Soul & Survival

Episode 52 - A Case Post Cancer Treatment

In this episode, we discuss the case of a female in her sixties and how homeopathy helped her recover from the treatment of breast cancer and recover her energy and strength.
The homeopathic remedy and its difference to conventional medical treatment
How the homeopathic remedy works alongside conventional medicines where patients want this option
A case review of symptoms
Repertorizing the case - choosing rubrics that are objective and match rubrics
Choosing a remedy from a repertorization using facial analysis to determine the dominant miasm
How a remedy can support healing and relapses post surgery and drugs and support a patient in a safe and healing way
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 51 - Freezing Time: What Stillness Means in Trauma and Recovery

In this episode, we explore the concept of pausing time to support the body’s natural healing rhythms, particularly in response to trauma, chronic symptoms, or overwhelm. We consider how stepping outside the usual pace of life—both metaphorically and physiologically—can create space for integration, resolution, and a return to clarity. Topics include the somatic language of stillness, the difference between collapse and rest, how “the pause” intersects with survival strategies, and the role of body-led timing in therapeutic or homeopathic interventions. Through real-world examples and lived experience, we reflect on what it means to pause intentionally, and how recognising the need for a “halt” can be a crucial part of navigating long-term healing.
The Pause as a Survival Strategy: The conversation opens with a discussion on the body’s instinct to pause—biologically and emotionally—when overwhelmed. Grant reflects on personal experiences of needing to “stop time” and how this urge might signal more than exhaustion.
Stillness, Safety, and Somatic Wisdom: Louise explains how stillness can be both a protective response and a healing tool. The pair discuss the difference between choosing stillness vs. being frozen, and how recognising that distinction helps guide therapeutic direction.
When Forward Momentum Feels Unsafe: we dive into the tension between survival-based drive (pushing forward) and the body’s deeper need to stop. They unpack how urgency, restlessness, or guilt often arise when the body attempts to hit pause.
Reframing Healing Timelines: we explore how healing often happens outside of linear time. They challenge the notion that pausing means “not progressing” and instead propose that stepping out of forward movement can itself be profound progress.
Navigating the Discomfort of Slowing Down:  we conclude with a discussion of why stopping can feel intolerable, how modern life conditions us to equate stillness with failure, and the importance of cultivating a deeper trust in body-led timing.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 50 - From Trauma Work to Homeopathy: Elizabeth Balcar’s HFA Journey

In this episode, we speak with Elizabeth Balcar, a practitioner of HFA from the United States, about her journey into homeopathy and how HFA has reshaped her practice. Elizabeth shares how she came to homeopathy later in life after working extensively with PTSD, and how discovering Burnett’s work and later Grant’s books opened new perspectives. She explains how HFA’s focus on colour groups and miasms as forces gave her the structure she had been missing, allowing her to prescribe with greater clarity and confidence. We also explore the importance of Aphorism 27, the philosophy behind Soul & Survival, and how understanding miasms through HFA not only changes clinical outcomes but also enriches how we see relationships and human behaviour.
 
Elizabeth’s Journey into Homeopathy: Elizabeth shares her background working with PTSD and how this eventually led her into homeopathy later in life. She describes her early influences, including Burnett and combination remedies, and reflects on the limitations she encountered before discovering HFA.
Discovering HFA and Soul & Survival: We explore how Elizabeth found Grant’s books and later the online HFA course, which provided the structure she had been seeking. She explains how HFA transformed her prescribing, making it more consistent and giving her confidence in identifying dominant miasms.
Miasms, Colours, and Forces in Practice: The conversation turns to the philosophical foundations of HFA, including miasms as forces of motion rather than diseases, and the role of colour groups as neutral descriptors. Elizabeth reflects on how this perspective not only enhances clinical practice but also deepens understanding of human behaviour and relationships.
Practical Application and Aphorism 27: Elizabeth discusses how she applies HFA in her work with clients, particularly those dealing with trauma and PTSD. We also reflect on the importance of Aphorism 27 for guiding modern homeopathic practice, and how Soul & Survival has helped integrate these principles into accessible tools for practitioners.
Teaching, Learning, and Reflection: The episode closes with a discussion about the complementary teaching styles of Louise and Grant, the ongoing value of HFA for both students and experienced practitioners, and Elizabeth’s gratitude for how the system has transformed her work and outlook.
 
To find out more about:
 
Elizabeth Balcar MS
Does work with PTSD patients & uses HFA Homeopathy
You can visit Elizabeth at www.quantumfieldclearing.com  
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit www.vcch.org 

Episode 49 - The Brown Time, Disconnection and Memory

Is this really the way life is now—built around scrolling and phones? Not just social media as a distraction, or the private little worlds we create in our heads, but something deeper. How we use our phone reshapes how memory works. And when memory turns into fragments, personality loses its depth. Who you today come from the memories of yesterday. Without that thread, life risks becoming one-dimensional, disconnected. If you can’t create a memory of self, you can’t create a sense of self.
The cancer analogy. The individual has become so differentiated that they now no longer belong to the colony of the cells that they were meant to represent.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 48 - Trauma’s Blueprint: Reading the Body’s Symbolic Clues

In this episode, we explore the complex role that trauma plays in a person’s development and the subtle, often overlooked ways it expresses in behavior, posture, and belief systems. We talk about how early coping mechanisms - especially those formed around traumatic events - can solidify into unconscious strategies that shape our health and life patterns. We also reflect on the difficulty of unearthing these buried stories, and how they often manifest symbolically in the body or through patterns in a case. Throughout the conversation, we circle around the importance of noticing the fine details in a patient’s story - their posture, their energetic withdrawal, their emotional fixations - and how these can all be clues pointing toward unresolved experiences of helplessness or fear. It’s not about applying a fixed formula but allowing the person’s unique presentation to lead us to what needs to be addressed for healing to begin.
 
