML had his birthday, needed to have some blood work done before seeing the doctor, had a baby tooth pulled, and then they had the appointment with the doctor.

The appointment with the doctor had to be delayed by one week. The multiple stresses he had to go through during the month contributed to his increased frustration and anxiety. He got very upset when things didn’t go his way or when there were stressors.

The relationship with his brother was better. He could still get angry but he got out of it. His relationship with his father was also changing. During the month, his father helped him with his drawings through giving him indications and this quiet activity between father and son was helpful in creating better interaction between them.

ML worried about any family member getting hurt, like his young brother being run over by a car. His dreams were now more around someone of his family getting hurt, or him saving everybody. He still had colorful dreams sometimes. His sense of touch is excellent and he has no more issues with that.

His mother read him fairy tales for about one week and then he started painting more and they didn’t read anymore. She had found that painting was very helpful for him to stay calmer. He was totally engaged in it and he wanted to do it every day.

He made two drawings during the session. For the first one, I asked him to draw the house-tree-person again and this time his perspective was grounded with astounding royal blue color covering most of the page. He looked more joyful during that session and he answered my questions more easily.

With hindsight, I see that there were many stressing events coming his way and maybe the change of flower essences would not have been helpful at that moment. It was probably good for him to have the stability of support with the same flower essences because he was to be triggered in the same way from these stressing events.

Holly had helped in stabilizing the fire process better and he had developed a better “rebound capacity” out of anger.

Pussy Paws had probably helped to reveal his sensitive side of wanting to be more creative with painting and drawing. Maybe it had also created more sensitivity around him, coming from his father for example.

ML went through difficult situations and his moods were destabilized momentarily. But he went through that episode and now it looks like he is back to his original homeopathic constitution as I had met him when he was 3 years old, with many fears and worries centering on the well-being of his family.

I was not as concerned with his fears because they are part of his constitution, but it is something that needs to be monitored. I preferred to focus my attention toward fostering more self-confidence in his new desire to be creative with drawing and painting. I had the impression that he was coming to a place of finally being able to ground his “sense of colors” that he had been dreaming of. This could help him to gain more ease in his own being and he would feel better able to face the stressors coming from the world outside. Courage could be developed just by being able to do what he loves, and the fears would not take over.

I didn’t retain any flowers from the previous mix since I felt that this “layer” had been addressed and that he was back to his original constitution.

I decided to give him Iris to foster and support his budding artistic and creative sense. Iris has the violet color that he likes and that he told me about the previous session. From Kaminski, (Flowers that Heal, 1998) purple flowers address states of creativity, refined spirituality and psychic development, including over-developed spirituality and aloofness. This child had responded to flower essences in a very strong way. This seemed to confirm his refined psychic sense and it is a faculty that will be enhanced and stabilized by working with art.

I decided to give him Iris to foster and support his budding artistic and creative sense. Iris has the violet color that he likes and that he told me about the previous session. From Kaminski, (Flowers that Heal, 1998) purple flowers address states of creativity, refined spirituality and psychic development, including over-developed spirituality and aloofness.

I addressed the question of his anxiety and worries by recommending using the PTS formula if ML was not able to come back to a calmer state. I also wanted to see if Iris alone could diminish his worrying through fostering his creativity.

There was a willingness to continue doing art and I didn't need to emphasize it. I didn't recommend to do any other activity.

Supporting confidence and strength in the face of challenges

ML had been accepted in the Art School for September and they had a tour that same morning.

He got sick again with sore throat during this last month. It lasted for only 1-2 days and he bounced back. On the other hand, he got scared when he hurt himself at the park with the result of withdrawing from the activity of going there. He was still fragile to unexpected events yet he could bounce back. I understood that he was still lacking some courage but it was better as seen in his new rambunctious jumping and climbing in the house.

He started sharing a bedroom with his younger brother. It was not difficult to make the change because ML never really liked being alone in his bedroom. He hadn’t talked about worries. His mother hurt herself and he got quite concerned.

He was very caring.

He did a painting at school in his art class over a 2-3 week period and it was chosen to print on a card for sale for fundraising for the school. It gave him quite a boost in his drawing and painting self-confidence.

During the session, ML made a lot of drawings, about all the animals that they have been studying at school.

His capacity to heal seemed to be back to normal; he could get sick and get out of it rapidly as any healthy child can do. He had gained self-confidence in his ability for drawing and painting which was wonderful to see.

I opted to continue giving him Iris in support of his artistic progress and for self-confidence. To this, I added Mimulus to help him overcome the tendency to withdraw when challenged by the outside world, like being hurt. Again, I recommended using the PTS formul a for a few days whenever there’s a situation where “trauma” doesn’t want to resolve on its own.

I added Mimulus to help him overcome the tendency to withdraw when challenged by the outside world, like being hurt.

He was still a very sensitive child which made him more susceptible to a desire to withdraw when faced by challenges or unexpected events. But his newly found strength would hopefully help him move through challenges more easily.

View ML's artwork done over an approximate six-month period of time

About Christine Giguere

Christine is a classical homeopath and has practiced since 2005. She started studying flower essences in the early 2000s and the love for this therapy came when she started reading and looking into the Flower Essence Repertory in 2006. The words of flowers filled her soul. She found a therapy that could encompass the human being as a body-soul-spirit entity in constant evolution as well as in interaction within a community. It offered a way to efficiently help people move through the many changes in their lives, or help them make the necessary changes. Christine has used flower essences extensively in her practice, especially with women and children.