Thuja : hiding from the world

This excerpt is reprinted from Core Elements of the Materia Medica of the Mind Volume 11 by Ananda Zaren which will be published in May of 1994, by Burgdorf Publishers.

Thuja individuals sustain wounds early in life that penetrate deeply into their psyches because of their tremendous fragility and vulnerability. J.T. Kent illuminates the psychic state of Thuja when he describes a woman with the fixed idea that she is very delicate, that she is made of glass and that she might break. Thuja children have a predisposition to psychic fragility and their stability is further fractured by various forms of serious neglect and physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. A common thread in the history of Thuja patients is the experience of rejection and unprovoked and undeserved punishment. As one patient said about his relationship with his mother, "I was not what she wanted, and she let me know it."

Thuja individuals then produce a particular type of wall, whose purpose is to deflect criticism and rejection by obscuring the person's true nature. Thuja individuals become reserved and suspicious, instead of expressing their emotions. They attempt to gain control and security by carefully assessing the emotional climate and showing little of themselves. They shelter themselves by becoming introverted, moody, and self-absorbed. Always guarded, Thuja individuals might also be overtly deceptive, manipulating other people and generating misinformation. Their goal is to protect themselves by refusing to allow other people to penetrate their veneer. They will go to great lengths to avoid being seen by others.

Many Thuja individuals are creative and dramatic. They seek to release their tightly guarded emotions through artistic expression. Though Thuja individuals can appear to be comfortable in social settings, most admit to feeling alienated, dwelling forever outside the warm circle of friends and intimates. Because these people feel deprived of the experience of fraternity, they tend to appease themselves by indulging to excess in alcohol, drugs, and sexual pleasures. Gradually, their systems become eroded by self-reproach, guilt, and depression. Eventually, they can reach a state of intense apathy and a suicidal loathing of life.

The mask of Thuja is often well-composed. Thuja individuals can appear to be fully in control of their lives. They are often very fastidious in the construction of their persona. They can present as timid and shy, or they can create a facade of sensual excitement and intrigue. Overall, Thuja individuals will, during the homeopathic interview, reveal only what they want and nothing more. Many physical symptoms are associated with Thuja, including warts, growths, catarrhal discharges, left-sided headaches, and many conditions of the female and male genitalia.