Prakash Vakil

Dreams in Homeopathy
Reading excerpt
Dreams in Homeopathy
of Prakash Vakil
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 Prakash Vakil

Dreams Come
to the Rescue
 “In order to do anything like justice to dreams, we need
an interpretive equipment that must be laboriously fitted
together from all branches of the human sciences.”
– Carl Gustav Jung

“What is life? A madness.

What is life? An illusion,
A shadow, a fiction,
And the greatest good’s but little;
For all of life is but a dream,
And dreams, are nothing but dreams.”
– Pedro Calderón de la Barca
from La vida es sueño
(Life is a Dream)
 Prakash Vakil

Dreams Come
to the Rescue
An Illustrated Guide with Homeopathic
Analysis and Interpretation of Dreams with a
Complete Repertory of Dream Remedies
 Prakash Vakil
Dreams Come to the Rescue
An Illustrated Guide with Homeopathic
Analysis and Interpretation of Dreams with a
Complete Repertory of Dream Remedies

ISBN 978-3-95582-093-0

First Edition 2017

© 2017 Narayana Verlag

Title of the original: Dreams - Come to the rescue

© by the Author Prakash Vakil (Estate of Prakash D.
Vakil, Sweta Vakil, Mumbai- 400 001, India)
further englisch editions published by the Author Prakash Vakil

Narayana Verlag
Blumenplatz 2, 79400 Kandern, Germany
Phone +49 7626 9749700
[email protected]
www.narayana-verlag.com

Editing: Narayana Verlag

Cover Photo: istockphoto.com ©agsandrew

All rights reserved. Without the written permission of the publisher, no

part of this book may be reproduced, duplicated, photocopied, translated
or stored in any form by any mechanical, electronic or photographic
process, with the exception of short passages for book reviews.
In so far as registered trademarks, trade names and common names are
used, the usual protections apply (even if these are not marked as such).
The recommendations in this book have been compiled and
checked to the best knowledge of the author and publisher.
There is nevertheless no guarantee provided. Neither the author
nor the publisher shall be held liable for possible detriment
or damage resulting from the instructions in the book.
Contents
Foreword to the 3rd Edition.................................................................viii
Preface to the 1st Edition........................................................................ ix
Acknowledgements to the 1st Edition...................................................x
Part I Dreams in General...................................................... 1
1.1 Sleep and Dreams.............................................................................. 3
1.2 The Importance of Dreams.............................................................. 5
1.3 Dreams of Some Famous People.................................................... 7
1.4 Inspiration from Dreams.................................................................. 9
1.5 Types of Dreams..............................................................................11
1.6 Series/Sequence of Dreams..........................................................13
1.7 The Paradox......................................................................................18
1.8 Dreams of Depressed Patients......................................................20
1.9 Controlling Dreams – Lucid Dreaming......................................21
1.10 Dreaming with Eyes Open..........................................................23
1.11 Dreams of Near Death Survivors...............................................24
1.12 Unremembered and Unforgettable Dreams............................26
1.13 Dreams and Ayurveda..................................................................27
1.14 Sigmund Freud..............................................................................28
1.15 Carl Gustav Jung............................................................................31
1.16 Some Other Uses of Dreams......................................................34
1.17 Scientific Explanation of Dreams...............................................35
1.18 Dreams According to Jainism.....................................................39
1.19 How to Record Dreams...............................................................41
Part II Dreams and Homeopathy....................................... 43
2.1 Introduction.....................................................................................45
2.2 Positions of Sleep and Dreams.....................................................48
2.3 Provings and Dreams......................................................................50