Coping Mechanisms and the Trauma Response: We explore how protective behaviors often become rigid patterns that obscure a person’s true self, particularly when those behaviors were born out of trauma.
The Energetic Signature of Withdrawal: We discuss the quality of energetic withdrawal in patients - how they shrink, retreat, or subtly disappear - and how this can signal deeper emotional or developmental wounds.
Reading the Body’s Symbolic Language: We talk about the way the body expresses unresolved stories through posture, movement, and structure, often in symbolic language that requires careful attention to decode.
Subtle Clues in Case Observation: We reflect on the importance of fine detail in observation - particularly those micro-expressions or patterns that can reveal internalized trauma or belief systems.
The Role of Helplessness and Fixation: We examine how helplessness can form the root of stuck patterns, and how fixation on a certain worldview, emotion, or identity is often a signpost pointing to past trauma.
Allowing the Case to Reveal Itself: We emphasize the need for patience and listening in case-taking, letting the case unfold instead of imposing our interpretation too early.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 47 - The Body Speaks: Reading the Somatic Language of the Vital Force

In this episode, we explore how the subtle cues of posture, movement, and presence can guide a homeopath’s case-taking process. We discuss how observing the body can reveal expressions of a person’s inner state—sometimes even more clearly than their words. We look at ways the body unconsciously communicates patterns of tension, suppression, or need, and how that informs our remedy choices. We also reflect on the nature of vital force—how it animates form, what it looks like when it’s interrupted or distorted, and how deeply ingrained survival strategies may show up somatically. The conversation moves through cases, metaphor, instinct, and self-protective structure as we dig deeper into the link between the psyche and the soma.
Embodiment and the Case-Taking Process: We examine how a person’s posture, movement, and body language provide vital information about their internal state during a consultation.
The Body as a Messenger: We discuss the idea that the body expresses what the conscious mind may suppress, offering a raw and unfiltered window into the vital force.
Survival Strategies and Somatic Patterns: We consider how deeply rooted survival mechanisms shape muscular tension, postural habits, and physical energy.
Interruption and Distortion of the Vital Force: We explore what it looks like when the expression of the vital force is interrupted, and how this can manifest in erratic or disjointed physical presentation.
Sensation, Stillness, and Suppression: We reflect on the difference between authentic stillness and suppressed movement, and how each can offer insight into the state of being.
Instinct and Embodied Knowing: We explore how instincts—both human and animal—reside in the body, often guiding behavior unconsciously and influencing remedy indications.
Observing the Unspoken: We discuss the homeopath’s role as a silent observer, watching what is expressed without words, and cultivating trust in bodily signs and sensations.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 46 - Reading Between the Lines: Gestures, Rhythms, and the Unconscious

In this episode, we explore the evolving nature of the developmental stages and how our understanding of them continues to shift as we deepen our work. We reflect on the role of pre-conscious experiences and how they shape a person’s survival strategies and defense structures, often long before language or memory are available. We talk about the importance of tracking not just what is said, but how it is said—tone, gesture, rhythm, and body language—as a way into the earlier, often non-verbal stages. We also consider how trauma can occur even in what might seem like ideal circumstances, simply through misattunement or misunderstanding, and how subtle yet persistent these patterns can be. Throughout the conversation, we keep returning to the question of how we can support people in their survival without pathologizing them, by understanding how their strategies have served them and by helping them discover new ways of being that are more connected, integrated, and conscious.
 
The Limits of Language in Developmental Work: We discuss how pre-verbal experiences form deeply embedded survival strategies that aren’t always accessible through language, requiring attention to non-verbal cues.
How the Body Tells the Story: We explore how gesture, posture, tone, and movement patterns offer crucial insights into a person’s developmental stage and emotional life.
Misattunement and Its Lasting Effects: We explain how even subtle misattunements in early life—not just overt trauma—can shape a person’s experience of safety and connection throughout life.
The Role of Repetition and Pattern Recognition: We consider how repeated emotional and behavioral patterns can help identify underlying developmental fixations and the unconscious stories clients carry.
Supporting Survival Without Pathologising: We reflect on how to honor a client’s survival strategies as intelligent adaptations, while creating space for change and growth without shame or blame.
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 45 - The Confidence Illusion: Results Over Rhetoric in Homeopathy

In this episode, we reflect on what makes a homeopath effective - looking beyond personality and communication skills to focus on results and reproducibility. We discuss how Homeopathic Facial Analysis (HFA) offers an objective framework that brings consistency to prescribing, especially when traditional methods fall short. Drawing from both personal experience and professional observations, we consider why some practitioners appear confident without delivering outcomes, while others achieve success through humble, structured approaches. We also emphasize the importance of separating likeability from clinical effectiveness, noting that charisma alone doesn’t equate to accurate prescribing. Ultimately, we highlight that a reproducible system like HFA gives both practitioners and patients clarity, trust, and sustainable results in homeopathic practice.
 
