The Repertory

Our best tool for homeopathy is the Repertory.

It is a tool that no homeopath could really do without. This is a system of classification of symptoms that are indexed and organized in sub-categories. All areas of the body, the mind and generalities and sensations including vertigo, cough, expectoration, perspiration etc. are organized by chapter to identify the rubric and the remedies that have been proved to be useful for that symptom. The pioneers in homeopathy created this system for their use and also passed these repertories on.

A Variety To Choose

Some of the famous repertories that are still very valuable and useful have been written by Kent, Boger, Bönninghausen, Boericke, Jahr. Today we have modern compilations of these repertories and newer additions by many modern authors. The Synthetic Repertory, The Complete Repertory, Murphy’s Medical Repertory and Synthesis, to name a few. The organization of any repertory is really a working tool of the authors mind and observations. Some repertories were written that focused on sensation. Others focused on as many perceivable symptoms that could be included. Others yet had a more medical bias to the rubrics. But each has a valuable place in our homeopathic tool kit.

Making The Repertory Work For You
Using the repertory is one of the most critical parts of the homeopathic process. Correct selection of rubrics is essential. The repertorization of any case is only as good as the rubrics selected. Using a repertory that provides an adequate number of rubrics and remedies will help every homeopath. But the repertorization will be only as useful as the homeopaths choice of rubrics and his analysis.
Even after using the best of repertories and the best choice of rubrics the homeopaths challenge still exists to select the correct remedy. This is where having knowledge of Materia Medica is so important. Never will the repertory select the remedy for the homeopath. It must always be selected by matching the essence of what it asking to be healed in the case with a remedy that carries a similar energy. The repertory is only the guide, but an essential one.

A tool is only as good as the person using it.

Study the Repertory and Materia Medica. But above all else, continue to purify your life. Get clear in yourself so you can be the most unprejudiced observer. Only if you are able to perceive the case, selecting appropriate rubrics that reflect the case accurately, could you ever come to a list of remedies that may be useful. After this, continued study of Materia Medica is essential to select the very best remedy. We have the tools, now it is up to you.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Prabhat Kumar Dasgupta on May 27, 2011 at 4:30am

I would like to call The Repertory .....the stearing of a car...

similimum can not be found without this & my choice of Repertory is Kent Repertory.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Ravindra Saraswat on May 29, 2011 at 2:49pm

Mental Symptoms And The Repertory

One of the biggest problems comes with mental symptoms in the repertory. In some ways it is the most imprecise part of working with the repertory, because it deals with subjective experiences that require interpretation from the homeopath and a degree of clarity from the patient. Unconscious experiences and their effects on a person can be very difficult to pinpoint.

Note the distinction between objective and subjective mental symptoms. Objective symptoms often belong to the person's fundamental nature, but they can obviously be expressions of a compensated state. However, these symptoms can often be useful, as they require less interpretation and are safer to use. Objective symptoms can be seen or distinctly felt by the homeopath. Examples are haughtiness, timidity, anxiety, fear, grief, gestures, loquacity, jesting, laughing, sighing, etc. Subjective symptoms require more seeking and more analysis. Strive to get to the subjective state of the person, as it gives greater understanding of the more objective expressions. The value of the subjective symptoms depends partly on the level of limitation on the mental level, and also on whether there is specific emotional trauma that has been dissociated or repressed. However, even when the patient cannot or does not want to reveal difficult, embarrassing or painful events, compensations can often tell us a lot.

Listen carefully to the words chosen by the patient. Words used repeatedly or in an unusual context can sometimes be very useful in choosing rubrics for mental symptoms, for example, words such as "hate," "humiliation," " torment," "resentment," etc. Also, words chosen to describe physical or general symptoms can help us understand the nature of a person.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Rajneesh Kumar Sharma MD(Hom) on May 30, 2011 at 12:22am

Sir, very good article. But always should be careful as the patient may wrongly interpret his complaints in words due to his lack of knowledge of language or due to influence of local tongues.