Reprinted with the permission of The Society of Homeopaths, from "The Homeopath" Journal, Summer 2010 edition. Reviewed by Margot Maidment.
It is six years since Ian Watson has described himself primarily as a homeopath, his work having branched out into areas he describes as involving personal growth and self-transformation. However, his interest in homeopathy as a discipline has not diminished, as can be seen in his latest publication, The Homeopathic Miasm A Modern View.
He writes that the impulse for this work came out of a feeling that 'the miasm theory developed by Hahnemann contained a built-in limitation'. Ian sets out to identify a 'limitation' in Hahnemann's miasmatic theory and to elucidate a modern approach to understanding miasmatic theory with a view to increasing the usefulness of these ideas for homeopaths working today. In keeping perhaps with his interest in self-transformation, he suggests that a new way to look at miasms is to see them as transformative influences, embracing both positive and negative aspects, which can be understood, learned from and integrated, rather than viewed simply as disease-producing forces that need to be overcome. He attempts to take a neutral approach that sees miasms not as malefic influences that need to be eradicated but as opportunities and agents of transformation and inner growth. He succeeds in doing this, I feel, even with the 'contemporary miasms' of cancer, AIDS and radiation.
Ian looks at commonly understood rubrics and seeks to explain how they and the remedies we associate with them fit into a miasmatic pattern. As well as looking at the miasms from a theoretical perspective, he includes information on the nosodes associated with the miasms. Homeopaths will not find this aspect controversial. What may be more controversial is his advocacy of the use of flower remedies, but this is, in fact, in keeping with the way he has extended his work into the promotion of self-healing approaches rather than promoting an 'expert' model of healing. In addition, he makes useful links between the homeopathic miasms, Buddhist philosophy and psychotherapeutic modalities, such as Jungian thought.
One criticism might be that he does not offer any references for some of the statements he makes or offer suggestions for further reading, which I would have found useful, but as he is not claiming his work to be an academic tome, preferring instead to focus on providing a practical aid to learning and prescribing, this can perhaps be forgiven. The merits of lan's book will depend on the degree to which we are able to use his ideas, not just to 'cure' people but rather to enable people to gain insight into the issues and challenges that face us, not only as individuals but as a species. This is a concise but rich book which introduces a new dimension into homeopathic philosophy, based upon lan's own thoughts and experiences as a homeopath and healer and I can thoroughly recommend it to homeopaths, students and teachers alike.
Reprinted with the permission of The ARH, from 'Homeopathy in Practice', Autumn 2010 edition. Reviewed by Patty Hemmingway.
This book is pocket-sized, reasonably short (105 pages), and the information is presented in bite-sized chunks, so I thought it would be an easy and quick read. I can confirm that it is easy to read, inasmuch as complex ideas are expressed clearly and simply, but you may want to set aside some time and be prepared to pause for thought as you read this book. Ian Watson is offering us a digest from his vast understanding of traditions as disparate as sufiism, astrology, the five-element system, psychoanalysis, Buddhism and astrophysics (to name just some of the traditions he draws from) to illustrate his view of the miasms as neutral energetic influences on human consciousness.
In themselves, Watson explains, the miasms are neither good nor bad and when they show up, rather than trying to eradicate them, practitioners might want to ask how they can best serve their client, by understanding them and working with them. One way to do this is to ask what message is being sent from the subconscious in the form of disease symptoms or imbalance, and how homeopathy might be able to support the client struggling with a psychological or spiritual problem to move forward.
Ian Watson admits at one point that homeopathy became something of a straitjacket for him, and he sought out other healing therapies and approaches. He has managed to distil this knowledge to produce a clear explanation of how to recognise the major miasms, remedies for treating the conditions they produce, and what this means for the human psyche. He is at his best when he discusses how the miasms relate to our own psyche. For example, talking about the challenges brought into focus by the syphilitic miasm he says:
We create problems for ourselves by avoiding the darkness ... You see the deepest, darkest pits of depression and despair among the syphilitic remedies such as Aurum, Syphilinum and Mercurius. All the demons that frighten us the most exist inside of us. Nothing in the outside world compares to the things that we can encounter in our own psyches.
