Homoeopathic Facial Analysis

Review

This book review is reprinted with permission from Volume 20, Spring 2007 Edition of Homeopathic Links.
Homeolinks Publishers
PO Box 68
9750 AB Haren
The Netherlands
Website: www.homeolinks.nl

Appearance and Circumstance: Miasms, Facial Features and Homeopathy
By: Grant Bentley

and

Homoeopathic Facial Analysis: Companion to Appearance and Circumstance
By: Grant Bentley

Reviewed by Margaret Nolan, Australia

Every classical homeopath is looking for those special symptoms, clues that will lead us to the similimum for the case. We tear our hair out in frustration when we just "know" that we have the correct match for the case with the correct medicine and yet there is no improvement in the symptoms of the client. We go over everything we can think of while, as Grant Bentley writes, "it is staring us in the face".

Grant and his partner Louise have, after many years of applied study and research, produced these two books and I believe have performed a huge service on behalf of homeopaths worldwide by leaving almost no homeopathic stone unturned in their research for this work. This body of research is without doubt built on the work of our homeopathic ancestors. And yet the author has certainly made it original: the method is unique, tried and tested over thousands of cases - and it works!

From the comprehensive bibliography provided, most homeopaths will recognise the sources. In his research Grant has identified gems in the works of our homeopathic masters J. H. Allen, Hahnemann, Close, Ortega, Foubister and others. He has taken their observations and comments, drawn them out, reapplied and tested them against known miasmatic traits as part of his research protocol. The research work has led to further information such as the way each miasm identifies itself in the life of the individual, and how each miasm has a unique but common to its own miasm way of expressing itself and interacting in the world.

Each colour-coded miasm has a chapter in Appearance and Circumstance dedicated to the explanation and expression of that miasm and how it has been seen to manifest itself in the lifestyle of the individual. There is also a chapter of frequently asked questions to assist with the learning process.

In Homoeopathic Facial Analysis there are many photographic and sketch examples to illustrate the difference between the norms and the effect on the structural features of the face of psora, sycosis, syphilis and their various combinations. In addition many of the major polychrests have been classified into miasmatic groups. Clear instructions are provided on how to capture good digital photos and the use of a computer to help analyse the results.

By grouping together the client's signs and symptoms of disease with the events and circumstances of his/her life, Grant has determined that the miasms have a particular theme that displays itself in the life of every individual that is also common to a group of people. Very thought-provoking indeed!

This methodology offers homeopaths a new, exciting and generally speedier way to identify the red line and adds to the totality of the case; however, the author, like any good homeopathic teacher, continually stresses that no one feature stands alone, and a process of analytical determination is required to identify the dominant miasm.

We do need to apply ourselves to learn and to integrate this system into our skill base. The author has made it as easy as possible for us to adopt this new method, by colour-coding the miasms. yellow/psora, red/sycosis and blue/syphilis, and continues with purple, orange, green and brown to identify the various complex miasms and by creating tables of the various facial features and their variables.

These two books should not been seen as just a rehash of known information; the writer has gone further, much further, by looking at each individual feature in a face and determining which dominant or complex miasm is expressing itself. Grant has given us a stimulating new tool that we can apply quite openly with the client, face to face without intimidating the client.

I look forward to further works on the philosophy of this system and know that the reader will never look at anyone's face in quite the same way again. Instead you will see the effects of the miasms staring back at you, so clearly and 'in your face' that you will wonder how you did not see it before!

These books are a must for every homeopath whether a new graduate or an experienced practitioner. My copies are always on my desk and are in continual use.

This book review is reprinted with the permission from the Summer 2009 Edition of The Homeopath.

Appearance and Circumstance Miasms, Facial Features and Homoeopathy & Homoeopathic Facial Analysis
By Grant Bentely

Appearance and Cicumstance - 2006, 286 pgs, paperback
ISBN 9781877029479

Homeopathic Facial Analysis - 2006, 164 pgs, spiral bound, both from Pennon Publishing Mitcham, VC, Australia
ISBN 9780646463230

Reviewed by Petra Wood

These two books are all about faces and miasms. The author, Grant Bentley, principal of the Victoria College of Classical Homceopathy in Australia, developed the system of homeopathic facial analysis (HFA) from his studies of miasms and their influence on every part of the human being. "Miasms exert their influence just as comprehensively on the outside as they do on the inside." Consequently, facial features, more easily and unobtrusively observed than other physical features, must provide information about the underlying miasmatic state of the person. He builds on classical authors like Allen, Roberts and Foubister when explaining that HFA is not a completely new concept. But he is also keen to point out that HFA does not provide information about a person's character, as physiognomy would do, nor is it restricted through ethnicity or race.

The first book is the textbook with the necessary philosophy and a discussion of different theories about miasms: there are provocative conclusions, some of which form the basis of HFA For example: "every person throughout his or her life is under the influence of only one miasm, without the possibility of change". Miasms are always to be regarded as something negative: "They do not contribute anything of positive value".

The number of miasms has to be restricted to three basic miasms (psora, sycosis and syphilis) with four other miasms being a mix of these three: psorasycotic, sycotic-syphilitic and psora-syphilitic (which is tubercular), as well as the cancer miasm as a mix of all three basic miasms. Bentley then introduces a way of colour coding: three primary colours for the basic miasms, three secondary colours and brown as a mix of all - cancer. The primary colours were chosen to suit the temperament of each miasm. Bentley then deliberately stops using the familiar homeopathic terms for the miasms and refers to them as colours only. This is followed by detailed descriptions of themes of the different miasms, not necessarily following previous authors. The theme of 'lack' for example is absent in the description of the psoric miasm.

In the third part of the book the recognition of different facial features is applied to photographs. Any facial feature belongs to one of the three basic miasms, e.g. close-set eyes are psoric, large eyes sycotic and deep-set eyes syphilitic. Simply adding up the ratings for all features then provides the final choice of miasm, with mixed miasms being indicated when there is no clear dominance of any of the basic miasms.

The book has a two-page list of remedies, which, according to Bentley, have been confirmed from cured cases. This list has been expanded and its updated version can be accessed on www.vcch.org. There are less than ISO remedies classified into the miasms as defined by Bentley, most of them polychrests. Again, Bentley's work is different, as some of these remedies are not necessary classed where you would expect them to be, e.g., Pulsatilla is psoric and Silica in the cancer miasm. It is a thorough and stimulating read, well written in an easy style.

The second book is a revised and advanced reference book to the third part of Appearance and Circumstance, with illustrations and photographs. These give clear guidelines as to angles etc., for example to define a sloped forehead. This book is not meant to be read alone and does not provide any theory of HFA.

At www.soulandsurvival.com Bentley offers an online facial analysis 'wizard' where anyone may enter their own (or their patient's) details according to examples given. At the end of several pages of choice of shapes and features, the result is given simply as the colour group deemed appropriate. No ratings are available of how dominant is any miasm.

The idea of HF A is intriguing and readers will be looking at faces with renewed curiosity. It appears that the author has had great successes in his prescriptions following HFA. How much this success can be replicated remains to be seen. I hesitate to whole-heartedly follow a system that in its ways appears quite restrictive and categorised. Bentley acknowledges the risk involved in standardisation. He stresses that HFA refines our classical homeopathic methods but does not replace them. But he also insists that the facial features and the corresponding miasmatic category should always be the deciding factor in remedy choice.