v
 Contents

2.4 Miasms and Dreams........................................................................53

2.5 Dreams of Nosodes.........................................................................58
2.6 Studying a Remedy from its Dreams...........................................69
2.7 Differentiating Two Close Remedies with the Help of Dreams..... 71
2.8 Prescribing on Dreams in Acute Conditions.............................73
2.9 Hering’s Law of Direction of Cure and Dreams........................80
2.10 Dreams After Administration of a Homeopathic
Remedy............................................................................................82
2.11 Reaction of a Patient to a Simillimum and a Partially Similar
Remedy............................................................................................86
2.12 Two One-Sided Cases with Dreams.........................................91
2.13 Can Dreams be Ignored?.............................................................94
2.14 Failures in Prescribing on Dreams.............................................97
2.15 Some Common Dreams and Homeopathy...........................110
2.16 When a Dream is Not Useful in Prescribing.........................161
2.17 Misleading Dreams.....................................................................164
2.18 Dreams and Delusions...............................................................190
2.19 Suppression and Dreams...........................................................199
2.20 Does Disappearance of a Dream Mean a Cure?....................212
2.21 Does a Person Always Require a Medicine for His
Dream?..........................................................................................213
2.22 Some Interesting Cases..............................................................224
2.23 The Difference Between Conscious and Unconscious
Aspects of Some Remedies.......................................................302
2.24 Some Rubrics Which are Not Given in the Repertory.......305
2.25 Clinical Dreams...........................................................................307
2.26 Cases Where Regular Repertories were Not Useful but
Repertory/Compilation was Useful........................................339
2.27 A Plan to Work with Dreams....................................................348
2.28 Dreams of More Recently Proved Remedies........................352
2.29 Research on Dreams...................................................................368

vi
 Contents

Part III Repertory of Dreams............................................ 369

Part IV Appendix............................................................... 401
List of Remedy Abbreviations...........................................................403
Remedy Index.......................................................................................407
General Index........................................................................................411
List of Cases..........................................................................................416
Index to Pictures Not Related to the Text.......................................419
Bibliography..........................................................................................420
Homeopathy.........................................................................................420
Dreams and Psychology.....................................................................422
Ayurveda and other subjects..............................................................424

vii
 Foreword to the 3rd Edition
Narayana Verlag is pleased to bring this new edition of the late
Dr Prakash Vakil’s book to the homeopathic community.
Based on the 1997 Revised Edition published by the author, this
edition has been entirely reformatted for improved readability.
Rubrics have been standardized, lists of remedies within the text
have been alphabetized where appropriate, information about
provings and other sources has been updated where possible and
footnotes have been added where we felt they would enhance the
clarity of the work. Also, a list of remedy abbreviations has been
added and the inclusion of a dreams repertory, based on Dr Vakil’s
work, will be a useful tool. Lastly, an index has been added so the
practitioner can more quickly locate sought-after information.
We hope you enjoy this important contribution to the understand-
ing of dreams in repertorization.
The Publishers

viii
Preface to the 1st Edition
I dreamt of bringing out this book when I found that the dreams
of some patients were the sole guide to what was going on within
them. I had to study various concepts on dreams and had to cor-
relate them with homeopathy. The usual rubrics from repertories
did not help in many cases, so I had to develop a special method
of working.
I cannot say that this work is free from errors. There may be errors
of commission and errors of omission. The work is so difficult,
laborious, and painstaking that I would only say that in subsequent
editions it will be rectified to achieve perfection. Whatever has
been done thus far should be useful to my colleagues, hence this
book.
There are many people who have helped me to realize my dream of
bringing out this book. I am really grateful to them.
Finally I wish to echo what W. B. Yeats wrote in He Wishes for the
Clothes of Heaven:
“I Have Spread My Dreams Under Your Feet
Tread Softly Because You Tread on My Dreams.”

Prakash Vakil
2nd October 1995
Bombay

ix
 Acknowledgements to the 1st Edition
My grateful thanks is due to the following people who have helped
in different fields to complete this book.
Proof reading: Mr John Fox and Miss Jacqueline Kouwenhoven
of Holland, Mrs Ruth Bloch of South Africa, Dr Anand Gokani,
Mr Sunil Munshi and Miss Mimansa Popat from India, Dr Carmen
Sturza from Romania.
Printing: Shri Manojbhai Mehta and Mr Anil Phadtare from Lon-
don.
Lamination: Shri Chhotubhai Shah of Jayant Printery, Mumbai,
India.
Graphics, layout, sketches and drawings: Mr Anil Dangi, Mr D.
Acharekar, Mr Bipin Booch from Mumbai, India, Miss Valerie
Rousseau from France and Dr Luiza Kohn from Romania.
Help with writing: Dr Mangesh Waigankar, Dr Adi Jagose, Dr
Yogesh Honrao, Dr Piyush, Oza, Dr H. Gadge, Dr Pranav Vaghani
from Mumbai, India.
Providing material and books for reference: Dr F. Schroy-
ens from RADAR, Belgium, Mr Roger Zandvoort
from Complete Repertory, Holland, David Warkentin from
Kent Homoeopathic Associates, U.S.A., Dr B. Long from France,
Dr  Bierry Sala’u’n from Staphise, France, Dr A. M. Lontie from
Belgium, Dr  Isabel Klein and Dr Daniella Russ from Germany,
Dr Durr Elmore from U.S.A., Mr H. Pennekamp from Germany,
Dr Carmen Sturza from Romania, M. S. Kim, Mandy Larkin, Sue
Crump and J. Sherr from U. K., Midge, Richard and Ray Gordon
from Canada.
And many others not mentioned here.

