Homeopathic Constitutional Types : Lachesis
The sixth and final phenotype I’m presenting is Lachesis, which is a remedy prepared from the venom of the Bushmaster snake of South America. If you can imagine the rapid physiological changes and emotional storm which occur after someone has been bitten by a poisonous snake, you’ll start to get a sense of the intensity of the characteristics of the person in this phenotype. Lachesis has a very highly charged energy which is seeking a discharge in one way or another.
They key emotional themes of this remedy include guilt, jealousy, and envy, which all contribute to its highly charged state. One of the most well known characteristics of Lachesis is an intense loquaciousness, which, at its worst, becomes an incoherent rambling from one unrelated topic to another, without any room for anyone else to get a word in edgewise into the ‘conversation’. There was a patient I once had, who I asked “so, what brings you here?” at the beginning of her first visit, and that was the last thing I said for the next 90 minutes! The good news was that I received an excellent account of her life history, and had all the information I needed to give the first set of remedies to her.
Taking up the image of the tongue of the Bushmaster snake, we can learn some of the key characteristics in the remedy. Not only do they use their speech as a means to try to discharge their own pent-up energy, but like the snake’s tongue, they can use their speech as a sudden attack, lashing out with cutting remarks. The Lachesis personality seems to have an instinct for sensing another’s weakness, and strikes out with intent to seriously wound. In fact, as the physical pathology of the remedy progresses, one of the characteristic symptoms is for the tongue to tremble when it is protruded.
They can live in a state full of passionate jealousy, and will be a very intense force to be partnered with in a romantic relationship. On the flip side, there is sometimes a much more introverted presentation of this remedy, who is much more quiet, and dwelling in their own feelings of inferiority and lacking self-esteem. This is the polarity that makes up both sides of this remedy.
There are a number of characteristic symptoms at the physical level, including sore throats which have pain upon swallowing, as well as issues with the circulation. They will have the tendency to “sleep into an aggravation”, meaning that during the first part of the night, they can be suddenly awoken by an asthma attack, or from a nightmare. All forms of discharges give them tremendous relief, whether it is the excessive talkativeness I mentioned above, or a physical discharge such as the beginning of their menstrual flow. They will have a tendency to be afraid of or squeamish for snakes.
Dipsomania and Sun intolerance are very important features of Lachesis
Thanks, Debasish – How would you explain those symptoms as expressions of the core theme of Lachesis?
can u describe how a lachesis will react to a disappointed love betrayal situation…thx
You’re asking a very dynamic question, however, the best place to start is again, in the Materia Medica. Clarke speaks to the mental sphere of Lach. as:
“Mind: Great anguish, insupportable anxiety, and uneasiness, from which patient seeks relief in open air.Fear, and presentiment of death.Discouragement; distrust; easily affected to tears.Mental dejection and melancholy, with apprehension, uneasiness about one’s malady, great tendency to give way to sorrow, to look upon the dark side of everything, and to think oneself persecuted, hated and despised by acquaintances.Dread of death; fears to go to bed; fear of being poisoned.Thinks she is some one else; in the hands of a stronger power; that she is dead and preparations are being made for her funeral; that she is nearly dead and wishes some one would help her off. Sadness when awaking in the morning or night (particularly in the morning); no desire at all to mix with the world.?Restless and uneasy; does not wish to attend to business, but wants to be off somewhere all the time.?Sadness, and disgust to life.Mistrust, suspicion, and a strong tendency to take everything amiss, to contradict and to criticise.Frantic jealousy.Indolence, with dislike and unfitness for any labour whatever, either mental or bodily.Timidity of character, with variableness and indecision.Great apathy and extraordinary weakness of memory, everything that is heard is, as it were, effaced, even orthography is no longer remembered, and there is forgetfulness even of things on the point of utterance.Confusion as to time.?Mistakes are made in speaking and writing, as well as in the hours of the day and the days of the week.Imbecility and loss of every mental faculty.Over-excitement and excessive nervous irritability, with a tendency to be frightened.Perfect happiness and cheerfulness followed by gradual fading of spirituality, want of self-control and lasciviousness; felt as if she was somebody else and in the hands of a stronger power.Amativeness.Affections of the intellect in general.?State of ecstasy and exaltation which even induces tears, desire to meditate, and to compose intellectual works, with a sort of pride.?Frantic loquacity with elevated language, nicely chosen words, and rapid and continual change of subject-matter.Loquaciousness, with mocking jealousy, with frightful images, great tendency to mock, satire and ridiculous ideas.Nocturnal delirium with much talking, or with murmuring.?Dementia and loss of consciousness.”
