This book review is reprinted from Volume 17, Autumn 2004 edition of Homeopathic Links with permission from Homeopathic Links.

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Dreams, Symbols, and Homeopathy: Archetypal Dimensions of Healing
By Jane Cicchetti

Published by North Atlantic Books ISBN: 1-55643-436-7. Paperback 261 pages. With index, bibliography and glossary. Price: USD 18.00

Reviewed by Reviewed by Jean Pierre Jansen, The Netherlands

Overview
The book is easy to read. In part I, Cicchetti discusses the problem of opposites, and how Jung and others searched for so- lutions to problems that arise from the paradoxes of life. She explains the analytical psychological approach on the basis of a dream of her own, the homeopathic approach with a description of the homeopathic method, and cases that she has treated. This part ends with an explanation of the theme of the book, the relationship between mind and body. This subject had Jung's attention, but he said during his old age that he had to leave this work to future generations.

Part II discusses Jung's concepts of archetype and collective unconscious, and explains the more important archetypes that occur in clinical practice: the Shadow, Anima and Animus, and the archetype of the Self (wholeness).

Part III deals with the application in homeopathic practice: the use of dreams in homeopathy, perceiving what needs to be healed, and a practical chapter on the technique of dream analysis.

Part IV gives a discussion of some groups of remedies: trees, vines, milks and the seven alchemical metals. There is also a chapter about the 'trickster' and a comparative materia medica of 'trickster' remedies.
Throughout the book we read extensive case examples (Alumina, Aranea diadema, Colocynthis, Glonoinum, Nitricum acidum) and numerous materia medica vignettes that illustrate the theoretical concepts.

Interesting points
There are quite a few concepts whose historical development has been described by Jung, (and some by Freud, to whom Jung was closely connected in his early years). These concepts already existed in the 19th century literature of homeopathy, but were not described in Jung's historical research, because Jung was not much interested in homeopathy, although he had an extensive knowledge of, for example, Paracelsus and alchemy.

Here is a quote related to projection and constitutional thinking, that Cicchetti takes from JT. Kent: 'The internal state of man is prior to that which surrounds him, therefore environment is not the cause... Man is willing to violate every commandment... This state is represented in man's diseases... All diseases are representations of man's internals... The image of his own interior self comes out in disease.'

I found it exciting to read the parallel that Cicchetti draws between Jung's concept of the collective unconscious and Hahnemann's concept of miasms.

Psychology has introduced the concept of transference and countertransference, which can induce an altered state in the therapist. Hahnemann doesn't address the issue of prejudice very clearly, if at all, in paragraphs 6, 54 and 141 of the 'Organon'. Jung has written a great deal about transference.

The crucible, coming from the alchemical tradition, is one of his images in connection to transference. It is a picture of the closed vessel, and in it the basic material transforms into the alchemical gold after various alchemical operations like solution or sublimation. Jung has developed this image to a picture of the nature of the healing process, where all components of the healing process are closed in. In homeopathy this would be the patient, the homeopath and the remedy. Cicchetti shows some insights that come from this image, which are absent in Hahnemann's work and the 19th century homeopathic tradition. She gives a practical example, when she writes about dreams of the patient that are meant for the treating homeopath. It follows that a homeopath with a broad working knowledge and insight into the workings of the psyche can expect to get other dreams from the patient than the homeopath who doesn't pay much attention to this.

A difference with psychotherapeutic practice that becomes clear is that part of the transference and countertransference process that takes place in the crucible in homeopathy also shared by the remedy. When the homeopath is not aware of this situation, and attributes all the credits for a successful treatment to his or her personal accomplishment, the homeopath runs a risk of becoming inflated and attain a self-grandiose attitude. Cicchetti gives various ways to deal with this occupational risk.

Jung's psychological typology, for which he is seldom acknowledged, is one of the frequently used typologies in our daily life, when we speak about extraversion and in- troversion, and about the feeling, sensation, thinking and intuitive type of person. This typology has also found wide use in test-psychology. In homeopathy Philip Bailey's book 'Homeopathic Psychology' and Frans Maan's 'Homeopathy in Re- flexive Perspective' are examples of this typological approach to materia medica. These two authors divide remedies according to Jung's typology, e.g. Bailey arranges Sulphur among the fiery (intuitive) types, whereas Maan arranges it under the extraverted feeling (watery) types. Cicchetti takes a different position. Different types may need the same remedy, e.g. Sulphur the practical idealist would be an extraverted thinking type, whereas Sulphur the ragged philosopher would be an introverted intuitive. Her approach seems more flexible and realistic, as I have been able to observe since I assess the type of my patients according to Jungian typology.

There are some interesting clinical hints. The prognosis of a patient who has trouble with his Anima will generally involve a longer process.
Premature old age, ossification, etc., are likely to be associated with problems along the so-called Ego-Self axis. This concept, described by Edinger, describes the quality of the connection between the conscious and inner essence of the person. There is an Alumina case to illustrate this.

The last part of the book gives a lengthy description of remedies belonging to the group of trees, vines, milks and alchemical metals.

The 'trickster' is a dream figure, representing a part of the dreamer that brings him or her to behave in an unwanted way, e.g. a voice saying that 'one more cigarette or pint will not harm...' If this archetype plays a dominant negative role in the healing process of the patient, one can consider a remedy that addresses this issue. There is a chapter with a list of short remedy pictures for these situations.

Conclusion The book is not a complete textbook on remedies. All in all this is a book that invites to study your patient and your self in a more profound way. It is good in showing a way, whereas the case and materia medica examples serve as practical examples.
The contribution of analytical psychology to homeopathy is that it gives a better understanding of the psyche and dreams, of the healing relationship and a better selfknowledge of the homeopath. In this sense the book is a unique and valuable addition.