A case of psoriasis from suppressed anger

A 32-year-old woman consulted with me in December of 2007 regarding her almost life-long psoriasis - she was diagnosed with the conditions when she was only four years old. She was practically covered in large spots of psoriasis from head to toe, including her lovely face and lower arms, so it was very visible to the world. She immediately started talking about her childhood.

"I can only remember bad things from my childhood. There is so much sadness. It takes over and I need to cry and let it out."

"I am always thinking about my Mom. I feel that she has a lot of unfulfilled desires and sadness. She has always been sick. I've always wanted to help her get better."

"For a long time I hated my Dad. He would put me down, make fun of me. I hate when people make fun of me and I can't do anything about it. By the age of 15 I started to talk back. Before that I was scared, for example I'd worry what the other kids would do to me if I did. Where I grew up the kids were pretty rough, one girl tried to beat me up.

"I never told my mother about this. At summercamp there were more bullies. I spent two summers walking around in fear and hatred of other kids and I never felt that I could tell anybody.

"As I got older I became more expressive of my feelings, but I still have trouble with difficult emotions. I can fluctuate from feeling hurt to feeling angry very quickly and if I then feel that I've lost it and hurt people I feel really guilty. It's a vicious circle."

The patient is also overweight, has polycystic ovarian disease, digestive problems and a history of recurring yeast infections.

"I am learning to take responsibility for my feelings. Before, I could only blame. I was really angry at the world for a long time.

"I am very sensitive, I can be in a room full of people and absorb their feelings, it can get overwhelming."

She will get sick and her skin will become aggravated if she has to do a job she does not want to do. She is very sensitive to injustice and inequality and hates it if people abuse their power.

Analysis: This is a very sensitive woman who is experiencing feelings intensely but has had to suppress a lot of them, especially anger, for most of her life. I gave her the homeopathic remedy Staphysagria, a remedy which can be helpful for very sensitive people who can become ill from suppressed anger. In particular, it can be useful for psoriasis after grief or suppressed anger.

Follow-up after two weeks:

She has taken Staphysagria 30 CH every other day for two weeks. She has noticed an inner shift, feels calmer and stronger. She has had very intense dreams of worms coming out of her mouth and ears, it was disgusting.

Dreamt of a waiter who made a pass at her and she became very angry and screamed at him in her deam.

Dreamt that told a co-worker off whom she had had difficulties with.

Her psoriasis has flared up a bit.

Assessment: Good initial response, the fact that she had dreams in which she expressed her feelings is a good sign. The psoriasis is mildly worse, which is a common initial response.

Follow-up after four weeks:

Psoriasis is starting to clear. Continue Staphysagria and also do a cleansing diet.

After several months the patient's psoriasis had significantly improved, she had cleared by about 70%. At that point she discontinued treatment.

Once again, it is remarkable how much a person's innate sensitivity combined with traumatic life events can affect their health.