Repertory › Remedies in the repertory

Lyssinum (Lyss.)

Lyssinum (Lyss.) appears in 651 rubrics in the repertory. Of these, 89 are single-remedy rubrics in which only this remedy is listed, and 59 are small rubrics with at most two other remedies. The emphasis lies on Delusions and Fear, followed by Thoughts, Biting, desire to, Oversensitiveness, Answering and Lasciviousness. Together they yield the picture of a person flooded by stimuli who feels attacked and, in fear and aggression, swings between defense and remorse.

Rabies and water

The core lies in rabies. The rubrics list rabies after a bite, after rabies vaccination, and denial of having been bitten. Water triggers the attacks, as in the rubric "Rabies, hydrophobia - thoughts of water cause attacks": the mere thought of water, the very word, which cannot be heard without shuddering in fear, the splashing, the rushing, the sound of water being poured out. The fear applies to running water and to water from taps, and liquids are an object of thought from which the mind cannot free itself. The aversion to shining objects, especially the surface of water, and the dread of seeing oneself in a mirror belong to the same group.

Biting, rage and remorse

The stimulus discharges in aggression. Biting, desire to, is recorded many times, extending to snapping and to biting the pillow, and the rage is directed against the dog that bit. Speech becomes abusive, biting and offensive, and the answers attack. It is noteworthy that the attack on people on whom one depends is followed by remorse; the person apologizes in earnest. A single-remedy rubric also records that the person defends against imaginary attacks and accusations, and the delusion of being continually attacked confirms this.

Delusions and transformation

The delusions are the largest block and work with a loss of boundaries. The person believes to be a dog, growling and barking, or a bird, running about chirping until fainting; the walls seem to be falling in, the person suffers the torments of hell without explanation, and something terrible is about to happen. A head that cannot be held straight, two trains of thought at once, and the delusion of having temporarily lost consciousness belong here, as does the notion of being unable to swallow or to open the mouth. One can see in this a dissolution of self-perception that proceeds from the body.

Oversensitiveness and estrangement

The senses are overstimulated: noises are barely tolerable, even other people's throat clearing or apple eating, and a draft, singing, and church music irritate. One rubric lists anxiety from church bells. Alongside the irritability goes an estrangement: friends and relatives are forgotten, the family has slipped from memory. Opposed to this stands the ability to feel the pain of a brother or of others and to know the thoughts of others.

Fear itself becomes the subject of rubrics: it is regarded as unbearable, the person cannot endure any fear, and two single-remedy rubrics link fear as well as anxiety with an excited state of all the senses. Fear also occurs on waking, as anticipation that something will happen, and in the evening as fear of falling. In addition there are fear of approaching vehicles and agoraphobia. The person appears as if without skin, exposed to every impression.

Pregnancy and lasciviousness

The rubrics on pregnancy are strikingly dense: peculiar thoughts, fancies and impressions, great apprehension, and the feeling that everything is strange. Beside the delusions stands an increased lasciviousness with erections, also painful ones, in the afternoon and after eating.

Summary

The repertory draws a person whose threshold of stimulation has fallen: water, light and noise penetrate like attacks, and the response consists of biting, insult and fear. The desire to attack stands beside shame and remorse, and the person falls apart into delusional images in which he himself becomes an animal.

A reference work for professionals; it does not replace diagnosis or treatment.