When Yolande Diver reached a point where she couldn’t see any way forward, a homeopathic remedy pulled her from the brink & set her life on an unexpected new course. She shares her story….

I discovered homeopathy around 20 years ago when I was pregnant with my son, Jack. My pregnancy yoga teacher would suggest things like acupuncture, reflexology and homeopathy as ways of supporting yourself without having to go and see a doctor all the time. I was curious, so I tried acupuncture and then homeopathy to support my pregnancy and prepare myself for birth. I took arnica during and after labour and had an instant connection with it. It made me feel quite energised.

I continued to use homeopathy after I had Jack. I remember he would be quite sick, then suddenly after he had a remedy, he’d seem relaxed and much better. As a new mum, this was very helpful.

When Jack was 18 months old, my husband and I split up. The divorce was very stressful and, as my relationship with my ex-husband got worse, I became quite unwell. During the week I was dealing with things like going to court and the general stress of the situation. Then, when Jack was with his dad at the weekends, I did a lot of escaping. I started going out a lot, taking drugs and drinking heavily. It turned quite hedonistic.

I had really bad stomach pains all the time, my anxiety levels were really high, and I was so adrenalised I couldn’t feel the ground underneath my feet, as though I was floating. It was almost like my nervous system was shot to bits. I was in a very heightened state and the doctors couldn’t help. Apart from saying, ‘We can give you some Valium’. I didn’t feel like I was being heard.

Someone I knew recommended a homeopath and I decided to give her a try. I told her about everything and why I was there and she prescribed me the remedy Carcinosin.

My reaction to the remedy was so powerful. There was a lot of clearing out, in terms of crying or going to the toilet. Something was being cleared out that didn’t need to be in my body anymore.

After taking the remedy for a week, there was a marked change in me. For the first time in a good couple of years, my nervous system felt like it was back to normal.

Before then, I’d thought homeopathy was really good for treating mild ailments in the family – such as teething. This latest experience showed how it could help when you were really unwell. After that, life went on and I had to cope. But I continued to see the homeopath to support my mental health.

I’ve suffered with depression since my early 20s and took antidepressants for many years before I got pregnant with Jack. When I was on them, I didn’t feel anything and nothing really bothered me. I felt like I had a very flat-line existence. I got married on antidepressants, my mum died, but I met everything with the same sort of indifference.

I haven’t taken medication like that since because homeopathy has really helped. I still feel like me but without those strong emotions weighing me down. Obviously it’s normal to get upset occasionally. But I now know when I get stuck in a state that I might need some help. Homeopathy helps me to move out of that space and into a place of being a rational human being.

A new path 

In 2004 my life really changed for the better when, after a serendipitous conversation at my local gym, I decided to train as a homeopath. I said to my homeopath, ‘I feel it’s something I should do because it’s struck a chord so deeply’.

By 2008, I had qualified and set up regular practice in a local health clinic. I saw clients with conditions ranging from skin complaints, digestive issues, women’s health and chronic pain. I also practiced at a clinic specifically for women and health. It was an honour to support people on the path to health and wellbeing.

In 2012, I was looking for something different when supporting women having babies as a doula started calling out to me. In clinical practice, I’d come across women who were very disappointed with their experience of birth and felt it wasn’t what they had wanted. I also trained as an active birth teacher and pregnancy yoga teacher because I wanted to let women know they have a choice with how they can have their babies and how they look after their bodies. For me, it was about women having empowering experiences, rather than being told what to do.

Within a couple of years, my doula work began to take off and it got to the point where it felt that working as both a homeopath and a doula was too much. Although, homeopathy is still something I offer to some of my doula clients if they are open to it. It can really help in certain situations, like if the mum is feeling scared, hot or bothered. Or in the positioning of a baby in labour.

In my personal life, homeopathy is still as important as it ever was. I have a homeopath and she’s the person I go and see before anyone. Aside from my mental health, I’ve taken homeopathy for acute things like earaches and stomach aches. When I’m travelling I take my kit with me and it’s also the medicine of my home. Jack, now 20, has also been treated homeopathically – as has my dog.

I honestly believe homeopathy saved my life. Homeopathy contributed to helping me turn my life around, and completely changed the direction of it. It’s helped me to rebuild my self-esteem and feel healthy again. Thanks to homeopathy, I feel like my feet are now firmly on the ground.

Find out more about Yolande here