And in the vast majority of instances I would agree 100% with openly discussing remedy selection with the patient. It's rather a natural process that unfolds as the interview progresses. The vast majority of cases I see the client is already proactive and informed with basic homoeopathic knowledge of several remedies. I also like to show photographs where available of the remedy source.

However, experience has taught me that like anything in life this is not a black and white issue. The asterisk beside the remedy name is a symbol which Hahnemann himself employed where necessary. The paranoid schizophrenic gentleman referred to above had a case history of violent parental and sexual abuse that left me feeling physically sick. At the same time he was so anxious about his physical problems he was not altogether coherent, also, I felt unsure of my own physical safety. This was not an environment that encouraged an open, frank discussion of the merits of homoeopathic Arsenicum. Hence I believe each case has to be dealt with in the context of its own circumstances and merits and personal capacity.
What I have learnt is that it is the ART of prescribing that enables the needs of the patient to be met. This is neither dishonest nor disempowering if one can suspend judgement and see the whole picture.