The California Homeopath
Journal of the California Homeopathic Medical Society

Don't be afraid; you won't do either-not literally, anyway. The zen-inspired title of this essay is adapted from the book, If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him, by psychologist Sheldon Kopp. The premise of Kopp's book is the necessity of finding one's own inner truth rather than relying on any external authority, of moving beyond a spiritual or therapeutic relationship based on an abdication of personal autonomy. The relevance of Kopp's premise to homeopathy lies in the fact that the aura of Hahnemann hangs over homeopathy as strongly today as it did 100 years ago. Indeed, the very identity of homeopathy is so inextricably linked with the influence of Hahnemann that it is difficult to imagine an alternative approach.

I do not mean to suggest that there is anything essentially wrong with acknowledging the unique contribution of Hahnemann to the establishment of the homeopathic method and the elucidation of its main philosophical positions; his writings are a vital part of homeopathic thinking and a pioneering contribution to medical thought. At the same time, however, it is apparent that Hahnemann's personality dominates the profession to the extent that it has incorporated, along with his ideas, vestiges of his personal issues and of cultural dynamics peculiar to the time in which he lived. It can be argued, in light of this, that the collective identity of our profession resembles that of a cult of personality as much as it does that of a medical art, giving rise to distinctly religious overtones in the expression of homeopathic thought and philosophy as expounded by Hahnemann, Kent and others, and rendering the system of homeopathic practice an exte nsion of Hahnemann's profound influence.

By Richard Pitt

Richard Pitt | Homeopath and Educator

Richard has been practicing and teaching homeopathy in San Francisco since 1995.  He orginally trained in England and has been practicing homeopathy since 1984.  He is former Director of the Pacific Academy of Homeopathy in San Francisco and also teaches at many other schools in the United States and Canada.  He is a founding board member and past president of the Council for Homeopathic Certification, which has established professional certification for the homeopathic profession in North America.  He is in private practice in San Francisco.