When I had my first child, my health deteriorated rapidly. I desperately wanted to know “what happened to me?”. I needed validation, I needed some external expert to give me a reason for why my body and mental state was “failing me”.

With homeopathy, the diagnosis can be helpful in some cases to know what we are dealing with and because we do have some clinical rubrics (symptoms) we can lean on, however the unique symptom presentation is often far more useful than the diagnosis itself. Because two people can have anxiety or migraines, but how they experience it can be massively different and require different remedies. There is no one-size-fits-all in homeopathy.

Some of the pros and cons of having a diagnosis are:

Pros

• Validation: There is something to be said for recognition of struggles and providing a sense of understanding of the problem, especially when it comes from a person of authority.

• Path for Action: A diagnosis can direct you towards targeted treatments and interventions.

• Self-Advocacy: It may help you seek appropriate accommodations e.g. adjustments to your work or provide some protections.

• Belonging: You might feel a sense of belonging and feeling “normal” when there is a name for what you are experiencing.

• Connection: You can build strong relationships with others facing similar challenges.

Cons

• Labelling: There is a risk of putting you in a box and feeling misunderstood.

• Over-Identification: Danger of letting the diagnosis overshadow you and becoming the label.

• Focus: You may become so focused on the issue you might overlook other aspects of healing/ your health.

• What if it’s wrong? It may not be the thing you think it is – what if it’s not XYZ, but a symptom of a dis-regulated nervous system, for example.

• What if it limits you? You let fear get in the way, or limiting beliefs around your capacity to heal.

• Self-Compassion: Important to remember that a diagnosis doesn’t define you. Your symptoms are unique.

Until next time!

Leah