x
 PART I
Dreams in General
1.1 Sleep and Dreams
Sleep is considered to be the resting phase of life by most people
as it relieves mental as well as physical fatigue. If we consider that
one sleeps for 8 out of every 24 hours, it means that a 75 year-old
man has slept for 25 years, or one third of his life. Most of us do not
care to know what happens during this phase of life. It is presumed
that nothing happens except rest. However, during sleep a kind of
consciousness operates vividly at one level in the form of dreams.
What happens when one is deprived of sleep? It affects an indi-
vidual to a great extent. Shift workers and air-crew members suffer
considerably if they do not get adjusted to the biological rhythms.
The medical reason behind Napoleon Bonaparte losing the war
was scabies. His soldiers suffered from scabies. The itching would
not allow them to sleep and the next day they were required to
fight. One of the reasons for Saddam Hussein losing the Gulf War
was constant bombardment by the allied forces. Although it did
little damage to the strong hiding places constructed to face the
enemy attack, the strategy of the allied forces was not to allow his
Republican Guards to sleep. Strong, healthy and dedicated young
men formed the Republican Guards of Saddam Hussein. Loss of
sleep caused the greatest damage. Experiments have shown that
prolonged loss of sleep can give rise to hallucinations. Before the
advent of modern drugs the best prescription for a nervous break-
down was sleep. It has also been established that loss of sleep affects
the immune system. Thus sleep is vital for our well being. Probably
our forefathers knew this phenomenon very well when they used
to say “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and
wise.”
It was a common belief for centuries that a good sleep is dreamless.
It was thought that dreams normally occur when one is upset or
before awakening in the morning. Cheese, heavy meals and indiges-
tion are blamed for bad dreams. Disturbed digestion and the over-
activity of the digestive system are incorporated into the dream.

3
 1.1 Sleep and Dreams

According to Ayurveda some such foods increase biliousness

and persons having a ‘pitta’ constitution get aggravated. Sweating
attacks at night are often associated with illnesses like tuberculosis
or sleep disturbance. Now this belief has changed: if sleep is impor-
tant for health and if the purpose of sleep is to dream, the corollary
is that dreams are essential for good health. Electronic monitoring
has proved that the brain is more active during sleep. It has been
shown that there are two distinct sleep states: active and passive.
There are segments of 90 minutes of a passive phase followed by
active dreaming followed again by the passive phase. Initially the
dreaming period is about 10 minutes but it goes on increasing after
every 90-minute passive phase and towards morning it may be as
long as 45 minutes or more. During this active phase rapid move-
ment of the eyes is also observed and this phase is considered to
be a highly active phase for dreaming. This phase of sleep is also
termed REM sleep. But it is not only during this stage that an indi-
vidual dreams. If you disturb an individual during the 90-minute
phase he will not be able to go back to sleep. When the individual
wakes up there are thoughts of the active life which get mixed up
and hamper the 90-minute process of dream creation.
A study made by Milton Kramer has shown that our behaviour and
attitude are influenced by the dreams we may have had during the
previous night. It is evident from the fact that after a bad dream an
individual wakes up discouraged whereas after a good dream one
is more optimistic. Feelings aroused by a dream may be so strong
that the dreamer may try to escape in sleep from his bed and may
commit some violent act when sleepwalking.