There is much in this book to help the practitioner understand not only the mental and emotional symptoms of the miasms, but also the physical. This is not entirely new material but it is presented in a new light, which brings together themes which are as pertinent on a global level as they are on an individual level, and his vivid images help to fix them in the reader's memory. Having established that the sycotic miasm is associated with the physiological imperative to keep fluids moving around the body in a healthy way, he goes on to examine how the sycotic miasm could also apply globally:
As a result [of heating up], the fluids which are the lifeblood of the earth have begun to be affected. As I write this, Pakistan is suffering the worst flooding of any country at any time in history.
Ian Watson wrote this book to offer an alternative to 'miasmatic theory in its original form', which he says 'is really a branch of the allopathic thinking hidden within homeopathy'. He argues that, in treating in an 'anti-miasmatic' way, and trying to 'drive-out the enemy of miasm-induced disease', homeopaths have been treating the miasms as some sort of pathogen to be eradicated.
We homeopaths become allopaths without realising it. We forget about treating the person and instead we want to get rid of the miasm.
The book covers the main themes of each of the 'big five miasms', Psora, Sycosis, Syphilis, Tuberculosis and Cancer. Each chapter discusses the physical, mental and emotional aspects of the miasm, then sets out what the author sees as the 'challenge' each' presents to the human psyche, and ways to address this in treatment with homeopathic remedies and flower essences. He has chosen to include flower essences because, unlike homeopathy, these were developed to address 'states of consciousness rather than disease states'. If working with miasms is about transformation of consciousness, then flower essences are obviously highly effective.
The last two chapters briefly touch on two new miasms: radiation and AIDS. He admits it is difficult to think of the AIDS miasm as 'neutral with potential gifts', but he suggests that:
One of the lessons here may be a renewed respect for the body on every level... On the one hand this miasm alerts us against making moral judgements and creating scapegoats, but on the other hand it seems to be showing us that we cannot treat the body as an object without suffering the consequences.
Every page of this book has prompted me to consider the lessons to be learned from the manifestation of a particular miasm and, far from being theoretical knowledge, this is information I will take into the consulting room with me, and use in my work with clients who want to overcome obstacles to health and move forward in their lives. It is a fascinating book, while also being intensly practical, and showing how this work can be done.
Reprinted with the permission of The Homoeopathic Links, from their Winter, Volume 23 edition. Reviewed by Joseph Rozencwaijg, New Zealand.
I like Ian Watson's modern and pragmatic approach to homeopathy, so I was very interested to read his latest book. After all, the concept of miasms is one of the most difficult to grasp and many of us do struggle with it.
And as usual, Ian did not deceive my expectations: he starts by saying that many approaches to homeopathic treatments are simple allopathy with potentised remedies: use this remedy to treat that condition; and the same is true with the concept that miasms are "evil" and should be eradicated, another allopathic concept.
He sees miasms more as stages or states of life rather than pathological entities; pathology occurs when imbalance comes into play.
Psora is survival, Sycosis is growth and reproduction, Syphilis death and destruction, Tuberculosis the wake-up call, and Cancer is relationship to others.
Clearly this is more of a philosophical and sociological approach than anything else and puts a very different light and vision to miasms.
Ian presents many Flower remedies adapted to miasmatic states, but the few homeopathic ones are again presented the allopathic way: page 41 "Consider Medorrhinum also for puffy ankles or feet..." as an example, is exactly what he deplored at the beginning of the book. Then involving "divine" intervention or presence might be obvious and clear for Ian, whatever his belief system is, but it is not really expected in a book aimed at practitioners of very various and different creeds and philosophical inclinations.
Still, this book and the concepts presented are an invaluable addition to our understanding of miasms and I would certainly recommend it as an integral part of their study.