Generally what I see in clinic is the non-stop talking (loquacious) about their anguish with regards to disappointed love and betrayal. This is an undischarged anger turned in on oneself with an incomplete discharge of the primal feeling which leads to incessant going over of the matter, jumping from one description to another of the same phenomenon. Lach. has much shame, resentment, guilt and jealousy with regards to their love relationships. You will feel exhausted and bored listening to them as they never arrive at any logical conclusion.
oh thanks very much
one more question……..when it says lachesis has insane jealousy like a paranoia…,would this also cover a situation where the partner actually was unfaithful or flirting with others in front of the person, where it is not a paranoia or unfounded jealousy?? thanks
Yes – it can go either way – treating an internal jealousy state and/or treating the results of a jealousy situation. Either way, it begs the bigger question of why the individual is resonating with that state of mind, regardless of how it firsts shows up (internally, or externally).
oh ok so more like why the person is feeling jealous of the partner cheating or flirting….and if the answer to that is because it made them feel unattractive and ugly and that no one would like them becaue they don’t look good …then it would not point to lachesis ……lachesis doesn’t have beauty related issues am I correct…….this then turns into more of a natmur or thuja issue?? (thanks again)
Yes – to understand the answer to this question, you need to understand the difference between “state” and “condition”, as well as the difference between “state of mind” and “mindset’. Unfortunately, most interpretations of Hahnemann have been captured by the empircal/materialistic mind, and not the true dynamic genius of Hahnemann.
thanks
Lachesis is a remedy which indeed has loquacity but at times silence as well. The silence is more difficult to assess until ‘REVENGE’ symptom comes up. Lachesis and all snakes are revengeful like ‘Cobra’ and even if there is no revenge in actual fact, there is an apprehension that other person may take the lead to attack and hence it is better to nip the danger in the bud. Such personality is very difficult to relate to the remedy.
Lachesis is also a great cardiac remedy where lead symptoms agree and cures high blood pressure and congestive heart failure – CHF.
Lachesis also cures left sided paralysis of limbs and speech and face.
More references can be found in Dr Constantine Herring who proved upon himself and Kent’s lectures.
Hameed Alwi
Hey girlygirl
It totally get where yr coming from. Did u end up taking Lach or Nat Mur? Funny cos those were the exact
two I had thought for me too but I couldnt decide which.
do u want to email me to talk?
Hey girlygirl
how r u?
It totally get where yr coming from. Did u end up taking Lach or Nat Mur? Funny cos those were the exact
two I had thought for me too but I couldnt decide which.
do u want to email me to talk?
@jkorentayer
could u expand on yr second comment please. Im not sure I fully understand it. Many thx
Amy, by my “second comment”, do you mean the one that has this time stamp : [Submitted on 2015/03/22 at 7:35 pm] ?
Could you compare and contrast i.e. differentiate from Bohrops, please
Can i prescribe lachesis for left side kidney stone-there is dream of snake
Hi Pradeepkumar,
Practioner, Jeff Korentayer has provided the following reply:
“A couple of symptoms don’t make a case, and are not the basis for a prescription. I’d be happy to take your whole case offline, and get to the perfectly matched prescription(s) that you need.”
If you would like further information about connecting with Jeff, please email Reception at reception@arcanum.ca
Thanks so much,
– Diane Nowlan
Office Manager