4
1.2 The Importance of Dreams
As we have already seen, dreams are essential for good health.
Understanding dreams is also important. To relate adequately to
dreams is difficult as the dream structure is quite complicated.
Recent and past events get mixed up. Images in a dream may rep-
resent something different. The proportion of waking life is not
maintained e.g. a big tree may look like a small plant and a small
bird which normally sits on the branch of a tree may be seen as the
size of a house. There are uncertainties and discontinuities.
Sigmund Freud, who brought the interpretation of dreams to
the limelight, said that there are manifest contents as well as latent
contents in a dream. Some eminent psychoanalysts say that the
function of dreams is the psychological development, maintenance
regulation and, when necessary, restoration of psychic processes,
structures and organization. When our daily lives fit well with our
established sense of self, the dreaming process runs smoothly. In
times of crisis when we are under stress this process has to face a
new role for which we are not prepared. The dream process digs
into memory files and tries to find a solution. Thus the dreams
occurring at such a time are important for us. Dreams are also con-
sidered to be problem-solving, inspirational and spiritually deep-
ening. There is supportive evidence for these observations which is
described in the following pages.
American psychologist Calvin Hall explains the principles for
interpreting dreams. He believes that the majority of dreams reflect
everyday problems. He writes, “A dream is a document, a letter
written to oneself. It furnishes knowledge about ourselves.
It is a system that:
1. Organizes an individual’s self-conception.
2. Defines his views of other people.
3. Contains his views of the world, his values, ideals, his rela-
tion to his environments.

5
 1.2 The Importance of Dreams

4. Is a conception of his own impulses, driving forces, how he is

grateful, frustrated etc.
5. Defines his inner conflicts and attempts to solve them.
It is not a wish-fulfilment but a need-fulfilment.”
There are two opinions about understanding and interpreting
dreams. According to the first one it is difficult for the dreamer to
understand and interpret his dreams. He/she requires the help of a
group or a therapist. The other opinion is in favour of training the
individual to understand his own dreams. Whichever opinion is
correct, it is beyond dispute that understanding of the dreams by
the patient would be of immense benefit. To put in simple words
what Carl Gustav Jung says, the psychoanalytic therapeutic pro-
cess starts as soon as the dreamer or the patient is able to under-
stand his/her dream. Whitmont says that this is confirmed by an
expression such as “Aha!” or “Yes!” by the dreamer. A homeopath
after writing down the detailed history of his patient gets familiar
with the life situation, the likes and dislikes of the individual and
the normal reaction of the individual to different stimuli. Thus he/
she is in a position to offer an interpretation which is unbiased and
quite often welcomed by the patient.

6
1.3 Dreams of Some Famous People

Queen Marie Antoinette

A glowing red sun rising above a column, like a temple pillar.
Suddenly the column cracked in half and fell to the ground.
She was overthrown by the French revolutionaries.

Charles Dickens
A lady in a red shawl, who was facing the other direction, turned
around and introduced herself saying, “l am Miss Napier!”
He did not know who she was. The very next night after a famous
reading some friends came and introduced Miss Napier in real life!

Friedrich von Kekule

19th century German chemist Friedrich von Kekule dreamt of:
A snake chasing its own tail.
This helped him in visualizing the missing link in his research into the
chemical structure of the carbon atoms in the benzene ring. Today’s
motor cars and aeroplanes owe their existence to this benzene ring in
the petrochemical industry.

Abraham Lincoln
Just two days before he was assassinated the then President of the
United States of America dreamt very clearly of:
His own coffin lying in the White House, surrounded by
weeping people.

7
 1.3 Dreams of Some Famous People

Mother of Lord Buddha

The pregnant mother of Lord Buddha saw in her dream:
A giant elephant.
So she knew that she was going to deliver a baby boy and he would
be a great person.

Pharaoh’s Dream
The Biblical Pharaoh’s dream about:
Seven fat and seven lean cows followed by the dream of seven
full and seven empty ears of corn
was not understood by him. Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob,
while he was imprisoned, was asked to interpret this dream. He
correctly interpreted it as seven years of plenty followed by seven
years of famine. He was released as a reward and made a chief
advisor to Pharaoh. The 12 brothers reunited. These 12 brothers
became the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Carl Gustav Jung’s Dream

It was a visionary dream before the First World War.
On the first day he dreamt of water everywhere. On the second
day he saw a hillock surrounded by water.
Interpretation: War in Europe except Switzerland.

8
1.4 Inspiration from Dreams

Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the classic story, was
inspired by Stevenson’s dream in which he saw Hyde taking a pow-
der and changing persona to escape from his pursuers.

Mary Shelley
Frankenstein was inspired by a dream.

Jorge Amado
The famous South American writer says that he conceived most of
his work in his dreams.

Gustav Flaubert
The Temptation of St. Anthony was conceived in his dreams.

Reinhold Messner
This famous mountaineer says that he gets inspiration from his
dreams for his achievements. He could foresee some difficulties in
his dreams and solved them in his dreams only.

Salvador Dali
The famous Spanish painter derived his ideas and inspiration from
his dreams.