What Makes a Homeopath Effective?: We begin by questioning what defines an effective practitioner, moving beyond charm and empathy to focus on consistent results.
Charisma vs. Clinical Success: We examine the illusion of effectiveness created by confident communication, noting that it often masks a lack of clinical accuracy.
The Importance of Objectivity: We emphasize the need for objectivity in homeopathy and how HFA provides a structured, reproducible method for remedy selection.
Learning from Mistakes in Practice: We reflect on past cases where a lack of structure or reliance on intuition led to poor results, and how adopting HFA improved outcomes.
Why Likeability Isn’t Enough: We challenge the assumption that being well-liked by patients guarantees success, stressing that results matter more than rapport.
How HFA Builds Trust: We explain how using HFA gives practitioners confidence in their prescriptions and reassures patients that their treatment is based on a solid framework.
Reproducibility as a Benchmark: We close by asserting that reproducibility should be the gold standard for any system, and how HFA continues to meet this test in real-world practice.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 44 - Beyond the Diagnosis: Why Symptoms Matter More in Homeopathy

In this episode, I continue exploring the evolution of Homeopathic Facial Analysis (HFA), focusing on how Hahnemann’s miasm theory can be better understood as forces of motion rather than static disease layers. I discuss how combining miasmatic forces—such as psora, sycosis, and syphilis—results in unique, complex energies that behave independently of their original components. Using analogies like blending colors or the uniqueness of a child born from two parents, I explain how these combinations shape an individual’s energetic makeup. I also explore how the survival instinct, as a protective response to stress, draws on energy reserves to sustain life under pressure. This episode emphasizes that chronic disease is often the result of prolonged stress and exhaustion, not the awakening of dormant disease layers, reinforcing HFA’s focus on energy balance and the body’s adaptive strategies.
 
The Problem with Diagnosis-Based Thinking: We begin by discussing how conventional medicine conditions people to focus on their diagnosis rather than their unique symptoms.
Symptoms Over Labels: Shifting the Perspective: We explore how homeopathy requires a shift in thinking, focusing on the nuances of symptoms rather than generalized disease classifications.
Understanding Modalities and Individual Responses: We break down the importance of symptom modalities—such as reactions to temperature, movement, or time of day—and how they provide key insights for remedy selection.
Challenges in Case-Taking: When Patients Struggle to Describe Symptoms: We discuss strategies for helping patients articulate their symptoms, especially when they rely too heavily on a diagnosis without deeper awareness.
The Role of Homeopathic Facial Analysis (HFA): We highlight how HFA provides an objective way to narrow down remedy selection, ensuring greater accuracy and consistency in practice.
Overcoming Misconceptions in Homeopathy Forums: We reflect on the common misunderstanding seen in online homeopathy discussions, where people often ask for remedies based on diagnosis rather than symptom patterns.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org

Episode 43 - Miasms Revisited: Uncovering the Roots of Chronic Disease

In this episode, I revisit some of my earlier written work that laid the foundation for Homeopathic Facial Analysis (HFA) and reflect on how those ideas still hold strong today. We explore Hahnemann’s miasmatic theory, examining how his research into chronic disease shaped the evolution of homeopathic practice. By breaking down the key differences between acute and chronic diseases, we highlight Hahnemann’s realization that effective chronic care requires recognizing and addressing an underlying dominant miasm. We also discuss the limitations of the “layers” theory in chronic prescribing and how HFA evolved as a practical, reproducible system that embraces Hahnemann’s core insights while moving beyond outdated ideas. This episode introduces key concepts that will continue into the next discussion on miasms as universal forces.
 
Hahnemann’s Early Success and Frustration with Chronic Disease:  We discuss Hahnemann’s initial success with acute conditions and his later struggle to achieve the same results in chronic cases, leading to his research on miasms.
The Development of Miasmatic Theory:  We explore Hahnemann’s discovery of psora, syphilis, and sycosis as the three primary chronic miasms, emphasizing the central role of psora in chronic disease.
The Problem with the “Layers” Theory:  We discuss the limitations of the popular “layers” theory, which attempts to explain recurring symptoms through inherited disease layers, and explain why this model often fails in practice.
The Evolution of HFA as a Practical Alternative:  We highlight how HFA was developed by testing real-world clinical outcomes, adopting only methods that consistently improved results.
Miasms as Forces of Motion:  We introduce the idea that miasms are not diseases but energetic forces—outward, circular, or inward—that reflect the body’s natural defense mechanisms.
 
To find out more about:
 
Grant & Louise Bentley
Soul & Survival
HFA Homeopathy clinic
HFA Homeopathy online courses
HFA videos
HFA books
Please visit https://vcch.org