| This book review is
reprinted from Volume XXI Winter/Spring 2008 edition of Simillimum
HANP *** SENSATIONS: THE HEALING POWER OF HOMEOPATHY By ILDIKO RAN, CCH WITH ANNA
MENYHERT, PH.D REVIEWED BY NEIL TESSLER ND, DHANP It is hard to discuss any book on Sankaran's method, without reflecting on the pockets of hatred and disdain that one inevitably comes across in the homeopathic world. He stole his ideas from others, he is destroying homeopathy, it shouldn't even be called homeopathy but he should find a new name for it. I've heard all of this and so much more. We are in a peculiar transitional era, where despite the tension and resistance, the new ideas emanating from several schools including Massimo, Sankaran/ Chhabra, etc., are becoming more and more refined, increasingly influential and soon enough will be pervasive, representing a very significant historical shift and evolution in Hahnemannian based homeopathic philosophy and practice. Many young practitioners are so imbued with Sankaran's philosophies and methods, that they don't even recall or fail to notice that this is indeed a fairly radical evolution. They talk of "Doctrine of Signatures" with blithe embrace, little realizing that the term gives the more conservative practitioners apoplexy, due to Hahnemann's rant against utilizing doctrine of signatures in attempting to understand medicines. That there is a relationship between source and remedy is an unarguable fact, as brilliantly demonstrated in William Gutman's Homeopathy, from writings that are fifty years old. That this can be fruitfully developed in a way that serves a greater overall understanding of patient and remedy is really no surprise at all. That its place in Sankaran's work or that of others has been misunderstood by some and misapplied by others is also inevitable. However, the emphasis ought to be on proper understanding of its potential within homeopathic practice and practical application. It is a self-evident fact that patterns exist amongst remedies within specific kingdom, as was discussed by Farrington, well over a century ago. The movement towards ordering systems within materia medica could also be described as an inevitable consequence of the growing state of knowledge and experience regarding the extant materia medica and the pressure to derive greater depth of results without having to be utterly brilliant and possessed of a photographic memory. These ideas are here to stay. Therefore, understanding them, if one is so disposed, and proving their practical worth, makes a lot more sense then endless hair splitting. Ildiko Ran's book may not win awards for the most accurately descriptive of titles, though the content more then compensates. Cutting to the chase this is an introductory guide to the work of Sankaran, based on the author's own clinical practice. I have to admit that I was surprised at how much inspiration and learning could be derived for her writing. Any serious student of homeopathy seeking a synoptic overview of Sankaran's method should absorb this book, as it not only provides a good introduction but more importantly the cases are quite instructive. One can only admire her patient, skillful, revealing case taking, which amply demonstrates the utility of the sensation method in daily practice. Furthermore, the cases cannot be accused of the kind of ambiguous results termed "cured case" that regularly appeared on my desk, when serving as Editor of this journal. They are good homeopathic cases with definite results. They support the voices of many in the profession that Sankaran's ideas are not merely theoretical constructs, but a radical enhancement to our ability to meet the requirements posted by Hahnemann in paragraph three, for a practitioner of the (homeopathic) healing art. Naturally her very quick introduction to homeopathic ideas is colored by her contemporary influences. She then launches into a schematic survey of modem concepts primarily emanating from Sankaran, centered around the various components of the Sensation Method: kingdoms, miasms, source language, the new approach to case taking, gestures, doodles and doctrine of signatures. The book is organized according to the major kingdoms, with several lengthy illustrative cases and discussion of each. It is highly recommended.
Last updated 01/05/2010 |