Otto Loewi
The German-born biochemist won the Nobel Prize in 1936 for physiol-
ogy for his crossed frog-heart experiment which led to the postulations
of chemical neurotransmission. This occurred to him in a dream.

9
 1.4 Inspiration from Dreams

Tipu Sultan
This formidable opponent of the British in India used to write down
his dreams and used to get visions of fighting with the British.

Charles Dickens
Material that came to him in his dreams helped to construct his
novels.

Guiseppe Tartini
This Italian violinist and composer dreamt:
A devil was playing violin. He heard the melody in the dream.
This inspired him for his famous sonata The Devil’s Quiver.

Carl Gustav Jung

The Magnolia Tree
This dream was the turning point in his approach to what he con-
sidered to be his life’s work.

10
1.5 Types of Dreams

Safety Valve Dreams

This term was first used by Freud when he explained that dreams
reflect psychological conflict; they can be wish-fulfilling and quite
often they express desires which are not expressed freely during
waking life. Thus these repressed desires float up in the form of
dreams. They work as a safety valve. A little child may dream of
a fairy bringing her a gift and a young lady may find her ‘Prince
Charming’ in her dream.

Creative Dreams
Subjects and actions which are seen in dreams can be applied in the
development of an individual’s ability and functioning. They can
be also a source of inspiration to the dreamer.

Recurring or Sequential Dreams

Repressed or suppressed desires or a problem which could not be
solved may appear in the form of a repetitive dream. Sometimes the
dream may also feature in a different set-up with the same theme.

Factual Dreams
Events and circumstances of daily life appear in dreams of an indi-
vidual. Such dreams are known as factual dreams.

Physiological Dreams
Physical discomfort and sexual arousal may be represented in the
dreams of an individual, in which case the dream is called a physi-
ological dream.

11
 1.5 Types of Dreams

Clairvoyant Dreams/Compensatory Dreams

These dreams are described under Some Common Dreams.

Problem-Solving Dreams
There are some individuals who have the ability to solve their prob-
lems in their dreams. This may be due to the fact that they think
intensely about the problems and they have a great desire to solve
their problems. Kekule’s dream of a snake eating its own tail helped
him to visualise the benzene ring.

12
1.6 Series/Sequence of Dreams
By studying a number of dreams of the same patient it may be pos-
sible to predict the character, nature and reaction of the individual.
A sequence of dreams may also show the different circumstances
through which the individual may be passing.

Case 1 – Changing Dreams of Falling

A German married woman, aged 45, who was suffering from
migraine, described the change in her dream very clearly.
She and her sister were sexually abused by their father when they
were young. The father was a dentist and was a crazy man. She had
great difficulty in entering into a relationship because of what had
happened to her. When I saw her she was happily married with
two kids. Her father had died two years previously. The mother
and sister have lost their memory so the sole responsibility of look-
ing after the problems which cropped up after the father’s death
came to her. She felt duty-bound. To her surprise she found that
the crazy father had not paid heaps of bills which were found in the
cellar. She described the dream:
“The situation was so bad that I did not know how to manage!
Under the circumstances I started dreaming:
That I am falling. I am hanging on the edge of a window or a
cliff and at any moment I might fall down.
The situation became worse with debtors and I had to answer
phone calls almost throughout the day.
I dreamt that I am falling into an abyss.
We had to sell the house and my mother and sister had to move to
a small apartment. But I breathed a sigh of relief that at least selling
the house had solved the problem! I dreamt:

13
 1.6 Series/Sequence of Dreams

14
 1.6 Series/Sequence of Dreams

I have fallen into deep waters and I am under water. I am sur-

prised at the fact that I am able to breathe like a fish!”

After a month when I met her she said the situation had again
worsened and the debtors whose bills the father had not paid now
started demanding money. She said,
“Now I dreamt that I am sitting in a car in the front seat. My
father is driving the car towards a precipice and although I am
cautioning him he is going ahead. Just like in a film I see that
the car is hanging on the rear wheels on the edge and is about
to fall down!”

As new developments take place, the dream changes. The main

theme remains the same i.e. ‘falling’. This case is described here not
to show how a remedy was chosen for the patient but how a chang-
ing situation in one’s life changes the dream.

15
 Prakash Vakil
Dreams in Homeopathy
A Guide to the Homeopathic
Interpretation of Dreams
With a Repertory of Dream Remedies

429 pages, hb
publication 2017

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