Student Journeys into Homeopathy
 

Dotty Forest

Studying around work, family and life

Studying homeopathy can completely change the way you see the world. It challenges you to think differently about health, people and our relationship with everything around us, while encouraging a deeper curiosity about life itself.

For me, the Foundation Course opened up a whole new perspective. I came away not only with a greater understanding of homeopathy, but with a more thoughtful and appreciative way of looking at the world.

I was very lucky to be gifted some money and it seemed like a unique opportunity to take a course in homeopathy. My family and I had used homeopathy with wonderful results, so I had an early exposure to alternative ways of approaching life and health. I was curious to understand more about it and see where that curiosity might lead.

As a teacher in performing arts, my life was already very busy, with all the additional engagements that come with the job, so the Foundation Course suited me extremely well. There were no crazy deadlines and I could work at my own pace, which meant I could fit my studies around working full-time. My homeopath had recommended the course, and I quickly discovered how enjoyable it was to learn in this way.

As a trained musician and secondary school teacher, I had a strong academic background, but what I found particularly interesting and liberating was being encouraged to approach assignments creatively. I could express what I had learned through different forms, including painting and writing poetry. I loved that the course allowed me to explore ideas in a way that felt natural to me rather than simply following a conventional academic approach.

The flexibility was perfect for my lifestyle. I used to listen to the philosophy lectures while travelling to work and thoroughly enjoyed working through the assignments in my own time. I also received very supportive, helpful, honest and detailed feedback from my Homeopathy tutor. The School couldn’t have been more encouraging, and I always felt motivated to keep going.

The course content itself was incredibly inspiring, and I found every aspect fascinating. That, for me, is one of the great appeals of homeopathy. It challenges the way you think about the world, health and people, and encourages you to appreciate the incredible interconnectedness of our existence. Personally, I find myself approaching things much more thoughtfully now.

I also have a much greater respect for the way the body responds to stress and illness. We have such a capacity to be well, and my studies have encouraged me to think differently about the body’s ability to restore balance. I’m not as quick to reach for painkillers, for example, and I find myself considering health and illness from a much broader perspective.

Homeopathy has also made the world around me much more fascinating. I look at things and wonder what they might be like as homeopathic medicines. Calendula has become much more than simply a plant, and I now find myself looking at insects, plants, minerals and animals with a completely different sense of curiosity. Even inanimate objects can take on a new significance.

To anyone wondering about doing the course, I would say: ‘Be prepared to be challenged – but in a good way.’ You won’t look at yourself, your fellow humans or the world in quite the same way ever again. To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: ‘You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.’ That’s what it feels like to me anyway. The course has made an enormous difference to my life, and I now look at the world through a whole new pair of eyes.