The Chthonic Realm : Helleborous
The eighth and final remedy to complete my exploration of the chthonic realm is Helleborous, which at first glance will seem to be quite anti-climactic, compared to all the heat, drama, and violence of many of the other remedies in this series. Helleborous is also commonly used in the first aid jurisdiction for the treatment of head injuries, particularly involving the top of the head. If you think of the feeling of having a head injury which may include confusion or slowed down thought processes, you start to understand some of its essence as a chthonic remedy.
Like Veratrum, Helleborous is the other chthonic remedy which relates to a functional body in our fourth (‘ontic’) body, which relates to our sense of self. This remedy largely relates to affectations of the mental sphere, including confusion, dullness, or even apathy or depression. While these symptoms would be the obvious result of a head injury, they need to be understood in a different context as a chthonic (fear) remedy, where the origin of these symptoms emerges from fears or anxieties, and not to a physical cause.
“The lights are on, but no one is home” can very well be the catch phrase for this state, as it is not clear if much of anything is being processed. At a deeper level, the underlying emotion to this state can be connected to a feeling of being lost, and without any grounding in life.
In terms of physical ailments, Helleborous can prove useful for some aspects of autism, as well as other conditions where an impairment in cognitive processing or communication are key. Other conditions including weak memory, or even a case of Alzheimer’s may also be helped by it. At a sub-clinical level, it will apply to any condition which has been caused by extended periods of having to engage in non-resonant work, where someone is literally “bored out of their mind”, and slowly begin to lose their facility with their cognitive abilities.