A Grounded Theory Study of Homeopathic Practitioners' Perceptions and Experiences of the Homeopathic Consultation

Table 4

Category 3: finding the level.

Subtheme	Examples
Evaluation of patient	“If we have got on well and the energy is there then I can work out what the patient needs, what we are going to treat, on what level. Am I going to be able to get further than the physical with this patient, can we discover the emotional side…?” (Int 8)
Linking energy and wholeness	“Integrating the whole person through the stimulation of the vital force”    “We look at all levels of the person, in an energetic way” (Int 6)
Approach to treatment	“I will need to know how she is emotionally and how she reacts to her environment, memory, her vitality and all that, I need this whole picture to help find a remedy” (Int 1)
Hering’s law of cure	“Herings law can give you the confidence that the remedy chosen has acted in a curative manner. So if you see a rash or a discharge the body is pushing symptoms out…” (Diary 2)
Expectations: Assessing	“if you donot know why they have come and they donot know why they have come then how can you know if they are going to get better and what they are expecting from the consultation” (Int 11)
Managing	“I manage their expectations by going through the process and explaining to them what I can or cant do” (Int 12)
Adjusting	“they may think that they want their gout better, and they do…but its all…the gout and the anxiety that matters” (Int 8)
Matching	“we have to agree…its no good me being over confident about what I can do, or them (the patient) wanting too much…” (Int 13)
Collaboration	“but you will have to try not using the antibiotics and see if together we can manage this homeopathically to balance you, what do you think…” (Ob 3)