Unbalanced
emotion is the biggest cause of blockages in the body. Chinese Medicine tells
us that over excitement and excessive causes damage to the heart
energy.
Anger and
anxiety damages the liver energy. Fears damage the kidneys. Sadness and depression
damage the lung energy. Too much thinking and mental work damages the stomach
and pancreas.
When a
person gets angry, for example, the automatic chemical activities of the body
cause energy to collect in the liver. If this energy is not removed from the
live, a blockage gradually forms and our liver becomes sick.
Let’s look
at how over-happiness would cause damage to the heart. When a person is very
excited, the energy heats the heart first. Excess energy travels up to the
brain. Once the energy gets into the brain, it is not easy to get it out,
because the channel between the torso and the head is very narrow. Just like an
overfilled balloon, an energy explosion could result in a stroke or heart
attack.
Our
ancient wisdom asks us to stay calm all the time to keep the Yin and Yang
energy in a good balance.
Excess
emotional activity causes severe yin-yang energy imbalances, wild aberrations
in the flow of blood, qi (vital energy) blockages in the meridians and
impairment of vital organ functions. Once physical damage has begun, it is
insufficient to eliminate the offending emotion to affect a cure; the prolonged
emotional stress will require physical action as well. The emotions represent
different human reactions to certain stimuli and do not cause disease under
normal conditions.
喜 JOY
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, joy refers to a state of agitation or
overexcitement.
“When one is excessively joyful, the spirit scatters and can no longer
be stored,” states the Lingshu (The Vital Axis). However, in TCM, joy refers to
a states of agitation or overexcitement, rather than the more passive notion of
deep contentment. The organ most affected is the heart. Over-stimulation can
lead to problems of heart fire connected with such symptoms as feelings of
agitation, insomnia and palpitations.
怒 ANGER
- Anger, as described by TCM, covers the full range of associated emotions
including resentment, irritability, and frustration.
An excess of rich blood makes one prone to anger. Anger will thus affect the liver,
resulting in stagnation of liver qi (vital energy). This can lead to liver
energy rising to the head, resulting in headaches, dizziness, and other
symptoms. In the long run it can result in high blood pressure and can cause
problems with the stomach and the spleen. It is commonly observed that ruddy,
“full-blooded” people with flushed faces are more prone than others to sudden
fits of rage at the slightest provocation.
憂 ANXIETY
- Anxiety can block the qi and manifest in rapid, shallow breathing.
“When one feels anxiety, the qi (vital energy) is blocked and does not move.”
Anxiety injures the lungs, which control qi (vital energy) through breathing.
Common symptoms of extreme anxiety are retention of breath, shallow, and
irregular breathing. The shortage of breath experienced during periods of
anxiety is common to everyone. Anxiety also injures the lungs’ coupled organ,
the large intestine. For example, over-anxious people are prone to ulcerative
colitis.
思 PENSIVENESS
- In TCM, pensiveness or concentration is considered to be the result of
thinking too much or excessive mental and intellectual stimulation.
Any activity that involves a lot of mental effort will run the risk
of causing disharmony. The organ most directly at risk is the spleen. This can lead
to a deficiency of spleen qi (vital energy), in turn causing worry and
resulting in fatigue, lethargy, and inability to concentrate.
悲 GRIEF
- The lungs are more directly involved with this emotion. A normal and healthy
expression of grief can be expressed as sobbing that originates in the depths
of the lungs – deep breathes and the expulsion of air with the sob. However,
grief that remains unresolved and becomes chronic can create disharmony in the
lungs, weakening the lung qi (vital energy). This in turn can interfere with
the lung’s function of circulating qi (vital energy) around the body.
恐 FEAR
- Fear that cannot be directly addressed is likely to lead to disharmony
in the kidneys.
Fear is a normal and adaptive human emotion. But when it becomes chronic and
when the perceived cause of the fear cannot be directly addressed, then this is
likely to lead to disharmony. The organs most at risk are the kidneys. In cases
of extreme fright, the kidney’s ability to hold qi (vital energy) may be
impaired leading to involuntary urination. This can be a particular problem
with children.
驚 FRIGHT
- Fright is another emotion not specifically related to only one organ. It is
distinguished from fear by its sudden, unexpected nature. Fright primarily
affects the heart, especially in the initial stages, but if it persists for
some time, it becomes conscious fear and moves to the kidneys.
The
emotions are considered the major internal causes of disease in TCM. Emotional
activity is seen as a normal, internal, physiological response to stimuli from
the external environment. Within normal limits, emotions cause no disease or
weakness in the body. However, when emotions become so powerful that they
become uncontrollable and overwhelm or possess a person, then they can cause
serious injury to the internal organs and open the door to disease. It is not
the intensity as much as the prolonged duration or an extreme emotion, which
causes damage. While Western physicians tend to stress the psychological
aspects of psychosomatic ailments, the pathological damage to the internal
organs is very real indeed and is of primary concern of the TCM practitioner.
