THE EIGHT BOX METHOD OF CASE ANALYSIS
The Eight Box method is Dr Rajan Sankaran's most recent evolution in homeopathic practice. It involves classifying the patient's information into 8 different aspects. It compels the physician to look at the different aspects and find the thread that connects all the different aspects. It allows use of several methodologies synergistically in different cases. It is a reproducible tool that helps to gain consistent results. Illustrated with several cases, this book aims to reduce the chances of error that can arise as a result of prejudice or from looking at only a part of information.
From the Foreword:
A few years ago, during a seminar in Mumbai at The Other Song academy we witnessed a live case by Dr Sankaran. At that time, he had not yet developed his analysis system with the Eight Boxes.
During this case, amongst the other symptoms, the patient described a feeling of lightness, the delusion of flying and a feeling of being under pressure. We were swept away by that delusion and completely forgot what the patient said at the beginning of the consultation, the main issue being fear and terror. We did not even consider the general or local symptoms. Our mind automatically jumped to the most well-known place, the sensation. We thought that the patient needed a plant remedy from the Hamamelidae family and we totally missed the remedy.
At that time, we did not have the eight-box tool to help us recognize the unconscious pattern, the other song, the noumenon that was unfolding before us in every aspect of the patient. The idea of its existence was present, but we lacked the appropriate instrument to keep our attention active in all areas of the patient's story, as to recognize the level where the pattern is most clearly manifested and to find it on every level.
With the resource of the Eight Boxes, the case unfolds as with a prism that breaks a light beam and then we can assemble its parts again. In each color the whole is implied. Eventually that prism would be internalized, and we could look at everything in a fragmented way and then watch it come together again.
The Eight Box method is a priceless tool for analyzing and summarizing a case for prescription, teaching and follow-ups. It is a helpful resource that is dynamic and flexible in the sense that it is the patient who determines the structure of each box.
In this way, the prescription easily achieves the three parameters that Dr Sankaran emphasizes: exactness, completeness and depth.
Dr. Nora Caram and Dr. Juan Carlos Galante
Buenos Aires, Argentina
March 2018
- Author: Rajan Sankaran
- ISBN: 9789380355672
- 184 pages
- Hardback
- Printed in India
Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, (from 'The New Homeopath' magazine, Winter 2018 edition): Reviewed by Sarah Lane.
"Empathy for the suffering and true care are the foundations for practice and a good homeopath is one who can use all of these different approaches in harmony with the pure intention of helping the human being who seeks help."
For those of us who have been using the Sensations Method for a number of years now, this new book by Rajan Sankaran is a welcome addition. Evolving out of his recent Synergy Method, Sankaran has devised a complex and multifaceted approach to case taking which is practical and systematic and will be welcomed by many.
This book comes out of a reflection on the complexity of case taking and an acknowledgement by Sankaran that at times the sensation of a case is not to be found, or cannot be explored in enough depth to take us to the source language of the required remedy. This is not to say that Sankaran is moving on and leaving Sensation Method behind, but that there is a recognition that having a one size fits all approach to case taking has its limitations. From this perspective, Sankaran presents his Eight Box Method as "part of an ongoing evolutionary journey to more consistent results in our practices."
Whilst some patients fly with the Sensations Method, others do not always respond so well, preferring a more systematic approach, so it is reassuring to have a method that provides back-up for when the case does not lead to the source language of the remedy. In addition, some cases make us question the ethics of pursuing the Sensation if the patient is resistant to exploring it. It is therefore refreshing that in this book, Sankaran acknowledges that sometimes it is not possible or appropriate to take a case in the pure Sensations Method style, and that using the many analytical tools and maps available will help guide us more effectively in our case taking.
So what is the Eight Box Method? At its core is the concept that we must look at a case from a variety of perspectives, in order to perceive the whole of the case presented to us. Sankaran uses the Indian fable of a group of blind men all feeling a different part of an elephant. On their own they cannot perceive they are touching an animal: is it a rock, a rope, or a snake? Yet when their perceptions are brought together the whole of the elephant is perceived.
By checking out a case from this range of perspectives, Sankaran asserts that we can be more confident in our prescribing and ultimately our ability to truly help our patients. The Eight Box Method requires looking at the case from different angles, many of which are methods that we already have in our homeopathic toolboxes.
The book itself is a manageable length, being only 179 pages. It is divided into three sections, with an explanation of the Eight Box Method and how it has evolved from his recent Synergy approach. This is followed by a series of useful case studies that clearly illustrate the Eight Box Method, and a section that focuses on errors and mistakes to look out for when using the method and the detail as to how he repertorises cases. Sankaran stresses that at the heart of the Eight Box Method flexibility remains key and that no approach should dictate hard and fast rules.
Written primarily for homeopaths who already work with Sensation and Synergy, there is little explanation to the reader of what these methods are and how to work with them. However, for classical homeopaths interested in incorporating a Sensations approach into their practice, there is much inspiration to be found in this book.
