Student Journeys into Homeopathy

Helen Best

Homeopathy First Aid Course

The Homeopathy First Aid Course is a wonderful way to take your first steps into homeopathy. It gives you practical knowledge, builds your confidence and helps you discover just how useful homeopathy can be in everyday family life.

For me, what started as a simple introduction to something I had been curious about for years eventually changed the direction of my life completely. It gave me the confidence to take my interest further and ultimately led me to train as a professional homeopath.

My closet reading of Materia Medica in the bath was getting out of hand! I had been a homeopathy patient for 15 years and it had changed my life, so I thought I’d better take a course. The natural starting point was the School’s Homeopathy First Aid Course, which was recommended by my homeopath.

My dad was a pharmacist and botanist, so I grew up with a fascination for plants. My first real homeopathic thought came when someone was poisoned after eating Datura stramonium and my dad looked it up in a book of poisonous plants. I remember thinking, ‘I get symptoms like that sometimes,’ and wondering why. It sparked my curiosity and made me think there must be something in it! I always knew I wanted to do something different from my dad, and I eventually became a fully-trained homeopath.

The School’s Homeopathy First Aid Course really got the ball rolling. I went from thinking that becoming a homeopath was something I might do one day to enrolling on a full-time course to become a Homeopathic Practitioner. Four years later, I graduated. Looking back, doing the First Aid Course made a massive difference to my life.

I still have the sturdy cardboard box that the course came in, complete with the lovely books and the first aid remedy kit from Helios. I particularly loved the ‘Get Well Soon’ book and it is still my go-to book whenever someone is ill in my house. I really enjoyed working through the self-assessment cases, with helpful clues placed along the way. They gave me the confidence to start putting what I was learning into practice.

The whole idea behind the course – having a go at prescribing for your family – is so useful. Before doing it, I was often hesitant about treating people, even when I was fairly sure which remedy they needed. The DVD talks with homeopathy teacher Misha Norland were incredibly reassuring and memorable. His calm, encouraging approach made me feel that it was OK to have a go, learn from the experience and keep trying.

I also loved the Materia Medica movie lectures. Even now, I return to them when I need a reminder. Just this morning, I had a first aid situation involving an insect bite, so I watched the section on Apis again and was able to refresh my understanding of the ‘pitting under pressure’ information. I really appreciated the way the course was broken down into bite-sized pieces, and as someone who learns particularly well through visual information, the mix of books, films and practical exercises suited me perfectly.

If someone asked me about taking the course, I would wholeheartedly encourage them not to waste 15 years thinking about it! It’s such a friendly and accessible introduction to homeopathy, and you never know where that first step might lead. For me, it opened the door to a completely new career and a whole new way of helping others. Now I have a dream of practising somewhere beautiful in the mountains, co-creating miracles and walking alongside patients on their journey of transformation. I want to pass on to others what has been so generously given to me.