– Jan Scholten
Of Magnesium phosphoricum we only really know the usual physical complaints, such as the typical spasmodic pains, which improve with pressure, bending double and warmth. But the mind picture is quite unknown. What is the underlying theme in Mag-p?
Concepts
Magnesium Phosphoricum
Pacifism Communication
Aggression Sympathetic
Fear of loss Friends, acquaintances, neighbours
Pain Brothers
Homesickness
Curiosity and travel
Restlessness and fears
Group analysis
The group analysis gives the theme for Mag-p: the fear that their aggression will take away the possibilities for contact. They need to make many contacts, to exchange ideas and feelings. But they are afraid that they will say something wrong and make the other person angry. Then the other person might even break off the friendship. So they are very careful. They quickly have the feeling that their ideas might offend someone. They become more and more tense, almost spastic. Eventually it becomes such an effort to have a normal contact that they start to avoid it altogether. They even develop a fear of people. A variation on the theme could be that aggression will take away the possibility for study. They can have the fear that they will not be allowed to carry on with their studies if they show their anger too often. For instance a child at school, who would like to study, but who is afraid that he is not allowed to go on to university.
Another variation is that they might have a brother who is aggressive. They feel suppressed by that brother. They feel that they cannot express their own ideas and opinions because he always brushes them away. This can also cause the withdrawing and timid behaviour as described in the previous paragraph.
It is rather striking that both Magnesium and Phosphorus have a great need for contact and are afraid of losing contacts. This theme comes out clearly in a proving dream of Lassauw (personal report): ‘I was standing in a courtyard enclosed by a school building (Phos) on three sides. It felt a bit like a prison. There was nobody else there, I suddenly felt very lonely (Mag and Phos), away from home, not knowing where to go. It was an awful feeling; I had never had it before. There was a black person who came out of the building and walked away. I then started wandering through the town. I was then approached (Phos) by a woman, who offered to show me a beautiful park. She was a very nice (Mag) person. We went to the park down a long stairway. It was all very beautiful, but it did not make me any happier. I still had the feeling ‘all this isn’t for me. When it is all over I will be left with the lonely feeling I had in the courtyard’.
The feeling of loneliness in this proving is even stronger than in the other Magnesiums and Phosphoricums.
Case
A man, aged 28, comes with mental problems. He feels very insecure, is afraid of people. He feels that everyone is always observing him. He has a strong inferiority complex, cannot make decisions. He would rather stay at home. In his dreams he often has confrontations with other people. When he feels insecure and nervous he feels a tightening in his diaphragm. It is in a spot exactly between his xyphoid and his navel. The pain is (