I work from home, in a beautiful rural setting, surrounded by mature totara trees. Totara are native to New Zealand and are part of the conifer family. They can grow more than 30m tall and live for hundres of years. The trees here are probably between 100 and 200 years old so they are very special. What is even more special for me is the fact that I grew up here, playing amongst the majestic trees. Back then, my parents called our farm “Totara Grove” because of the lovely stands of totara. Fast forward some thirty years to when my husband and I bought a piece of the family farm – the part with all the gorgeous totara – and I decided to use the name for my practice.
“What does this have to do with homeopathy?” you may ask. The space where I practice at home is the perfect relaxed setting for the homeopathic consultation. This is a very important part of the homeopathic process. It is a time for the client to share their story, to be heard, unhurried. All of what the client says is important and is valued. It is where the homeopath listens without judgement and records what the client is saying. This part in itself can be, and often is, the start of the healing journey.
For those clients who are overseas or do not come to see me in person, you have the advantage of being in the comfort of your home. I see this as a lovely way to have a homeopathic consultation as you are in an environment that you are familiar with and you can feel free to open up and share your story. Even though we are communicating via video call, we can still connect and develop a client practitioner relationship in this way.
In homeopathy there are two types of consultation. Chronic and acute. The chronic consultation is for long standing or recurring health issues. These are conditions that have been with you for more than a month and sometimes you may have had them for years. This could be things like migraines, painful periods, arthritis, eczema or digestive problems. I allow an hour and a half for this appointment to take a thorough case. I will ask you to give as much information as possible about your presenting complaint and how you experience it. I am also interested in your likes and dislikes, sleep, how you are feeling emotionally, if you have any other health issues, energy and medical history. All this information forms a picture for me which I can then use to select an appropriate homeopthic remedy for you and your unique symptoms.
An acute, on the other hand, is something that can come on quickly and lasts from several hours to a few weeks. Things like a cold, ‘flu, sore throat, fever or a recent injury. This is a shorter appointment where I will take details of your symptoms and how you are experiencing them. I will then choose a homeopathic remedy that matches you and your symptom picture.
I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your health journey.